Recording - March 2016 - 18

B Y PA U L V N U K J R .

Last year in our March 2015 issue, we
took our first look at Amphion with the
One18 passive studio monitor. This time we
are looking at the One18's big brother, the
flagship of the Amphion line-the Two18.
Amphion is headquartered in Kuopio,
Finland, and run by Anssi Hyvönen. The
company has an 18-year history of building hi-fi speakers for the audiophile market.
Just over a year and a half ago, Amphion
entered into the pro studio world with monitor models that had been developed over a
5-year period by a team of speaker professionals.

three speakers, it is not a 3-way design.
At 7.5" wide and 12.4" deep, the cabinet is the same width and depth as the
One18, but it stands 21.65" tall vs. the
One18 which is 15" tall. The tweeter
sits in the middle of the cabinet with the
matching woofers symmetrically above
and below.
Around the back, the Two18 uses a
pair of simple screw-style Argento Audio
3-way binding posts in the center, with
the matching aluminum passive radiators
above and below, parallel to the frontside bass drivers.

Amphion Two18 Passive Monitors
(and Amp500 Power Amplifier)
The pinnacle of the Amphion line offers serious sound for the serious engineer
The Amphion pro line currently consists
of the One12, One15, One18, Two15,
and Two18. The firm also offers two custom built power amps, the Amp100 and
Amp500, and as of the 2015 AES show
has added a unique bass extension setup
called the BaseOne25.
And a One and a Two
Each model has a similar design, build
and components. They all use the same 1"
titanium tweeter recessed into a large
white Corian waveguide and aluminumconed bass drivers. The One series have
4.5", 5.25", and 6.5" drivers respectively. The Two series models double the fun
with a pair of 5.25" woofers on the
Two15 and a pair of 6.5" on the Two18.
Amphion cabinets eschew the trend of
moulded sculptural enclosures with contoured edges. Instead, each model
makes use of a traditional rectangular
MDF cabinet. They're sealed designs,
with passive radiators on the back of the
cabinet for low-end dispersion rather
than bass ports or venting.
According to Anssi, each cabinet's
sonic signature is created through old
school physical design and not through
onboard DSP. These are totally passive
monitors, with zero onboard EQ, level
control or filtering of any kind.
Two18
The Two18 is for all intents and purposes a One18 with a second added
low frequency driver. Although it has
18

RECORDING March 2016

Pieces of the sonic puzzle
Three distinct design elements define
the Two18 and its sound. The first two
are the same as can be found on the
One18, as well as the rest of the
Amphion pro line.
First is the tweeter. It is recessed back
into its waveguide by quite a bit, putting
it on the same plane as the low-frequency
drivers for perfect time alignment. The net
effect is that sound hits your ears from all
three drivers at the same time. The tweeter's white waveguide is not just a pretty
design element; its size matches the diameter of the low-drivers so you get a more
unified sonic dispersion across a wide frequency range. This gives the cabinets a
great balance of focus and a natural
wide sweet spot.
Next, the rear-mounted passive radiators move in tandem with the front-side
bass drivers to disperse energy and control low frequencies. According to my
previous discussion with Anssi during the
One18 review, he told me that a sealed
radiator design vs. porting offers better
consistency and predictability across the
lows and low mids. This in turn makes
the speakers less subject to the room
they are placed in.
The last feature of the Two18 is its
double woofer design. If you've guessed
that this adds more low-end punch and
response, you would be correct, but not
in the way you might think. These are
not simply more bass-heavy, thicker or

boomier than the One18; they're
punchier, fuller, and more forward in the
lows and low mids. This principle is similar to how a 4x10" bass cabinet is
tighter, more forward, and more punchy
than a single 15" bass cabinet. I can
sum it up by saying that the Two18 does
not rumble... it punches with precision!
In use, compared to the One18
The One18 has become a permanent
part of my monitoring setup, so I am intimately familiar with the Amphion sound.
I also got to spend some four months
with the Two18, using it alongside the
One18 as well as my other monitors, the
Focal Trio6 Be 3-ways (reviewed
October 2015).
While switching between the two
Amphion models shows the Two18 to be
bigger and bolder, sonically they exhibit
a similar tone and overall response. The
Two18 has the same wide imaging and
sweet spot as its little brother, and it is
impressive how balanced the sound
stays as you move around the room,
even on the sides. Also like the One18,
the Two18 remains full and sonically
constant at lower volumes, making it a
great speaker for long-haul mix sessions.
Of course there are differences as
well. Overall the One18s are best
described as a little more diffuse and
open sounding (especially with the
Amp100). Their soundstage surrounds
you a bit more, while the Two18 brings
everything into a slightly more forward
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - March 2016
