This is becoming a serious trend in the studio world, as frequency response correction solutions are becoming familiar territory, thanks in great part to the efforts of Sonarworks and it's Reference solution that can be applied equally to loudspeakers and headphones. More recently, multiple companies have started to add binaural simulation of real room responses, enabling musicians and music producers to enjoy a realistic emulation of being in an actually studio environment while wearing headphones. Waves Audio, Embody and more recently Scaeva Technologies and Slate Audio with its VSX Headphone and Modeling System, are among the notable companies who entered the space.
dSONIQ's approach was to combine both techniques, and the dSONIQ Realphones software re-creates the acoustic environment of a real recording studio control room in headphones, and corrects the headphones frequency response for accuracy. This enables a standard headphones design with decent frequency response and dynamics to turn into a reliable monitoring tool that can be used even with a laptop in a hotel room.
While the approach from Sonarworks was to extensively profile the unique characteristics of all the best-selling headphones, offering users the choice, Embody and Scaeva/Slate have opted for the bundled approach, with an affordable yet reliable total mixing system for those wanting to work on headphones. The new Focus system from Flui Audio comprises a semi-open studio headphones design with dynamic 50mm drivers, which are manufactured according to the company's specifications, also focusing for durability and comfort for long hours of use.
This might seem a strange adventure for a company who has been focusing its efforts purely on the home/project studio market. Fluid is a company that reflects the efforts and vision of Kevin Zuccaro, a loudspeaker engineer, musician, and recording enthusiast, that began his career at JBL in 1990, and worked with Cerwin-Vega, and M-Audio (then an Avid company), where he was in charge of the entire monitor and microphone division, before he established Fluid Audio in 2010. With Fluid, he designed a series of unique coaxial monitors that are surprisingly balanced and effective for its extremely affordable price.
Fluid Audio understands how price sensitive this market can be, how even great, accurate, and innovative studio monitor designs can remain completely ignored by the market (ask JBL), while some other companies manage to enter the space with large volumes of outsourced products, and most importantly, how a few rumors among the recording community can lead to a viral effect, creating new trends in the industry - and "mixing with headphones" and "room simulation" are among those very hot trends.
The new Focus headphone mixing system from Fluid is the result of understanding compromises, and not downplaying these trends. The Fluid Focus headphones use large 50mm neodymium magnet speaker drivers in a circumaural design that provides the required "balanced and articulate response", using a solid metal/plastic construction, comfortable and durable, while still maintaining the product affordable for the intended market.
With the Focus headphones, users receive an optimized version of dSONIQ’s Realphones software which allows users to professionally mix audio using this system. The Realphones software offers several studio rooms, eq options, and various popular monitor options, including emulations of Fluid’s own FX Series monitors - the emulations could essentially say anything, since users will not even be able to compare, so this is also a great promotional tool after all. Emulation as an effective, perceived form of flattery.
Same as with having a company's logo displayed on the side of headphones for the first time (and by the way, Fluid's logo is terrible!) “It’s exciting to see our Fluid Focus headphones - with our own uniquely ‘Fluid’ look, feel and sound - finally launching. What is equally exciting is our partnership with dSONIQ Realphones, which, using their software optimized with our Focus headphones, allows mixing in many different environments, providing the ability to essentially take mixing studios on the road” says Kevin Zuccaro, which apart from being the company's founder also serves as CEO and Chief Engineer.
The new Fluid Focus headphone playback and mixing system has a SRP of $69 USD / €69 EUR (yes, that is the price of the headphones and the software! This is a very price-sensitive category) and is now available, even if shipping might be not available immediately everywhere.
www.dsoniq.com
www.fluidaudio.com
