nEAR08 eXperience monitors - MusicTech - December 2007
Saturday, December 1, 2007
NEAR 08
ESI’s nEAR range of active reference monitors just got bigger, with the new 08 packing 140 watts of onboard amplification. Huw Price lends an ear...
The clue is in the name, but those who might have missed it, these are nearfield monitors. According to ESI, these reference monitors have been ‘developed to generate near-perfect sonic reproduction in any studio environment’.
Compared to the smaller monitors in ESI’s nEAR range, the 08s have an extended low-frequency response and extra punch in the low mids thanks to larger vinyl-laminated MDF speaker cabinets and beefed-up 8-inch woofers. And rather than utilising the paper or polypropylene cones that are usually found in budget speakers, the 08’s woofer cones are woven from strong synthetic fibre Kevlar.
Ferro fluid cools the 1-inch neodymium soft dome tweeter and it’s fed by ESI’s Crossover Control technology, which is optimised for output level and frequency response. They are also magnetically shielded, so you can sit them on your desktop next to your other electronic equipment without them causing interference.
Naturally, all of the controls are around the back, including the power switch. First up is the volume control. It’s not a switch and it’s not indented, so balancing the two speakers won’t be an exact science. In other words, you’ll have to use your ears.
The EQ controls are rotary switches. For the top, the range goes from -2dB to +1dB in 1 dB steps. Most speakers have switchable bass rolloff, but the nEAR 08 is unusual because it has a switchable bass boost with frequency settings of 50, 65, 80 and 100Hz. Apparently, this also enables you to tune the nEAR 08 if you are using a separate sub woofer, such as the ESI SW10K.
Big sound
A pair of 70-watt onboard amplifiers drives the show, and input connections are made via a balanced XLR or balanced/unbalanced TRS 1/4-inch jack. The 20kΩ balanced impedance drops to 10kΩ in non-balanced operation. A blue LED on the rim of the woofer indicates power status, which enhances the clean, modern styling.
The 08s deliver a very solid and assured sound. We did spend a little time getting the toe-in angle correct and the 08s sound optimal when they are firing a bit wider. Transient response is fairly crisp, enabling the sound of plectrums on strings and nuances from hi-hats to break through clearly. But all credit to the soft dome tweeter because there’s no spiky, metallic sharpness.
The midrange performance is very respectable too, with vocals sounding fairly natural and present despite a hint of flattery in the upper mids. But things start to go awry in the low mids and the bass, where the 08s seem to over-reach themselves. It’s certainly a fat and full-bodied tone, but there is more than a hint of boom.
Big bottom
For rock and acoustic music duties this boominess is not really an issue, but they do come slightly unstuck with faster electronic bass lines. Although the 08s manage to reach the lower frequencies, things do tend to get a bit slurred, almost as if the 08s aren’t quite quick enough to track the notes. To be fair, the 08s perform well enough when the bass line is well compressed and mixed, so Kraftwerk and Massive Attack didn’t present too many problems, but some lower-quality productions did. The positive side is that you’ll be compelled to take more care with the bass if you’re mixing using the 08s.
Sounds right
There’s not a great deal of depth to the nEAR 08’s sound stage and at times it became hard to distinguish between real instruments and samples, but left/right imaging is extremely impressive. Indeed, it’s quite remarkable at this price. All things considered, the 08s represent excellent value for money, and after a familiarisation period we would feel confident enough to use them for mixing and recording.
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