Description
The brainchild of Ocean Way Studios owner Alan Sides, the Ocean Way Audio HR4 Reference Monitor offers an unprecedented 100-degree dispersion pattern across a wide 35Hz to 25kHz frequency range with 116dB maximum SPL
Alan Sides started his impressive career as a designer and builder of studio monitors, and with over 1,000 recordings to his credit, many of which are now classics, Sides knows what effective monitoring should sound like. The Ocean Way HR4 is the culmination of his impressive experience as audio designer, musician, and Grammy-winning engineer. The HR4 is a dual/hybrid waveguide system that delivers an amazingly wide horizontal and vertical dispersion that extends the sweet spot accurately across the room, not just centered between the speakers. Due to the highly consistent directivity of the HR4 waveguide system, its wide dispersion lets you move around the console, or to outboard racks, and make accurate mix decisions—without sliding back and forth between monitors and gear to hear the effects of your adjustments. The HR4 even allows clients sitting near the corners of the room to hear the mix as the engineer hears it in the sweet spot—a time and temperament saver to be sure. With the Ocean Way HR4 reference monitors, Alan Sides has created a new studio classic.
Ocean Way Audio HR4 Reference Monitor unique features:
- Ultra wide 100° horizontal / 40° vertical dispersion creates a sweet spot with rich detail across a wide listening zone
- Patent-pending, 3D-printed, dual-horn waveguide with superior detailed imaging
Ocean Way Audio HR4 Reference Monitor key features:
- High-resolution, proprietary 2-way compression-driven hybrid horn/waveguide system
- High-resolution, 1″ high-frequency driver with excellent mechanical linearity
- Geometrically reinforced 8″ aluminum cone low-frequency driver within sealed cabinet
- 250 watts per side power
- Analog and 24-bit/192kHz digital inputs
INSIDE THE BOX—Ocean Way Audio HR4 Reference Monitor
Ultra wide 100° horizontal / 40° vertical dispersion
As any storied producer will tell you, at least 80% of producing is psychology and politics. The HR4 reflects Sides’ production experience insofar as creating a speaker that turns the entire room into a sweet spot. For example, when you’re playing a mix for clients sitting off axis, they don‘t hear the mix the way the engineer sitting between the speakers does. This can create problems politically, or simply waste time by playing the mix over and again as people stand in the sweet spot and listen. Due to its waveguide dispersion, a mix played on the HR4 sounds the same regardless of where you’re standing in the room. For example, if you’re working on a large-format desk and move to the end of the console to adjust the fader, the mix sounds the same as it does in the center. If you’re standing four feet to the right of the right speaker, the left speaker sounds as though you are standing in front of it.
The unique design of the cabinet is where the magic of the HR4 lives. Designed by Alan Sides with Ocean Way’s Director of New Technology, M.I.T. physicist Cliff Henricksen, the HR4 waveguide was realized with the use of high-grade 3D solid modeling. The geometrically complex surfaces of the waveguide create accurately matched and detailed imaging within the system. The high frequency and mid low frequency have identical flair rates, which result in an unprecedented 100-degree dispersion pattern across a wide frequency range of 35Hz to 25kHz with a 116dB maximum SPL. The wide dispersion and linear frequency response allows for flexible placement in the control room.
2-way compression-driven hybrid horn/waveguide system
The HR4 is a 24″, integrated 2-way dual-horn system comprising a high-definition, silk fabric dome high-frequency driver, plus a geometrically reinforced, aluminum-cone low-frequency driver. The high-frequency driver has excellent mechanical linearity, which results in greater accuracy of the system, since the excursions of the HF driver are not being affected by the vibrational energy of the enclosure. The LF driver has a vented cast aluminum chassis that yields optimum strength and low compression, which preserves output power. Loaded into a rock-solid wood/composite sealed cabinet that prevents the speakers from engaging the cabinet at high SPL, which in turn preserves the aforementioned linearity of the the system, is tuned to perfection to create a seamless transition between the drivers.
OUTSIDE THE BOX—Ocean Way Audio HR4 Reference Monitor
The rear panel of the HR4 has a balanced XLR analog input; AES-EBU digital input and output over two XLR connectors; Ethernet port; and an input mode selector with four LED indicators to switch between modes. The rear panel also has a recessed master volume adjustment, IEC power connector, power on/off switch, and a voltage selector switch that allows global use.
There are four presets stored in the monitor’s memory:
- LED 1 – when lit indicates the ‘Analog In’ XLR is active
- LED 2 – when lit indicates the ‘Digital In (AES-EBU)’ XLR is active
- LED 3 off / LED 4 off – System is configured as a 2-way system with no low frequency roll off
- LED 3 off / LED4 on – System is configured as a 3-way system to support the S12A sub-bass cabinet. Low frequency is rolled off at 85Hz using a 4th-order L-R crossover
- LED 3 on / LED4 off – System is configured as a 3-way digital left channel
- LED 3 on / LED4 on – Speaker is configured as a 3-way digital right channel
About Ocean Way Audio
The name Ocean Way generally conjures thoughts of Alan Sides’ drool-worthy collection of rare microphones, vintage gold-standard outboard, and studios responsible for numerous classic recordings with over one billion sold worldwide. Allen Sides himself is a five-time Grammy Award-winning engineer-producer-mixer who founded Ocean Way Recording. His studios and his Ocean Way Monitoring Systems have enabled artists such as The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Eminem, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Radiohead, among numerous others, create milestone music recordings. Mr. Sides designed and built Ocean Way Studios Hollywood, Ocean Way Studios Nashville, Ocean Way Studio St. Barth’s at Eden Rock and Record One Studios Sherman Oaks. Together, these constitute the most award-winning and successful music studios in the world. Mr. Sides has also personally recorded over 1,000 albums, many of which have become audiophile classics. Albums recorded in Mr. Sides’ studios have sold in excess of 1 billion copies.
The HR4 Reference Monitor not only provides the level of accuracy you’d expect from iconic Ocean Way studios and Alan Sides, but also provides an elegant solution client listening issues, plus an increase in workflow efficiency. For more information on the Ocean Way Audio HR4, call or chat with your Westlake Pro Audio representative today.
Ocean Way HR4 Reference Monitor Specifications:
- Accepts analog/digital inputs 24-bit/192kHz (HR4)
- HF amp: 125-watts
- LF amp: 125-watts
- HF driver size: 1″
- LF driver size: 8″
- Digital inputs: AES3 via XLR
- Horizontal/vertical directivity control: 100/40-degrees
- Frequency Range: 2-way 35Hz > 25kHz
- Maximum peak SPL: 2-way 116dB
- Enclosure type: sealed
- AC power: 115/230V (switchable
- Dimensions: 14″ x 25-1/2″ x 14″ (H x W x D)
- Weight: 57 lb.