Event 20/20 BAS Monitor Review

The Event 20/20 BAS monitor is a modern take on the original 20/20 monitor that blew the minds of mix engineers everywhere in the 90‘s. This improved, modern version really lives up to its name. These monitors are the definition of sonic honesty and true quality. Several modern updates were made to a classic speaker, including 250 Class AB power amps. The speakers have a gain knob in the rear of the speaker, as well as low and high frequency shelving to adjust for the mixing environment you might find yourself in. The monitors feature balanced XLR inputs to prevent unwanted hum and noise from entering the signal path. You can’t find a better monitor anywhere near the price range of the Event 20/20 BAS. When Event combined years of audio experience and improved modern technology, a beautifully sounding and accurate monitor was born.

Clarity

Event 20/20 BAS MonitorsDuring the first few minutes after getting settled in with the monitors, the only word that came to my mind was clarity. I began by listening to several albums I have had for years to get a general feel for these speakers. Immediately, I started to hear things that I had never picked up on before. Subtle nuances had become clear to my ears, including some very mild panning that was previously unknown to me. I also noticed some very obvious errors in my mixes. Sonic clarity is absolutely crucial to any serious mix engineer, and that is what the Event 20/20 BAS speakers deliver. The only reason you might not like what you hear is because these monitors don’t hide anything. If there’s an imperfection or a bad buildup of low end in your mix, these monitors will tell you without sugar-coating it. The upside of hearing an imperfection is that attempting to fix a mistake won’t be a problem. You’ll know when it’s gone, and you’ll know if that annoying snare ring you tried to get out is still hanging around. The high end frequencies are accurately reproduced without being too harsh and are driven by a 1 inch silk tweeter. Due to the monitors flat frequency response, EQ’ing instruments and vocals is easy. Instead of having to take into account a boosted low end like lesser quality studio monitors, the Event 20/20 BAS speakers are raw. No mistakes are masked and they provide a blank canvas on which to paint your mix and allow clear adjustments without any dishonest frequency curves.

Stereo Image

Some monitors do not excel in giving the listener a stereo image that translates well to other systems. This is not the case for the 20/20s, however. When comparing a couple of mixes between my 20/20s and my car’s consumer system, instruments seemed to sit in the same place they did when listening on the monitors. Being able to separate musicians well in a mix is key, and the 20/20s make it easy to find a pocket for everyone. If your stereo image doesn’t translate well from the monitors you use, how can you make sure your listeners are going to be happy? It’s easy to make sure instruments fit well together left to right, as well as add depth to the mix. A pair of monitors with a wide stereo image allows you to place instruments where you need them to be. If your monitors don’t do a good job of spreading the left and the right, your mix might seem muddy in the center spectrum. This will lead to mixes that don’t translate well to other systems and instruments fighting each other to be heard. The 20/20s do a great job of clearly showing you where you are placing musicians in your mix. There won’t be any surprises when you go to listen to your mix on another set of speakers.

Frequency Response

Event 20/20 BAS Front & BackOne of the most important aspects of a speaker is its frequency response. The 20/20 BAS has a 7.1” driver to handle everything from 2.3 kHz and below. One of my favorite things about the monitor is that it goes down to a bone-shaking 35 Hz. With a 7.1” driver and a frequency response of 35Hz – 20kHz, there is little need to add any sort of supplemental monitor like a sub. That can’t be said for most of the other monitors in this price range. Accurate bass response is one of the biggest problems for studio monitors on the market today. If a speaker does not have accurately represented low end, the mix won’t translate well to other systems. This may lead to some major surprises when you go to listen to your mix elsewhere to check how it fairs on consumer speakers. The 20/20 BAS speakers, unlike most others on the market, have an honest low end response. With an honest low end representation, you know that you can trust your ears and take the low end guesswork out of the equation. No need to take your mix out to your car every 20 minutes to see how well you’ve managed to keep the low end under control. A solid and controlled low end is key to a great sounding mix; the 20/20 BAS monitors deliver an accurate low end that will allow you to mix without doubt.

Conclusion

The bottom line is that there is not a better speaker than the Event 20/20 BAS in its price range. It might be a little bit at the high end of the price range for a project studio budget, but in the long run I believe they’ll pay off. Other than an acoustically treated room, not much is more important than the monitors that you trust to mix your tracks on. For under $1,000 a pair, you can’t find a better monitor with tighter low end response, or as much clarity in the highs and midrange than the 20/20 BAS monitors. With a wide stereo image and incredibly honest playback for your mixes, what more do you need from a monitor?

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