ZenPro Audio welcomes Amphion Loudspeakers to our family of products!

After spending time with all models side by side, it is clear that the Amphion line delivers a "rich" sound quality that makes it a nice sounding reference speaker. In other words, they do have their own sound but it's a very nice sound. There is an instantly familiar delivery of music on them when playing back familiar mixes. As a real world high end playback system reference they can easily find a place in your studio.

The first thing I notice is that the Amphion line delivers a rich vocal range, making voice mixing and effects decisions very apparent. Their aluminum drivers are fast and responsive, delivering crisp transients. 1” titanium tweeters also bring airy detail, their recessed position in the large waveguide make for a nice sweet spot for stereo image although not incredibly wide. Passive radiators extend the bass response while not overreaching, and allow the speaker to perform closer to a sealed cabinet design. The cabinets are solid and thick which helps with their projection and responsiveness. Also, the amps seem quite decent and clean enough for realistic detail to couple with these passive speakers. The 100W is a good match on all "One" series, although the 500W will bring more power and headroom with any of the models.

There are differences among the models which we compared side by side in our control room, and I have noted what we hear when compared amongst themselves. These are very brief descriptions of the characteristics for each.

One18: Quite decent bass, essentially matches the expectations of a 6.5” single driver speaker. Vocal range is accented with a bit of “shout” loudspeaker qualities to it, upper midrange pronounced which brings out subtle details like use of background delay effects. Low mid / upper bass response is somewhat constrained, this is not a boomy speaker but rather a tight response.

Two18: More deep bass, although a bit more pronounced in the “mud” range in our room (low mid / high bass). The tweeter “shout” disappears compared to the One18, more balanced upper mids vs overall timbre. Capable of very decent volume and hits nicely when pushed with the 500W amp.

One15: Not as deep bass response as the One18, but it does have a clarity to the sub bass that is useable. Pushing it hard with rock music and the driver can choke a little on kick drums, making it a good reference for the limitations of smaller speakers when cranked. Midrange is more linear, overall delivery is more compact like a 5.25” design, brings that vocal quality out without the shout of the One18, and has a more balanced timbre.

Two15: Here we find the clear midrange and balanced timber of the One15, but the bass fills things out nicely and maintains that clarity in the sub-bass that is even more present, with more volume. Possibly the most useful model for making decisions in the bass range, coupled with that vocal range quality and balanced relationship between dual drivers and tweeter. Was a very good fit for our 12' x 14' control room using the 500W amp model.

Two12: Extremely easy to discern the vocal range, it does bring the “shout” loudspeaker quality even moreso. Light on bass as you would expect from a 4.5” design, it accents the mids and upper midrange the most and brings very fast transient response due to its small cabinet and fast aluminum drivers. Its limitations would likely make it the strongest candidate as a secondary reference to smaller playback systems, while still offering the enhanced vocal range delivery found in all Amphion speakers.