Exquisite definition with loads of crisp power. The best just got better!
What Is It?
The Event 20/20 BAS V3 is the third incarnation of one of the most universally acclaimed studio monitors available. The very first pair of 20/20′s were released back in 1995 and were handed over to Francis Buckley who’s first project on them was to mix Quincy Jones’ Q’s Jook Joint for which he won a Grammy Award for ‘Best Engineered Album’.
Fifteen years and three versions later the engineers at Event still try and remain true to the original 20/20′s character and tone but also draw a lot of the technology and innovation from the critically acclaimed Opals. So while the transducer design and cabinet volume have remained unchanged the components themselves have seen a couple of upgrades.
In case you were wondering what the bas acronym stands for, its bi-amplified system and refers to the Class AB amplifiers from the Opal series for the tweeter and woofer that provide up to 250 watts of burst power with less than .01% Total Harmonic Distortion. This more than doubles the power of the original 20/20′s while halving the THD! Couple that with some mods in the cabinet bracing and construction and you have a monitor with the same feel and tone of the originals but with more oomph, less distortion and exquisite definition. A very potent combination when you need accuracy for mixing, mastering and recording.
Inputs for the 20/20 BAS V3′s are via unbalanced RCA or balanced XLR, but we all know exactly which of those inputs most of us are going to use. Rounding out the specs for those that like the numbers, the frequency response is an impressive 35Hz to 20KHz and they peak at around 108 dB SPL.
Who Should Own One?
I find it hard to think of any reason why someone taking their craft seriously would overlook a pair of the 20/20 BAS V3′s. In a price to performance comparison it would be a very steep gradient leaning towards the performance aspect while still pointing to real value for money. The 20/20′s have always carried the reputation as a reference monitor that manages to bridge that tricky gap between making something that sounds amazing in the studio and will still sound great on your TV, headphones or car system and the V3′s are no different. These are the type of monitors that friends will start calling you regularly to “check” their mixes on.
The Verdict
I have been lucky to see and hear the insides of quite a few studios and it’s a glowing testament to Event’s calibre that a fair stack of them have a pair of 20/20′s filling the hallowed centre position. Putting them through their paces in my home studio revealed some amazing details in CD’s and tracks that I thought I knew well and some disconcerting holes in my own productions. While the response is flat, uncoloured and accurate they are also amazingly detailed. The stereo imaging was incredible and really hard to convey using words; they have to be heard to be believed.
But what I really liked was that they still had the feel of the 20/20′s that I have heard so many times before. The bass is the most noticeable improvement though, not just in its volume but also in the definition available at those all too tricky low end frequencies. It’s a comfortable experience listening to the 20/20′s recreate so many of my favourite CD’s with a lot less ear fatigue than I experience with my current monitor setup and really gives you a deeper and more technical understanding of what the producer was trying to achieve in both recorded, and live pieces of music.
To sum up, the Event 20/20 BAS V3′s are utterly amazing and just spending a short time with them has really given me a deeper insight into sound and music that I thought I knew, imagine what they could do for you?
Watch some of the most influential producers, engineers and DJ’s talk about the new 20/20 BAS monitors.
Price: R 12,995 per pair
Supplier: Tuerk Music Technologies | Tel: (011) 792 8402
Web: www.tuerkmusic.co.za
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