What are Monitor Speakers?

Monitor speakers are speakers that have not been tone-rendered, but they are different from high-fidelity, and monitoring is equivalent to full-fidelity. The monitor speaker is a professional audio equipment. Its characteristics are that it can balance the sound of the high, middle and low frequency bands, and does not modify or render the sound, and faithfully restore the audio signal.

Monitor speakers

Monitor speakers are speakers that have not been tone-rendered (sound-dyed), but

Monitor speakers are mainly used in control rooms,

Monitor Horn Competition

current

B & W

In 1966, John Bower, a British telecommunications engineer, and his friend Roy Wilkins opened a sound shop in Worthing. This is the origin of B & W. John Bower is here to help people assemble the speakers. The first product launched under the B & W brand is P1. They use the money they make to buy some used test equipment.

Launched in 1967, the P2 speaker uses ion treble and laminated glass cone cone bass, which has been well received. It has become B & W's first export speaker, and B & W's tradition of innovation is established in Yu.

In 1970, B & W established a research and development department, and introduced a DM70C speaker with a mixture of static electricity and cone cone design. In 1974, research started using DuPont's bulletproof cloth Kevlar to make horn monomers. The first finished DM6 was launched two years later.

As for the B & W shape that we are familiar with at the top of the loudspeaker, it started from 1977, and the revolutionary B & W 801 speaker was introduced at the WCES of 79. The test with the laser jammer made great progress. EMI's Abbey Road took the lead in using 801 as the monitor speaker, and then Decca and German Polygon Group joined in. To this day, the Series III of the Matrix 801 is still the most widely used monitoring system in the classical music industry. This pair of speakers uses a 30cm polymer cone cone bass. The Kevlar diaphragm's 12.6cm midrange and 2.6cm metal tweeter are separately installed in two boxes to avoid mutual interference. The SB7000 launched by Japanese Technics in 1975 and the 105 later launched by KEF in the United Kingdom have similar shapes, but only B & W stubbornly survived.

The Nautilus speaker prototype designed by Laurence Dickie was exhibited in 1991 and shocked the world. After being officially launched in 1994, it was regarded as a representative of postmodernism. The sound is also extraordinary. In pursuit of perfect sound, B & W has developed many bold and innovative shapes, such as pipe-shaped speakers, Blue Room like a fat doll, etc. The master of course is Nautilus. But after all, Nautilus is too avant-garde and the price is too high, so B & W put its brains on the best-selling 801. In the launch of the new Nautilus 801 and the smaller Nautilus 802, 803, 805, etc., we saw that there are already recording studios Enshrined Nautilus 801. The Nautilus 801 still uses a 2.5 cm aluminum metal tweeter, the magnet is changed to a neodymium iron boron magnet, and a metal conduit is added to the back of the speaker. In addition to the six-inch Kevlar diaphragm midrange, a phase cone is added, and the speaker is made of artificial stone. As for the bass from 12 inches to 15 inches, the diaphragm is a composite material of paper fiber and Kevlar. In terms of specifications, the low-frequency extension of the new Nautilus 801 is only 29Hz-3dB, but it is not as good as the old 801. In fact, according to many experts, the Nautilus 801 is far superior to the old 801 in terms of design and sound performance, and the price is the same. Will B & W stop there? of course not!

Tannoy and KEF

Tannoy has a long history, and it can be said that they were one of the founders of the British audio industry. In 1926, a broadcasting engineer named Guy R. Fou ntain developed a simple and reliable rectifier in the garage of his home in London. It was just right for the radio that was just starting out at that time, so Guy Fountain established Tannoy Company three years later. The origin of the name Tannoy is the abbreviation of two metal materials used in rectifiers: titanium (Tantalum) and aluminum alloy (Lead-Alloy). After the factory was established, Guy Fountain began to study the use of DC-excited dynamic coil speakers, and soon achieved results, but what really made Tannoy famous was a contract they received in 1930. The International Circus, set up by Sir Bertram Mills, is actively expanding and plans to be the first tent circus to travel by rail. They need a reliable and durable set that can make a lot of noise without being harsh Audio system, choose Tannoy bird screen.

Since then, Tannoy has been known for making high-quality PA speakers and studio monitor speakers. The British House of Representatives and the United Nations Building have successively adopted Tannoy products, which is equivalent to placing a guarantee on them. In the 1950s, Tannoy was quite successful on the one hand in communications equipment, and on the other hand began to enter the home market with the development of stereo. At this time, they launched the first coaxial design speakers. At present, whether it is a home or monitor speaker, Tannoy still uses coaxial monomers as the main force. System 215 MKII is the top model of Tannoy monitor speakers. It uses a 38 cm bass and a 38 cm coaxial monomer. It sounds like It is very different from the home Tannoy speakers. The sound is light and clear, the expression is direct, and the dynamics are particularly impressive. Tannoy's monitor speakers have moved from Britain to the world market. David Manley, who produced the amplifier, purchased a 25-cm coaxial unit from Tannoy, designed a monitor speaker under the brand Manley Laboratories, and received the support of Dung Sax, the owner of the trumpet flower. It can be seen that the Tannoy unit is also very powerful.

KEF, founded in 1961, first started with production of monomers. Almost all British speaker factories have purchased monomers from them. The famous 15-ohm version of the early BBC LS 3 / 5A was KEF monomers. In the 1970s, a fire broke out at the KEF factory. The production line was put to a torch. One said that the reason why the LS 3 / 5A was changed to 11 ohms was to achieve better linearity, but another was because KEF could no longer supply the old monomers. No matter what is true, at least we can see that KEF plays an important role in the British audio industry. In addition, the elliptical bass unit B-139 developed by KEF is an epoch-making contribution. With its small diaphragm area, it extends the low frequency to about 30Hz, which also illustrates the ability of KEF to design the unit. Many speaker kits bear the KEF logo almost equal to quality assurance. KEF's reputation in the professional field is more than that of the finished product. KEF's self-made horns began to gain popularity, starting from 104 in 1973. In the LP era, the wide sound range and dynamic performance of KEF's horns have intoxicated many people. KEF's home-made speakers were not fast. It was only released in 1976, and it was then improved to 105/2, setting off a boom in the market. In 1979, KEF developed S-Stop technology, and in 1984 introduced 104/2 speakers using Coupled Caviy technology. Of course, its unique concept and rich low-frequency performance caused many amazing sounds. In the same year, KEF's engineers announced the high- and low-frequency coaxial technology, which became the only rival to compete with Tannoy. In 1989, KEF further improved the design and launched a coaxial unit called "Uni-Q". In the second year, 105/3 used both cavity coupling and Uni-Q coaxial technology. Its excellent performance shocked four of them. However, the current flagship of KEF is still the 107/2 with a three-way design and active low-frequency equalization introduced in 1992. In the past few years, the British market was extremely stagnant, and Hong Kong consortium funds began to intervene in the operation of KEF. I believe that KEF will move towards a more popular line.

Genelec

Genelec from Finland was founded in 1978 and mainly produces active monitor speakers. More and more recording studios have joined the ranks of Genelec. Genelec uses traditional cone cones. The mid and treble parts are mounted on a panel with a horn diffusion effect. The factory calls it "Directivity Control Wave Guide", which can effectively control the directivity and phase characteristics. The adjustable level and crossover slope of all units are another feature of Genelec speakers. Through these fine adjustments, ideal results can be achieved in different recording studios. Each unit has an independent active amplifier, which is one of the reasons for its popularity. You can get realistic, tough, straightforward and high-resolution sound when you connect it. Adding a black body gives you a majestic and powerful feeling. Orthodox monitor speakers.

Pioneer and Westlake

Pioneer's top products usually use the Exclusive brand. The same goes for speakers. TAD (Technical Audio Divise) alone Exclusive speakers look beautiful, sound great, but are very hot to buy. TAD's bass uses a special casting method, and the entire frame is integrally formed to make a deep sound. The tweeter with beryllium metal diaphragm and asymmetric wooden horn make the Exclusi ve speaker very powerful. Its sound range is not particularly wide, but it is fast, rich in mid frequency and full of energy. In addition, ultra-high efficiency is also one of its advantages. Taiwan Junjin also designed a series of speakers using TAD monomers. The quality is not imported. Using Luxman's small vacuum tube machine can produce very large and shocking effects. Of course, its price. It is also amazing.

Westlake, founded by Glenn Phoenix in 1970, had a close relationship with JBL in the early years, using various monomers made by JBL. Since Glenn Phoenix was originally a celebrity in the West Coast recording industry, he designed the speakers according to his own standards, and soon Just raise awareness. Westlake's large monitor speakers are similar to Exclusiv. They both use wooden horns and large-caliber bass. The 5-way split SM-1 is much more luxurious than Exclusiv. The author once enjoyed many sets of Jadis JA-200 rear-stage push SM-1 in the space designed by Glenn Phoenix, played the Michael Jackson album produced in the Westlake studio, the dynamic was as if a slap on the face After listening to it, it was very exciting. However, in recent years, Westlake has gradually developed into upright speakers, and has also abandoned the horn design (except for the flagship Tower and the smaller Tower 12), such as BBSM12VNF, small Lc6.75W / N, or horizontal BBSM4F, etc. Both have very high ratings.

Electro-Voice and JBL

Established in 1927 in the United States, it stands up to JBL and Altec, but Electro-Voice has less involvement in the home market, so it has received less attention. For many years Electro-Voice has insisted on the design of mixing horn treble and cone bass. This design often encounters the problem of efficiency mismatch, but they are well solved. The flagship Georgian (the third-generation Georgian IIB has been launched) even uses a huge 46 cm woofer, and the midrange is also a huge 30 cm big guy. They can work with the horn composed of two tweeters, which is not easy. Electro-Voice also has the advantage of extremely high efficiency, with a sensitivity of more than 95dB, which is very easy to use, fast, rich in details, and dynamic, which is where Electro-Voice is praised.

In 1946, JB Lansing formally established JBL Company. At that time, the purpose was to manufacture a home system comparable to monitor speakers. However, later JBL also entered the professional market to take a share. Early JBL masterpieces like Olympus, Hartsfield, Paragon, etc., not only have luxurious shapes, special structures, but also have fascinating sounds. They are still the target of player collection. Paragon is more like elegant antique furniture. Hartsfield, which has been produced since the early 1950s, is mostly used in large-scale venues such as theaters. In the past few years, enthusiasts have reborn it and formed a story. Two Michigan enthusiasts, Mark Weiss and John Wolff, formed a Classic Audio Reproductionds, using new technology and monomers, to make a new Hartsfield. Due to the addition of ultra-high frequency extension, the crossover has been improved, naturally and The old Hartsfield will have some differences. However, the elegant and huge appearance, as well as the loose and natural charm, are all nostalgic. Hartsfield suggested to put it in the corner, but unlike Klipschorn's structure in the corner, Klipschorn uses the wall as an extension of the bass folding horn, and its low frequency will be affected without the wall. Hartsfield is basically designed for convenient positioning. . What is interesting is that both of them later designed wing-shaped back panels to facilitate the positioning requirements when leaving the corner.

Like Electro-Voice, JBL's large monitor speakers are mainly horn treble and cone cone bass. Project K2 S9500, launched in 1989, uses two bass bags to clamp the horn. Due to the large use of new materials (glass horn, artificial Stone base, etc.), make S95 00 have a new look. On the other hand, the small monitor speakers designed by JBL are also very popular. The L-100 launched in 1971 is a popular source. In recent years, the 4312MKII, the latest 4325MKII, and even the Century Gold commemorative speaker celebrating the 50th anniversary, They all use similar ideas. These speakers have a strong personality, and it feels very suitable to interpret popular music or be used as a home theater speaker. The meticulous expression, powerful dynamics and sharp transient response are exactly what JBL is famous for. JBL also has a professional brand called Urei. Many large recording studios have used Urei 815. This is an active design product. It is equipped with sub-gas and amplifier. Urei's modular concept is very new. All series of speakers use the same specifications of JBL monomers. The speakers are only different in size. The structure and maintenance are easy. In fact, it takes some thought to adjust.

PMC and ATC

PMC (Professional Montior Com.) Is a British manufacturer that started in 1990. Designers Peter Thomas and Adrian Loader have produced a series of speakers for studio monitoring based on the principle of transmission line speakers. From the largest BB5 / XBD, there are MB-1, IB-1, AB-1, LB-1 and other products in order. Introducing PMC and ATC together, they have many similarities, such as the large MB-1 and BB5, and the middle and high-pitched parts are simply a copy of ATC. The tweeter is a French Audax or Vifa product, and the gimmick midrange is developed by ATC. The bass is a different model and has different products. The biggest feature is that they are designed with transmission line speakers, so they can be used in a smaller volume. To achieve the ideal low-frequency extension effect. Compared with ATC, PMC has the same thick mid-low frequency and weight sense, the density is excellent, the mid-frequency is especially full, can withstand high power (also must use high power to drive), and can also emit large dynamics. However, the PMC sinks a bit lower than the ATC speakers of the same size, and the speed is not too slow, which is quite suitable for use in the post-production process.

ATC was founded by Billy Woodman in 1974. He participated in the design of B & W 801 and took inspiration from it to complete the design of the SCM series in 1986. BILLY WOODMAN put forward a unique theory of monomers with large magnets, large voice coils, and short strokes. Especially in the bass part, its monomers are often customized, and one can withstand two others. The pulp vibration is coated with damping material. The film is also unique. Another achievement of BILLY WOODMAN is the design of a 7.5 cm convex spherical midrange unit. This single unit allows the ATC speaker to perform extremely linearly at the mid-frequency, and withstands high power and full sound. Starting from the more used SCM-100, there are SCM-200 and SCM-400 of the Big Mac. If it is not an active design model, ATC has launched its own brand before and after to apologize to everyone. Enlarge the machine to solve difficult problems. The SCM-50, SCM-20, SCM-10 and the smallest A7 introduced by ATC are mostly for home use. Their sound directions are roughly similar, and the cost required on the amplifier is also the same.

YAMAHA and DIATONE

YAMAHA's audio department started with manufacturing amplifiers. The pyramid-shaped B-1 rear stage in 1974 caused widespread response. The first speaker was the 1973 NS-690, which was quickly forgotten. The NS model represents NATURE SOUND advertised by Yamaha. The NS-10M, which was widely used for near-field monitoring, was born in 1977. The 3.5-cm spherical tweeter and the 18-cm white diaphragm bass were placed in small speakers. Can attract many people and become one of the must-have speakers in the studio (because it is also cheap). The NS-10M was later remodeled several times. The NS-10M PRO was launched in 1987, and the anti-magnetic MX MODEL was launched in 1993. In addition, there are also horizontal 10M STUDIO, NS-10MM and NS-10MT that can be installed with subwoofers. Develop it. A speaker that is so popular and has a long life cycle is a special case. In addition to this monitor speaker, YAMAHA only has subwoofers raised by YST technology, and other speakers are almost completely obliterated. Even the flagship speaker NSX-1000 made in 1986 for the development of Guowei cannot escape this fate.

DIATONE, which started from the manufacture of magnets, is a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Electric, and has been manufacturing monoliths since World War II. The famous 2S205 and 2S305 are manufactured according to the NHK broadcast technical specifications, making them the throne in the field of monitor speakers. Later, on the one hand, DIATONE worked hard on the home market, and on the other hand, continued to study in the professional field. Those who added 2S before the number for professional use, and DS for home products. Unlike European and American manufacturers, DIATONE spends a lot of effort on the improvement of individual materials, and has tried many new materials over the years, such as LCP diaphragms that are twice as fast as sound. Beginning with DS-V9000 in 1988, the Boron Diaphragm (B4C) tweeter jointly developed by DIATONE and NHK was officially launched, extending very well. The mid-bass monomer is a three-wire intertwined honeycomb structure, plus the magnet structure they call ADMC, which forms the basis of most DIATONE speakers today. The biggest feature of the DIATONE monitor speaker is its strong resolution. The change from the minimum volume to the strongest sound can be heard clearly, but some people think the taste is too bland, as if drinking water.

ROGERS, HARBETH, SPENDOR

These three British manufacturers have a close relationship with the BBC. The person in charge or designer has successively worked at the BBC, and then came out of the independent portal, so from their products, we can hear the same blood and personality. In 1947, JIM ROGERS founded ROGERS in HAMPSTEAD. At the earliest, he only produced WILLIAMS vacuum tube amplifiers and helped a company manufacture marine communication equipment. It was not until 1954 that the company moved to WOOLWICH, and ROGERS began to produce speakers. In the early 1970s, ROGERS began to cooperate with the BBC. The LS3 / 5 launched in 1974, using KEF T-27 tweeter and B-110 bass speakers, began to bring revolutionary changes to small speakers. ROGERS also It was the first to produce LS3 / 5 and it was named Liu Qingshi. Since then, ROGERS has launched several BBC speakers such as LS5 / 8, LS5 / 9, and has developed many wonderful home products under the direction of designer RICHARD ROSS. After the death of RICHARD, ROGERS changed hands several times. Now the boss behind the scenes is already a multinational group. They are planning to promote ROGERS as a British BOSE, but for the time being they have not achieved results.

ALAN SHOW, originally served by NEC, bought HARBETH company established by W. HARWOOD in 1986. W. HARWOOD was originally the director of the BBC Research Center. He led the development of LS5 / 5, LS3 / 5A, LS3 / 7, LS5 / 8 kinds of BBC-specific speakers. HARWOOD was the first designer to use plastic paper basins. He was the first to use it on LS3 / 4 and LS5 / 5. In the early 1970s, he obtained a patent for polyhydric lipid compounds and sold this patent to CBS. Interesting claims are being made by manufacturers who use monomers made from polybasic materials. After leaving the BBC, W. HARWOOD found another TPX material produced by a French company, which is the lightest thermal plastic. He used it on HL COMPACT, HL-5 and other speakers to get first-class sound. After taking over, ALAN SHOW has always wanted to get rid of the shadows of the past, and launched the HL-P3ES, which replaced the LS3 / 5A, and the popular HL COMPACT 7, and now also joins the LS5 / 12A manufacturing lineup.

CUGHES SPENDOR, once a colleague of HARWOOD, set up SPENDOR at about the same time. In the early days, SPENDOR was still famous for producing BBC-specific speakers. The SP-1 has won many people's favor. However, after SPENDOR's death, his son DEREK HUGHES did not manage well and sold the company to the SOUNDTRACK group. DEREK devoted himself to the design. The G-1000 was in his hands. There are not many SPENDOR products. In addition to the LS5 / 12A, there is still an SA350, which is an active speaker designed for the German Broadcasting Corporation. It looks like the SPENDOR G-450.

DYNAUDIO

DYNAUDIO ACOUSTICS's parent company is DYNAUDIO, Denmark's most famous monomer manufacturer. After launching the flagship CONSEQUENCE in 1989, DYNAUDIO established their reputation in the manufacture of finished loudspeakers. In the second year, the well-known British monitor speaker designer ANDY MUNRO cooperated with DYNAUDIO to establish DYNAUDIO ACOUSTICS, which specializes in producing speakers for recording studios. The company is based in London and the two companies are closely related but operate independently. Of course, DYNAUDIO ACOUSTICS speakers will use DYNAUDIO's monomers, and they are still the highest level, including DYNAUDIO's famous gimmick-type midrange. The largest M3 uses two midranges and two basses. Because these monomers are not easy to push and the structure is similar to ATC, the two are very competitive. The strange thing is that DYNAUDIO ACOUSTICS and DYNAUDIO use the same monomer, but the sound is significantly different. The former is straightforward and powerful, while the latter is slim, transparent and light. DYNAUDIO's speakers are divided into CONFIDENCE, CONTOUR and AUDIENCE series. In addition, there are also independent models such as FACETTE, CRAF FT, MICRON. BBC specifications LS 5 / 12A are also produced by DYNAUDIO. Regardless of the model, the DYNAUDIO speaker gives the impression that it is often not full, and the current of the amplifier seems to be squeezed out, so it is not easy to produce good sound. For this reason, DYNAUDIO has launched a pre- and post-stage amplifier with an amazing price. The design and driving force are invincible, but with such a good amplifier, can it only push speakers such as CONSEQUENCE? It s a pity, so DYNAUDIO is preparing to launch a pair of super flagship EVIDENCE, originally called "FORMULA ONE" (Formula 1), two meters tall, sharing eight units on one side, the speakers and crossover are extremely luxurious. Can do it.