“I just received the test pressing of Dawn Silva !!! The sound is great thank you !!!"
- Kâshif Kroche, Funky Drive Band, Boogie Foxx Records, Lyon, France
Custom Monitor Speaker System
After mastering for more than a decade with 4-way tower speakers, by 2022 I was ready for something new. I didn’t want traditional speaker boxes that radiate bass omnidirectionally, causing back wall reflections. Those reflections combine with the front firing soundwaves and create an uneven response.
To avoid this problem my speakers are built into a heavy wall. The front panel is made of 1.5” thick hardwood, which is attached to framing lumber that’s been bolted to the concrete floor, ceiling joists, and sidewalls of the building. Behind this panel each individual driver has it’s own sealed, dampened and braced box. It’s an infinite baffle concept without back wall reflections.
The drivers were chosen for low distortion and fast transient response. Tweeters are Scanspeak Illuminator beryllium domes. Midrange and bass drivers are from the SB Acoustics Satori series. Each driver is powered by its own Hypex amplifier. Those amps are fed by Mytek D/A converters. A dedicated PC runs the processing for crossovers, time alignment and frequency correction. A touchscreen on my desk serves as the monitor controller, with a large slider for volume and controls to solo the mid, sides, left or right. That screen also displays a frequency analyzer, VU meters, and a goniometer.
This system was painstakingly tuned using Room EQ Wizard software and a Beyerdynamic MM1 measurement microphone. Optimal crossover points were chosen after many hours of experimenting and measuring. “Flat” was achieved, then adjusted to taste. Bass response extends below 20hz. Distortion is vanishingly low and the audible detail is incredible. It’s a truly great system and a pleasure to work with every day.
Room Construction and Treatment
The studio was built from the studs as a serious listening room. Interior walls are double-layered drywall with green glue in between. Fixed windows for natural light are custom built with double panels of 3/8” thick glass. Entry doors are solid core, fortified with additional wood paneling, and sealed with double gaskets.
On the back wall is a floor to ceiling bass trap stuffed with 20” deep acoustically absorbent insulation. Behind this trap the back wall itself is constructed with low mass materials to allow bass frequencies to escape the room, rather than reflect.
Side wall first reflection points are treated with 4” thick absorbent panels. A ceiling cloud above the joists and behind the listening position provides further control. To the left and right of the speakers, storage closets extensively lined with rockwool serve a double function as large bass traps.
The interior footprint is 12’ by 19’, and the ceiling is sloped with an average height of 10.5’. The room’s relatively small footprint is loaded with equipment. For attended sessions I recommend no more than three people at a time in addition to myself.