Oct 21, 2004 5:03 PM, By Larry the O

POWERED STUDIO REFERENCE MONITORS

In 1989, Meyer Sound debuted the HD-1 studio monitor system, a self-powered, near-field speaker with an extremely detailed sound and a heady price of just under $5,000 a pair. Despite its relatively high cost, the HD-1 quickly became the standard against which competing systems were measured. Though Genelec can justly claim equal credit, the HD-1 is largely responsible for one of the fastest-growing product categories of the past decade: the self-powered, near-field reference monitor.

In 1997, Meyer introduced the HM-1, a compact self-powered speaker designed for the installation market. However, it soon became clear that, with only a few (primarily cosmetic) changes, the diminutive HM-1 could be refashioned as the HM-1S, an entry-level self-powered monitor for the project studio market. The HM-1S system, reviewed here, comprises a pair of HM-1Ss and an accompanying subwoofer.

Each HM-1S costs $1,300, while the subwoofer adds another $650. A 48VDC power supply (PS-1) is also required and costs another $400, though a pair of HM-1S and a subwoofer can be powered from a single PS-1. The HM-1S has a very small footprint: dimensions are 11.5x8.9x9.7 inches (HxWxD). At 11 pounds, the HM-1S is no brute to move. Inside the black fiberboard and oak veneer cabinet is a 7-inch graphic cone woofer and a 1-inch, soft-dome, concentrically mounted HF driver. The system is bi-amplified; each driver is powered by one side of a 200-watt/channel 2-channel amp, and contains frequency and phase alignment circuits, voltage limiting for driver protection and an active crossover. (A complex crossover curve between the high- and low-frequency drivers makes it difficult to cite a specific crossover frequency.)

Concentric drivers are known to provide real benefits in phase accuracy but can suffer from IM distortion and off-axis coloration. The phase-correction circuitry is designed to help alleviate these problems, and IM distortion is reduced at the source by a foam barrier placed between tweeter and woofer.

Front LEDs indicate for power, signal limiting and thermal overload status. The rear panel contains an XLR input, 2-pin EN3 power supply input connector, 3-pin EN3 subwoofer output, a fan power supply output and the fuse.

A PIN HOT DIGRESSION
Those who have read my writing in Mix during the past 14 years have encountered my subtle slaps, complaints and outright diatribes concerning equipment having XLRs wired with pin 3 carrying the signal hot (+) connection, a configuration that flies in the face of IEC and other standards. To those who have struggled with this issue while trying to get a performance, recording session or installation off the ground, the mere mention of the issue can cause rolling of the eyes followed by the inevitable war stories.

For years, Meyer Sound’s products have fallen into this category. Then, Meyer’s recent self-powered sound loudspeakers were fitted with the sensible transitional stratagem of a pin 2/pin 3 switch, allowing compatibility between older and newer Meyer products. Finally, the HM-1S has XLRs wired with pin 2 hot. After spending so much time riding the Whine Train on this subject, I am compelled to laud Meyer for complying with the international standards.

OPTIONAL SUBWOOFER
The optional subwoofer for the HM-1S is also of reasonable size (17.5x12.3x9.3 inches, HxWxD) and heft (33 pounds) and contains a single 10-inch speaker. Each HM-1S is capable of powering the subwoofer on its own or two subs can be used (one powered by each HM-1S) if stereo extra-low frequencies are desired; the necessary cable is included. It is also possible for a pair of HM-1Ss to drive a single sub with a summed mono signal via an optional $25 cable. As this last setup is the most likely in a small studio, I wish this cable had been included with the HM-1S. Frankly, the output of a single subwoofer was easily sufficient to match a pair of HM-1Ss, and I can’t imagine needing a pair of subwoofers in a normal studio situation.

According to Meyer, the sub is not always necessary for extended low-frequency response. In a free-field situation, the HM-1S’ response goes to around 70 Hz. The response in the spec sheet (not included in the documentation but accessible on Meyer’s Website) is for half-space loading. In that case, the amplitude response goes down to 42 Hz (±2.5 dB, 100 to 20k Hz; -6 dB from 42 to 100 Hz). If your HM-1Ss are set up for half-space loading (essentially up against a wall), then the sub is not necessary.

Most project studio owners, however, will be putting the HM-1S on or very near the console (I put them just behind). In that scenario, the subwoofer—which crosses over at 100 Hz—adds 8 dB to the HM-1S response from 42 to 100 Hz.

By the way, the DC power and subwoofer cables are not the type you’d typically find at an audio retailer. They aren’t exotic connectors: Merely atypical for audio products, so you may want to buy spares if you regularly travel with your HM-1Ss. Especially when used without the subwoofer, the speakers are easily transportable to different studios.

LISTENING TESTS
I evaluated the HM-1S primarily at my personal studio, Toys in the Attic, and used them in a variety of contexts, including editing, mixing and sonic restoration. I also listened to some familiar CDs, always a valuable tool for checking out speakers. Finally, I asked a few colleagues, most notably fellow LucasArts sound designer (and a former Russian Hill Recording engineer) Jeff Kliment to listen and offer opinions. The results were entirely consistent. Though somewhat unfair, I found myself considering the performance of the HM-1S in relation to the HD-1 to see what traits of Meyer Sound’s designs carried through and what compromises had been made to account for the lower price point.

Of the CDs, the two most revealing examples were Los Lobos’ Kiko and a Sony Classical recording of Pierre Boulez conducting the New York Philharmonic and the Ensemble Intercomperain through a number of pieces by Edgard Varèse. Varèse’s Ionization, scored for 13 percussionists, is ideal for evaluating a speaker system’s frequency and transient response, imaging and detail. In recent years, imaging of studio monitors at all price ranges has improved greatly, and one would certainly expect speakers in the HM-1S’ range to excel in this area. The HM-1S does not disappoint: Sitting in the sweet spot, I was easily able to pinpoint the placement of every percussion instrument in the ensemble.

Meyer’s literature hails the HM-1S’ “wide coverage pattern or ‘sweet spot’ (even wider than the HD-1’s).” The beam width is specified as 100°x100°. I’m afraid my ears tell me differently with both models. Though both the HD-1 and HM-1S provide good balance and tone for working over a fairly wide area, there is, for both speakers, one spot at which everything just locks in and the image snaps into place.

In both cases, I found that the sweet spot extended a surprising distance perpendicularly (straight back from the speakers)—up to four or five feet—but move your head laterally more than three or four inches and things change significantly. Again, the sound is still balanced and tonally accurate enough for me to work with, but it loses the “lock” that presents the precision localization. Move a few feet to the side and the accuracy is gone. In a project studio, this means that sequencing at the keyboard rack is fine, but when programming sounds there, frequent trips back to the sweet spot will be necessary for critical judgments. On the other hand, many quality consumer speakers might offer even coverage over a much greater lateral area but can never attain the HM-1Ss’ knockout localization.

In that sweet spot, however, you can’t help but be struck with the thought that there is definitely something John Meyer knows about making speakers that lets the HM-1S reproduce detail like no other speaker I have heard, save the HD-1. This is the trait that originally endeared the HD-1 to me, and it has clearly been carried through to the HM-1S. Listening to CD re-releases of Beatles albums on the HM-1S, I heard overdubbed instruments I had never even noticed before in countless listens. The incredible detail was also very helpful during editing of music tracks in Pro Tools 24. Constructing crossfades can be tricky, but I always felt very sure of what I was hearing while monitoring such work on the HM-1Ss.

Not surprisingly, Ionization also showed the HM-1Ss to have genuine depth in the sonic field, a property I have heard discussed much more than I have actually heard on speakers. Front-to-back placement seems to be much more difficult to reproduce than lateral placement, and I have to think Meyer Sound’s phase-correction technology is the reason the company’s speakers have such depth, detail and accurate transient reproduction.

Kiko and the Varèse recording produced the same impression of the HM-1S’ frequency response. Reproduction seemed quite flat across the spectrum, but the extremes showed a few rough spots. Cymbals are one of the best sources I know for assessing high-frequency reproduction, and the HM-1S’ rendering of cymbals lacked the crystalline clarity I would expect in a premium speaker. It sounded like the frequencies were being reproduced but not absolutely cleanly.

A FEW ANOMALIES
The low end exhibited a few anomalies, also. There seemed to be a bit of a “hole” in the response somewhere just below 100 Hz, with a rather substantial boost below the hole. It is here that it becomes crucial to keep in mind that one never listens to speakers—one listens to speakers in a room. In my room, I tried moving the subwoofer forward and back and, to a lesser degree, side-to-side. I produced numerous different responses but never found a position that was satisfyingly flat. I also tried moving the HM-1Ss around (moving left and right symmetrically, for the most part) though less radically, but this also failed to establish an even-sounding low-frequency response.

This made me a bit nervous when mixing and mastering on the HM-1Ss, as I did not feel confident I was hearing “the truth” in the low frequencies. I cannot say that the recordings I made had uneven bass response when played back on other systems; still, nervous is not a feeling I like. It is only fair to add that, having never had speakers with such extended LF response in this particular room (which is not acoustically designed or well-treated), I can’t say for sure that the room was not at fault.

Assuming the HM-1Ss were best suited as near-field speakers, I set them up in the classic equilateral triangle a meter away from me and each other. To my surprise, I discovered the best listening position was in the mid-field on the point of an equilateral triangle about two meters in each dimension. The amplifiers in this system are certainly up to the task of providing adequate SPL at that distance: They are spec’d to produce a maximum of 120 dB with the subwoofer in the system. (Did I say yet that these speakers can get rip-yer-face-off loud in the close-field?)

I also listened to the HM-1Ss without the subwoofer. Obviously, the difference in the LF was significant and would be difficult in a mastering situation, but for mixing pop music, it was excellent.

I put the tonal capabilities of the HM-1S to a severe test while restoring rare jazz recordings from the collection of noted jazz authority John Fell. The tapes and private label pressings had been recorded from the early ’40s to the mid-’60s and exhibited an equally large range of sonic problems: noise, distortion, poor tonal quality and all the other ills typical of old recordings. By hurling an array of software at these poor old gems, I attempted to make them not only sound decent, but match each other closely enough to make a reasonable CD master. For such a task, one must have absolute trust in the tonal accuracy of one’s loudspeakers. With the HM-1Ss, I could clearly hear the noise level and quality in the tracks as I labored to reduce it, as well as the artifacts that can result from hitting the audio too hard with the multiple bands of filtering typically used in the de-noising process. The restored recordings made on the HM-1Ss translated superbly when auditioned in other settings.

FUTURE SURROUND
Before the actual release of the HM-1S, I had the opportunity to borrow several prototype models (without the subwoofer) to use as center and surround speakers for mixing the noninteractive “cut scene” portions of LucasArts Entertainment Company’s Jedi Knight game in Dolby Surround. Although it is generally recommended that identical speakers be used all the way around for surround mixing, I found the HM-1Ss to be a superb complement to the HD-1s I was using for left and right channels. For those of you who own HD-1s and anticipate more surround mixing with the growing popularity of 5.1 systems, I strongly suggest you consider the HM-1S and subwoofer for expanding your system.

Two HM-1Ss, a subwoofer and power supply come to more than 75% of the cost of a pair of HD-1s, which is considerably more than many other premium speakers intended for project studios. What you get for your money is small size, phenomenal detail and imaging, extended low-frequency response and plenty of sheer volume when you want it. Additionally, you have a good center and surround speaker match for HD-1s.

I should add that I could listen to the HM-1S for long periods without feeling fatigued and decided that they were actually fun to listen to, which is often not the case with precision monitors. What don’t you get with the HM-1S? The only flaws I found were imperfections at the frequency extremes.

Everyone now recognizes that today’s “small” studio is often quite well-appointed. If you are in the market for a small, gloriously revealing monitor system of the highest quality, Meyer Sound’s HM-1S and subwoofer are a must.

Meyer Sound Labs, www.meyersound.com.

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Lab Analysis: Meyer HM-1S
By Mike Klasco

Physical Characteristics
The Meyer HM-1S cabinet is very solid and features well-crafted construction, metal threaded inserts for the woofer and a black ash finish. The 3/4-inch MDF appears to be veneered on both sides. (We chose not to cut the cabinet in half to confirm this observation!) The exterior has 0.25-inch radii edges and the coaxial woofer is recessed-flush with the baffle. Two-layer-thick open-cell foam separates the back wave of the woofer from the electronics. The electronics are mounted into the cabinet with metal inserts. Two 1.6-inch-diameter flared bass-reflex ports with small radii on both ends are located on the front baffle. Grille cloth is stretched over a standard wood frame (easily removed from the front baffle) and status LEDs are located inside deep holes just above the driver.

The transducer is a 6.5-inch woofer with a 3/4-inch dome tweeter mounted coaxially in front of the woofer. The tweeter has a neodymium magnet and has a phase “equalizer” in front of its treated fabric dome.

The woofer’s curvilinear woven composite cone and rubber surround offer higher performance and are more stable (less sensitive to humidity) than a paper cone and foam surround. The stamped steel frame has a unique tweeter bridge with an acoustic foam blanket surrounding the tweeter. The large spider is slightly bumped on its periphery. The woofer voice coil is 1 inch in diameter. The magnetic structure is ferrite with a bucking magnet and magnetic shielding can.

The amplifier does not have its own sub enclosure, so the circuit board components are exposed inside the enclosure. This is an active crossover amplified system. Both amplifier channels have MOSFET outputs. A balanced XLR input is followed by an array of all-pass networks to line up the acoustic center of the tweeter with the woofer. A subwoofer output is provided, along with a DC fan output and circuit breaker protection. There are no EQ or level controls.

A “smart” external power supply automatically adjusts to the AC line voltage. One power supply drives one pair of speakers.

Acoustic Characteristics
The impulse response of the system was excellent, with coherent pulse characteristic and extremely fast settling time. Some pre-echo can be seen in front of the impulse, an artifact of the all-pass network signal processing. This phenomenon has also been observed in the Meyer HD-1 studio monitors.

We tested distortion at 90 dB (1 meter) and from 100 Hz upward. Distortion was a bit higher than typical for studio monitors, with second-harmonic distortion about 1% over most of the frequency range. Third-harmonic distortion was about 0.5%.

Spectral contamination (clarity) was about 40 dB down from the signal, which is about average for the more modest studio near-field monitors.

The HM-1S has a very wide frequency response and fairly even spectral balance with a little bit of roughness in the 4 to 10 kHz range. The off-axis frequency response is unusually uniform and smooth, and the speaker exhibits excellent bass extension for its size.