Well, in addition to the new PMC 8-2 speaker upgrade, I’ve also added a Trinnov ST2 Pro, and changed from the classic Crane Song Avocet IIA monitor controller, to the Grace Designs m908 making for a pretty significant upgrade to the monitoring path here.
The Grace Designs m908 was built with surround/immersive multi-channel audio in mind but I found that I needed the extra inputs/outputs to accommodate my stereo audio needs and so far it’s been incredibly flexible when it comes to routing and options. I’m very pleased with it.
The main reason for changing to the m908 from the Avocet IIA is that since the PMC Speakers have a digital input and digital processing inside, it makes more sense to keep the signal path all digital into the speakers which the Avocet IIA cannot do. So, even though the Crane Song Avocet IIA monitor controller has one of the best digital to analog converters on the planet built into it, it just doesn’t have a place in my new setup with the Trinnov ST2 Pro and PMC 8-2 speakers.
Speaking of the Trinnov, I was never a big fan of the idea of room/speaker correction and what probably didn’t help that is hearing how bad Sonarworks sounded when it first came out. Maybe it’s better now but it kind of soured me on the entire concept.
Well, the Trinnov is in a totally different stratosphere and is something I would now deem essential. Aside from correcting room/speaker issues to create a more balanced sound and frequency response, the Trinnov also does some time adjustment and phase alignment of the speakers which really brings the entire soundstage into focus. I spent hours with a laser to perfectly place my speakers in relation to my listening position, but the Trinnov takes it to the next level for fine tuning things.
I really wanted to not like the Trinnov and send it back but after hearing it, I finally understood why other trusted mastering engineers that I know of gave it such high praise. I don’t recommend demo’ing a Trinnov unit unless you’re prepared to buy one. It’s that good.
Anyway, here are a few photos of the new additions:
