Recording - August 2018 - 42
Vanatoo
Transparent
Zero Monitors
How small can a speaker get and still provide
a professional monitoring experience?
REVIEW BY MIKE METLAY
W
e last looked at Vanatoo in our March 2016
issue with my review of the Transparent
One monitors. These are small desktop/
"bookshelf" speakers with one active and one passive channel, analog and digital hookups, and surprisingly good overall response given their small size. If
we had any complaint about them, is that while they
were clear, well-balanced, and decidedly non-skimpy on
the lows, their overall sound was very listenable and
pleasant: not always what someone looks for in a reference
monitor. The Transparent One is definitely not an "accuracy
at all costs" box.
42
RECORDING August 2018
However, what really stood out to me about those speakers
was how insanely cheap they were for all the features and
sonic goodness they offered-as little as $500 per pair for
one of the smallest yet biggest-sounding nearfield monitors
out there. Since that time, other companies have beaten that
price point and that size, but my memories of the Transparent
One were fond ones. When Vanatoo recently released the
Transparent Zero, I was eager to give them a listen, and they
were as surprising in their own way as their larger siblings.
Well, it's one... less
As small as the Transparent One system is, it seems positively behemoth next to the Transparent Zero. These are some
small speakers! How small? Try 7.5 x 4.75 inches in the front,
with a 6" deep body tapering to a mere 3.5 x 4.75 inches in
the back. Like their predecessors, the Transparent Zero monitors are a passive/active setup, with one speaker containing
the amplifiers and all electronics and the other only accepting
a connector for its audio. The passive speaker weighs a mere
4 lbs., the active one 4.5 lbs. Like we said-small.
The trapezoidal cross section lets the speakers sit on one
side with the radiator facing up and back, giving them a sharp
up-angle for desktop use, or can be flipped over and rested
on an attached plastic support bracket with the radiator facing
down and the drivers firing straight forward. The supports
can be moved to the opposite facing, so the speakers can
be upright with the radiators facing up. The included optional
front grilles attach magnetically in either orientation.
Which position is best for you is a matter of experimentation;
if you leave them in angled
mode, Vanatoo provides
a pair of foam isolation
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - August 2018
REVIEWS
Ears On: Focal Clear Professional.
Reviewed & Revisited: Daking Mic Pre II.
GIK Acoustics Gotham Quadratic Diffuser.
ART RM5 Active Studio Monitor.
IK Multimedia iRig Keys I/O.
Yamaha EAD10.
Soundware Showcase: Spitfire Audio LABS.
Vanatoo Transparent Zero Monitors.
Ears On: beyerdynamic DT 770 STUDIO.
Roland Rubix24.
Kludge Audio 506 Equalizer and 510 Transwarmer.
Once Over—Reviews In Brief.
FEATURES
10 Tips For A Successful Live Recording.
Studio 101. Part 8: Mixing, Part 1—Signal Flow.
“Girl You Know It’s...” A Lot More Than You Realize!
Live Orchestra Recording.
REGULARS
Fade In.
Talkback.
Fast Forward
Readers' Tracks
Fade Out.
Advertiser Index.
Recording - August 2018 - 1
Recording - August 2018 - Cover1
Recording - August 2018 - Cover2
Recording - August 2018 - 1
Recording - August 2018 - 2
Recording - August 2018 - 3
Recording - August 2018 - Fade In.
Recording - August 2018 - 5
Recording - August 2018 - REGULARS
Recording - August 2018 - 7
Recording - August 2018 - Talkback.
Recording - August 2018 - 9
Recording - August 2018 - Fast Forward
Recording - August 2018 - 11
Recording - August 2018 - 12
Recording - August 2018 - 13
Recording - August 2018 - 14
Recording - August 2018 - 15
Recording - August 2018 - 16
Recording - August 2018 - 17
Recording - August 2018 - 18
Recording - August 2018 - 19
Recording - August 2018 - Ears On: Focal Clear Professional.
Recording - August 2018 - 21
Recording - August 2018 - 22
Recording - August 2018 - 23
Recording - August 2018 - Reviewed & Revisited: Daking Mic Pre II.
Recording - August 2018 - 25
Recording - August 2018 - GIK Acoustics Gotham Quadratic Diffuser.
Recording - August 2018 - 27
Recording - August 2018 - 28
Recording - August 2018 - 29
Recording - August 2018 - ART RM5 Active Studio Monitor.
Recording - August 2018 - 31
Recording - August 2018 - IK Multimedia iRig Keys I/O.
Recording - August 2018 - 33
Recording - August 2018 - Yamaha EAD10.
Recording - August 2018 - 35
Recording - August 2018 - Soundware Showcase: Spitfire Audio LABS.
Recording - August 2018 - 37
Recording - August 2018 - Studio 101. Part 8: Mixing, Part 1—Signal Flow.
Recording - August 2018 - 39
Recording - August 2018 - 40
Recording - August 2018 - 41
Recording - August 2018 - Vanatoo Transparent Zero Monitors.
Recording - August 2018 - 43
Recording - August 2018 - 44
Recording - August 2018 - 45
Recording - August 2018 - Ears On: beyerdynamic DT 770 STUDIO.
Recording - August 2018 - 47
Recording - August 2018 - Roland Rubix24.
Recording - August 2018 - 49
Recording - August 2018 - Kludge Audio 506 Equalizer and 510 Transwarmer.
Recording - August 2018 - 51
Recording - August 2018 - 52
Recording - August 2018 - 53
Recording - August 2018 - 54
Recording - August 2018 - 55
Recording - August 2018 - 56
Recording - August 2018 - 57
Recording - August 2018 - “Girl You Know It’s...” A Lot More Than You Realize!
Recording - August 2018 - 59
Recording - August 2018 - Once Over—Reviews In Brief.
Recording - August 2018 - 61
Recording - August 2018 - Live Orchestra Recording.
Recording - August 2018 - 63
Recording - August 2018 - 64
Recording - August 2018 - 65
Recording - August 2018 - Readers' Tracks
Recording - August 2018 - Advertiser Index.
Recording - August 2018 - 68
Recording - August 2018 - 69
Recording - August 2018 - 70
Recording - August 2018 - 71
Recording - August 2018 - Fade Out.
Recording - August 2018 - Cover3
Recording - August 2018 - Cover4
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