Studios
Roy's story
“I really am so pleased with the Sonoma M1 headphone system, it’s unbelievably honest and perfectly balanced. I have been able to hear elements to adjust in my mixes I would have missed in studio monitors. I usually avoid headphones due to combo filtering and uneven balance, however the Sonoma system is a breath of fresh air to my ears.” Roy Hendrickson, Chief Mixer / Engineer / Producer – Powerstation at BerkleeNYC
Alan Silverman
"After decades of work as a recording engineer, there are very few memorable “firsts” anymore, but my first listen to the APERIO was astonishing. The clarity and smoothness of the sound was something I could not have imagined. So this is what virtually perfect impulse response in a transducer is like! Spatial cues and depth are so refined that it seems that we’re listening in open air. The separation and definition of elements in the mix is mesmerizing. Listening to a track featuring a female vocal with a male trio of background singers very low in the mix, I could easily hear each of the male voices individually, where before, with my best high-end monitoring, there was only the blend. This is a remarkable new paradigm for the mixing and mastering of high quality audio. Listening to music with Aperio is a joy.” Alan Silverman, Owner - Aerial Sound, New York City (formerly Arf! Mastering)
Michael Beinhorn
Michael Beinhorn is an American musician and Grammy nominated record producer. He started his professional career as a musician, playing synthesizer and co-founding the seminal New York band, Material with Bill Laswell during the early 1980s. He played keyboards on, and worked with the jazz musician Herbie Hancock as co-writer and co-producer on, Hancock's “Future Shock” album, which contained the hit single “Rockit” which quickly became a US Billboard #1. During his career Michael has also produced albums for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Hole (Courtney Love), Soundgarden, Marilyn Manson, Aerosmith and Ozzy Osbourne to name just a few!! Having spent a couple of hours listening to a variety of genres on the APERIO Michael described his experience as… “ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE, MIND-BLOWING!”. Michael Beinhorn, Musician & Record Producer
Bert van der Wolf
“These are just ridiculously good. 100% accurate reproduction of what I recorded. I’ve never heard any headphone as brilliant as these, I did not think this level of honesty was even possible in a headphone!” The first words spoken by Bert van der Wolf from "SPIRIT OF TURTLE" when he took off on the new APERIO headphones after listening to several live recordings that he has mastered. Bert van der Wolf, Award winning Director, Producer, Recording & Balance Engineer - Spirit of Turtle, Haaften, The Netherlands
Warren Sokol
Warren Sokol is the Mastering Engineer at the world famous United Recording Studios in L.A. Warren spent some time auditioning both the Sonoma Model One headphone system and our new flagship system, The APERIO. His comments; “The Sonoma sounds wonderful & is a gorgeous build as well! Amazingly full frequency balance & very tight & realistic dynamics & imaging! The APERIO is another level of headphone systems! The detail to design is impeccable, its truly a beautiful package! The image & frequency response is amazing but I was really impressed with the speed & accuracy of the dynamics & detail of the sound!! How’s it all packed in there?!?” Warren Sokol, Mastering Engineer
Will's story
“I love the Sonoma M1 and their remarkable clarity. They provide the most natural soundstage, allowing me to truly fine-tune my mixes. Without question, best imaging I have ever experienced in a pair of headphones. Solidly constructed and comfortable, unlike other headphones, I am able to wear the M1’s for extended periods. The M1’s are truly spectacular providing a detailed listening experience for studio mixing and mastering applications. I’m hooked!” Will Schillinger, Chief Engineer / Producer - Pilot Recording Studio, Housatonic, MA
Alan's Story
“Bringing new gear into a mastering room is a big deal, especially gear that is involved in monitoring. It’s a bit like bringing a new animal onto a farm – the behaviour of all the other animals changes. Bringing in a new EQ reveals new characteristics of the existing EQs, they get used differently, the pieces interact differently. Changing or augmenting monitoring is especially critical. I started out with the M1’s at home. The sound was intriguing, compelling, and a departure from anything I’d ever heard, reinforcing my first impressions at your demo suite (at AES NY 2018). At the studio, the effect on the other farm animals was immediate. After the first week, a trusted pair of high-end phones were pulled from service. They just didn’t sound good anymore. The most dramatic improvement with the M1's is the linearity in the low frequency range. They are rock solid all the way down. My bass adjustments became more accurate. Likewise, the resolution in midrange allowed fine-tuning with greater accuracy. Cycling between my main monitors and the M1’s led to an iterative process that resulted in some excellent sounding masters. As I checked work home I found that the improvement in sound and feel heard at the studio translated all the way down to my cellphone paired with a modest Bluetooth speaker. The improvement fostered by a change in gear takes time to validate – it often happens that initial euphoria wears off once the newness fades with time. This has not been the case with the M1’s. The M1’s sensitivity gives me the information I need for those last few tweaks that can make all the difference. In short the M1’s have led to an improvement in my work, and that is what matters most.” Alan Silverman, Owner - Aerial Sound, New York City (formerly Arf! Mastering)
