Issue #02 | 2012, December

SC307 in the field:
User report from Niko Schäuble from Pughouse Studios in Melbourne, Australia

Pughouse Studios, designed by Dave Flett took over one year to build and opened its doors in Feburary 2012. Located in Thornbury (inner Melbourne), the studio is operated by musician/composer/producer Niko Schäuble.
"We had been looking for a second pair of studio monitors to add to our existing near field set up at Pughouse Studios as an alternative listening source. These monitors should be active, have a good representation of low frequencies (eliminating the need for a subwoofer), have a wide and strong throw (to better facilitate client evaluation) and have a different sonic character (for comparison during mix & mastering).

Courtesy of our local store Manny's in Melbourne we were able to evaluate several sets of monitors (larger 2-ways and 3-ways) ranging in price from $3,500 to $9,000. The guys at Manny's suggested we wait for the new Eve Audio speakers to arrive, before making a decision. Great advice!
I picked up a pair of SC307's (still factory sealed) the day they arrived at the shop. Dave Flett, Pughouse Studio's designer, dropped over, bringing along his RTA equipment to take some measurements.
Upon Dave's suggestion we set up the EVE's as near fields, which posed no problem because of their compact size (see photo). The SC307's would certainly be powerful enough to be positioned as mid fields in a room this size, but placing them in front of our very effective corner absorbers seemed not a good idea.

Having positioned them, we plugged them in, switched them on, pressed play and... WOW:
Solid and focussed bass response, transparent mid range and wonderful clarity in the higher frequencies. Especially the spatial placement of the instruments seemed more defined.
The overall sound scape was more '3D' (an overused phrase, but very apt in this case) and revealed reverbs and ambience with great clarity.
Both Dave and I were very impressed by the out-of-the-box sound of these monitors but wanted to see what the on-board DSP EQ would do (the RTA also suggested that some slight adjustments could be made).
Time to have a look at the manual.

After having adjusted the EQ settings using pink noise and frequency sweeps, we ran a variety for audio material through the monitors (contemporary classical, pop/dance, more acoustic music) and found the speakers to be consistent in their character.
Adjusting the various frequency curves is quite a simple procedure with the results ranging from subtle to obvious. This built-in DSP EQ feature is fantastic and allows for a high degree of fine tuning. A vast improvement over simple +/- db dip switches, used by many other manufacturers.
We could not discern any undue coloration of the audio (sources we used included a jazz quartet album, recently recorded at Pughouse Studios, as well as recordings of my own drum kit).
Apart from the great sound out-of-the box, this EQ/room correction aspect, allowing fine-tuning the set-up to suit different locations and rooms, is a feature that played an important role in my decision to purchase the SC307's.

The SC307's have plenty of headroom (we never managed to crank them up fully) and while there is obviously a sweet spot, as there is with every speaker set up, the sound field does not change too much, when moving out of this position. An important aspect for clients sitting on the couch behind me.

I have used my SC307's for several weeks now, tracking, mixing and mastering, at times for 10 hours or more per day, days on end, and have not found them fatiguing in any way.
My first impressions have been confirmed and Pughouse Studios' clients love them, too.
It is important to consider a room's acoustic characteristics when choosing a monitor. So being able to evaluate speakers set up in your own space is vital (thanks again to Manny's)."

3-way systems at the focal point

In our 3-way systems SC305 and SC307 work both woofers in different frequency ranges. Whilst one acts as a bass woofer, serving frequencies up to 350 Hz (SC305) or 300 Hz (SC307) works the other one as a bass-mid-driver, covering the entire frequency bandwidth up to 3000 Hz before tweeter starts working.
Horizontal symmetry in a set up is achieved when the speakers are mirrored. While the speakers leave the EVE-factory identically configured our customer determines the frequency range per woofer with a DIP switch that is located on the speakers' back side. This particular DIP switch is called "woofer sel." = woofer selection.

To get a very precise and accurate stereo image without any coloration we recommend placing the speakers with bass woofers outside and bass-mid woofers inside.

The world speaks "eve audio"

A number of national and international magazines have thoroughly reviewed the range of EVE Audio 2-way and 3-way monitors. Here is a brief collection of press' testimonials:

SC204 in FutureMusic, UK
"In fact the SC204s stay remarkably even as you raise the playback level and have the ability to fill the room far more than their diminutive stature would suggest."

SC204 in Recording, Germany
"The SC204 have a very high definition in the mids and they provide very good stereo and spatial imaging."

SC204 in Videoaktiv, Germany - Test Winner Award
"For a moderate price this compact loudspeaker offers definition and diligence – at high and low frequencies."

SC205 in Mixdown, Australia
"EVE have created a pair of monitors that leave no excuse for mediocrity, they are simply awesome."

SC207 in BEAT, Germany - Must-Buy Award
"From the first moment on the SC207 impressed. All frequencies are well balanced, the over all picture round."

SC207 in Recording, Germany
"The character of the SC207 is very present and intense; their sound is tight. The stereo image is good and the different depths of a recording are also clearly distinguishable."

SC208 in Sound On Sound, UK
"EVE may be a new company but it is quite clear that there's a lot of design expertise and experience behind their monitor as well as a good sense of where to spend the money."

SC305 in Audiofanzine, France
"From the first seconds you will notice that the sound reproduction is really very good with these SC305. The song dynamics is faithfully reproduced with a lot of detail but without sharpness. It's a real delight to listen to these monitors."

SC305 in Musictech, UK
"We found them easy on the ears over extended periods and the size of their sound belies the size of the cabinet."

SC307 in FutureMusic, UK
"A beautifully put together pair of monitors with a smooth, warm, distinctive and appealing sound."

Read the full product reviews here.

Issue #02 | 2012, December