# Amphion one18 for film work



## utopia (Jul 28, 2017)

Hey guys, looking for your advice.

I might have a good deal on amphion one18 and i'm considering upgrading from my focal solo 6. I've tested them earlier and found them more detailed and precise. 

My question is how any of you who own them think they fit for doing film music? Im a little worried about their low end especially since it plays a big part in modern film music/trailers. 

Any experience regarding your mixes translating to theaters? Thanks


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## utopia (Jul 28, 2017)

Nobody has worked with them I guess?


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## mc_deli (Jul 28, 2017)

I have spent some time with the One 18s, on our A room, at a uni (One 15s IIRC) and I also took a trip to Amphion HQ a while ago.

The only other high end speakers I have really spent time with are expensive Genelecs and I haven't mixed for picture at all so my opinion counts for little...

They sound incredible to my ears. They are a joy to listen to. The transient response I think. Cliched but the first time I heard them at their factory was like a new dawn ... And I was listening, testing all my ref tracks.

They are not flat, so we use them with/without Ref3. Somehow FWIW I think they are too nice as your only monitors but as a second set, I would sell a child!


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## Jeremy Spencer (Jul 28, 2017)

I wouldn't worry too much about how it's going to sound in the theater because there are more steps involved before that happens (after you deliver your stems). If you think those monitors sound good, then they're good...only you know how your mixes should sound. Are they passive? I'm pretty sure they are. If so, you'll need a good amp to drive them.


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## Gerhard Westphalen (Jul 28, 2017)

I recently went around LA listening to as many monitors as I could to get new ones and the Amphion one18 were close to the top of my list. I thought they were really good for the price. I'd stay away from the 15 ones (one or two) as I found that those don't sound anywhere near as good.

I was testing the one18 with their stereo sub system and found that it was quite necessary to have the subs which made the entire system way more expensive and out of my price range. I would definitely need to have a sub for film work. If you're not doing film work and currently mixing on NS10's then I'd go for them 

For that price (considering that you also need an amp) I would have gone with the Barefoot Footprints. I preferred those to the Amphion. These go ridiculously low. When you see them in person, they're way smaller than you imagine yet they're very powerful. They're a lot brighter and crisper than the Amphions which have a rounder sound. I would have gotten the Footprints if I didn't end up getting custom monitors.

Edit: I should add that I like fairly bright monitors. I chose the Dynaudio BM5mk3 over the BM6a because of this. I preferred the Barefoots over the Amphion and ATC because of this as well although I liked the Barefoot Hifi setting most which smooths out the top a little. Bright isn't so good for working all day on but it's what I like. I believe my new speakers have compression drivers in the horns so they really shine in that department.


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## whinecellar (Jul 28, 2017)

Everybody who has Amphions seems to adore them and they certainly have generated some serious buzz. I recently did some serious high-end monitor shopping myself after my latest mastering experience, and it was quite the education. After initial listening, my contenders were ATC (which is what I thought I would end up with), Amphion, ADAM, and PMC. For what it's worth, I wrote a detailed review about the shootout (and the winner for me) which may be helpful from a film music perspective:

http://jimdaneker.com/reviews

Having said that, everyone's ears are different, so if at all possible, try to hear them (and mix on them) in your space!

Have fun


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## Jack Weaver (Jul 28, 2017)

My experience with Amphion regarding film mixing (score mixing more precisely):

I bought a pair of Amphion Two18's. I used them at first as alternate speakers for my ATC 150's (left, center and right). After a few months I realized that I forgot I had actually turned off the ATC's some time ago. I was using and preferring the Amphions 95% of the time. I sold the ATC 150's.

Most people if they were to go into a demo room and hear speakers might prefer other things (i.e. brighter speakers) like Genelecs or Barefoots. But if you actually work with them for any amount of time you come to realize that you are spending much less time on getting accurate mixes, you can work for more hours at a stretch without ear strain because of the smooth phase response and most importantly your mixes simply translate very, very well.

Regarding the Amphion One18's for film score mixing - I might recommend a sub woofer. Full range is key if you want to have your stems survive the experience of the dub stage. There are lots of comments about adding subs to Amphions on Gearslutz (beware, this thread is 192 pages long and you should do a search to easier locate the subs comments): 
https://www.gearslutz.com/board/high-end/949764-amphion-beautiful.html

Since I like having two pair of mains, I did eventually replace the ATC's with Kii Threes. But that's a whole different story.

.


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## whinecellar (Jul 28, 2017)

^ wow - there's an Amphion endorsement if I ever heard one! Sold a pair of ATC 150s?!? That says something!


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## Jack Weaver (Jul 28, 2017)

Old room, showing ATC's and Amphions:





New improved space with Amphions and the Kii's which replace the ATC's:(just took the pic with my cell phone a minute ago.)





.


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## Scoremixer (Jul 28, 2017)

Those Kii's are tiny! Without wishing to derail the thread, mind telling us the story Jack? I guess you felt they were worth the hefty asking price.


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## Oliver_Codd (Jul 28, 2017)

Jack Weaver said:


> Old room, showing ATC's and Amphions:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Hi Jack,

I'd be curious to hear your comparison between the ATC's and the Amphions. What exactly was it about the Amphions that made mixing easier or more enjoyable?

I have a pair of ATC 150s which I love, but it's taken me a long time to get used to the extreme level of detail. Also I've noticed that I can add a lot more low mid information before things start to sound ugly which has occasionally caused translation problems. I've had them for a while now so I know what to listen out for but I've been curious about the Amphions for a long time. If you could share some of your experiences I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks!


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## Jack Weaver (Jul 28, 2017)

Hi Oliver,

Ha! You pretty much nailed it with your comments. Specifically regarding the ATC 150's and Amphion Two18's.

1. Detail - you know how much time you might spend to get just the right level on the gtrs on the left and right, or the high strings - knowing that a dB or less tends to define the nature (and in the case of rock/pop, even the defining the style of the music - example: Americana is like this..., Indie is like this...). 
_With the Amphions I typically set the levels of the gtrs or high strings where it seems right and I often never have to address it again. 
_
2. Translation - _that mid fog thing is greatly lessened when mixing with the Amphions_. 

3. _The phase of the Amphions is so very smooth. Not only does the stereo field seem concrete but it is easier to mix for hours and hours on end._ I used to get ear fatigue earlier with the ATC's. (note: I still have a pair of ATC 25's. Most likely they will end up as rear surrounds for my quad system. I no longer want a center speaker. It complicates so many things. Most people are happy with quad stems.)


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## Jack Weaver (Jul 28, 2017)

Scoremixer said:


> Those Kii's are tiny! Without wishing to derail the thread, mind telling us the story Jack? I guess you felt they were worth the hefty asking price.



Absolutely tiny... like dynamite. And they're half the price of the ATC 150's.

Six 250W amps (1500W each speaker), very high quality DSP processing that creates an active cardioid bass response, a remote to further tailor response. Happily replaces the 150's for mixing purposes.

If I was a tracking engineer in a large studio I'd maybe want the bigger speakers to recreate the live band experience for the tracking musicians. But you will not believe your ears when you hear the size, power, depth and concrete, visceral soundstage outputted by the Kii Three's.

I've got the two pairs of speakers I want. A Trinnov keeps them honest to each other.

Apologies for the sideways pic. I tried a couple times but must get on with my day.

.


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## Gerhard Westphalen (Jul 28, 2017)

Jack Weaver said:


> Old room, showing ATC's and Amphions:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Every time I see that picture of your studio I start trying to find ways to get rid of my desk  Who needs a desk...


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## JohannesR (Jul 28, 2017)

Amphion Two18 here. They are great! Fun to work with, and my mixes tend to translate better than any other monitors I've had.

However I've found that I would want them to go a little louder! Not that they are quiet or anything, but you can't have them go to 11.


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## Oliver_Codd (Jul 28, 2017)

Jack Weaver said:


> Hi Oliver,
> 
> Ha! You pretty much nailed it with your comments. Specifically regarding the ATC 150's and Amphion Two18's.
> 
> ...



Hey Jack,

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I'm glad to hear I'm not going crazy! Will definitely have to check out the Two18's at some point. Cheers!


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## utopia (Jul 28, 2017)

Wow, so many great replies! Thanks, guys,very much aporeciated! 
I'm afraid I can't afford the sub yet, i'm only looking at one18 as i might get a very good offer on them. Coming from solo6 I still think it's going to be a great update, just a bit worried about that bass...


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## Scoremixer (Jul 28, 2017)

Jack Weaver said:


> Absolutely tiny... like dynamite. And they're half the price of the ATC 150's.
> 
> Six 250W amps (1500W each speaker), very high quality DSP processing that creates an active cardioid bass response, a remote to further tailor response. Happily replaces the 150's for mixing purposes.
> 
> If I was a tracking engineer in a large studio I'd maybe want the bigger speakers to recreate the live band experience for the tracking musicians. But you will not believe your ears when you hear the size, power, depth and concrete, visceral soundstage outputted by the Kii Three's.



Sigh... something else to add to the list then! Thanks for your experience though, funnily enough I thought the opposite is true of those ATCs- big speakers that sound smaller than they actually are.


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## Jack Weaver (Jul 28, 2017)

Scoremixer said:


> funnily enough I thought the opposite is true of those ATCs- big speakers that sound smaller than they actually are.



Of course the ATC's are interesting conceptually - the main pro speakers (50, 100, 110, 150, 200) all have the same tweet and mids and (I believe) crossover points. Just the woofs, woofer amp power and the cabinet volume size differ as the model number gets higher. I guess the overarching idea was to have the same speaker but in a varyingly larger soundstage and deeper low end response. So there is great similarity between models. I guess that in a way I can understand what you mean there.

.


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## Scoremixer (Jul 29, 2017)

Jack Weaver said:


> Of course the ATC's are interesting conceptually - the main pro speakers (50, 100, 110, 150, 200) all have the same tweet and mids and (I believe) crossover points. Just the woofs, woofer amp power and the cabinet volume size differ as the model number gets higher. I guess the overarching idea was to have the same speaker but in a varyingly larger soundstage and deeper low end response. So there is great similarity between models. I guess that in a way I can understand what you mean there.
> 
> .



In my limited experience with 100s & 150s they felt like they capable of ample power and low end extension by themselves but put on some reference material- almost anything commercially released really- and the bass end sounds polite and contained to the point of feeling wrong. No doubt ATC would argue it's the most accurate representation of what's there, but I feel like every mix I would instinctively make on those monitors would probably come out sounding bass-heavy on almost any other reproduction system you'd care to think of. Certainly they didn't sound much like any dub stage or cinema I've ever been in, even though the midrange and top end detail is amazing.


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## Tiko (Jul 29, 2017)

I use Two15's as my fronts and I can tell you they are amazing. I'll get the BaseOne25 sub system next year when I build a new studio but I have no problems scoring & mixing with the Two15's alone.


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## afg (Aug 4, 2017)

I have Amphion Prio 620 floor standers (launched in 2007) driven by a Naim amp which I use for listening to music. I have the system for over 7 years now. I simply love the sound of the Amphion's. Quite neutral, with tight bass (goes down to about 35hz), beautiful sweet-sounding mids and smooth but extended highs. The speakers are detailed and extremely fast with great timing. I can listen to them at moderate volume for hours without any ear fatigue. I am sure the monitors will have a similar house sound.


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