In this article for Production Expert, James Richmond spends time with a pair of EVE Audio SC4070’s. Find out what he thought of them in our latest Tested article.

I’ve been lucky enough to spend some time with a couple of different pairs of EVE monitors, the SC305 and SC3070 models which I enjoyed greatly. Both the previous products were suitable as near-field monitors, but I’d always wanted to get access to a larger pair of EVE’s, to see how they sounded at higher volumes. I was very pleased to receive a pair of EVE’s brand new monitors for mid-field positioning, the SC4070. The SC4070 is a step up in terms of size, scale and price from the previous monitors that I’ve tested. So let’s get into them.

Design and Specification

The SC4070’s feature a pair of 6.5” SilverCone woofers, flanking a 4” SilverCone midrange driver and, as is typical from Eve, an Air Motion Transformer AMT RS3.1 ribbon tweeter.

When mounted horizontally they are similarly laid out to my current mid-field monitors of choice, a pair of ATC SCM45A’s, with two woofers on either side of the midrange and tweeter components. Unlike the ATC’s though the SC4070’s are rear ported. 

Unpacking the Eve’s from their packaging can still be done by one person but they are an order larger than anything I have previously tested from Eve, measuring 600 x 260 x 320 mm and weighing 18kg per monitor. I’d always suggest a quality pair of monitor stands for any monitors but in this instance, it is a definite necessity. As these monitors are symmetrical there is no left or right version, as was the case with the SC3070, so integration in a surround sound environment is going to be much easier.

The SC4070’s are powered by four separate 250W Class D amplifiers. Eve is curiously marketing this as a four-way design, which is stretching the truth a little. Both woofers operate at the same frequencies, there are two crossovers, at 280 Hz and 3 kHz. To my mind, that is a three-way design. Eve’s choice of describing the design as a 4 way is based o the fact that each of the 4 drivers has its own dedicated amplifier.

In the box, you get the monitor, power cable, manual and ribbon tweeter protector plate which must be oriented correctly to function properly. Eve’s printed manual (becoming a rarity in Pro Audio) is clearly laid out too.

One fantastic new feature is the centre section of the monitor can be rotated 90 degrees, allowing for either horizontal or vertical placement. This makes the SC4070’s a much more flexible proposition. I tried the monitors in vertical and horizontal positions, I preferred them in the horizontal position but that is, largely down to how my room works, I think.

DSP

As with all Eve Audio monitors, the SC4070’s are DSP-based designs, with a high-quality Burr-Brown analogue/digital converter that can operate at 24bit/192kHz. Eve’s multi-function ‘Smart’ control knob is used to control almost all of the functions such as the High/Low/Mid EQ settings, as well as the Desk filter setting. The high shelf filter frequency is 3kHz, midrange +/- 3dB at 1khz and the low shelf filter is 300Hz.

The desk filter is a dual-function feature, firstly when attenuating (by a maximum of -5dB) as a narrow band EQ set 160Hz (20Hz lower than the SC305’s) or, when boosting, as an 80hz EQ (up to +3dB). This, as you would expect, allows placement of the monitors on desks or immediately above mixing consoles where reflections can cause acoustical issues.

A monitor of this size should really be a bit further back from the listening position, however. I used them on stands and therefore didn’t need to use this feature in my test.

As I’ve noted on previous Eve monitors, a DSP based monitor with an A/D stage should ideally allow digital input, ideally with sample rate conversion. This would necessarily increase the cost of the unit, so it is a forgivable omission.

Listening Test and In Use

I’ve had the SC4070’s in my studio for the last three weeks and used them exclusively during that time as to really acquaint myself with how they work. 

My testing process is to use a number of reference tracks to get a feel for the sound of the monitors. ‘Hot Property’ by Jamiroquai is my go-to in order to test bass response. That track has more bass than should legally be allowed and the SC4070’s presents it nicely.

The RS4 tweeter is smooth and even, not splashy or strident. Jellyfish’s ‘New Mistake’ (another old favourite) sounded upfront and full.

I’ve used them for a wide variety of composition, tracking and mixing tasks and they have performed admirably. They have a larger scale than anything I have tested before from Eve. The bass, should you want it to be, is simply huge. The extra woofer does make a big difference compared to the SC3070’s tested a few months ago. I found myself dropping the low shelf filter down by 2dB to suit my room better.

These are mid-field through to main sized monitors. My feeling is they need a bit of room to work well. In my 6m x 5m control room, treated with a dozen or so bass traps they sound terrific. As with any pair of monitors this size, I’d suggest not using them in a 3m x 3m box room with no acoustic treatment, but that is a general piece of advice for any monitor that goes this loud and this low. And they do go very loud and very low. The quad 250w amplifiers exceed my monitoring comfort level before the limiter kicks in 126 dBspl for a stereo pair. I can’t see anyone needing them to go louder than they do.

Conclusion

Eve Audio is going from strength to strength at the moment. The SC4070 is a fantastic product and I expect it to do very well. Otherwise what we have here is a very capable set of monitors with a great natural sound that can be, with the help of the onboard DSP,  tailored to suit your room. The RS3 ribbon-based design, with its smooth top end, is pleasantly non-fatiguing for long days in the studio.

If you are looking to purchase a new set of mid-field monitors around the £4k mark for a stereo pair and haven’t heard Eve Audio’s latest offering then I’d strongly suggest you call your local dealer and give them a listen.

Pros

• Attractive pricing for a monitor of this size.

• Rotatable mid/high section allows for horizontal or vertical placement.

• Louder and deeper than previous Eve monitors tested- they sound huge.

Cons 

• No digital input

For further details on the SC4070’s and to find your local dealer, head to EVE’s website.