An appearance of a product targeted directly to the professional audio market in a magazine addressed to the enthusiasts of good sound on “this side” of the studio window is bound to stir up questions. The most important one is: “What for?” Contrary to the first impression, this question does not come from us, music lovers, as much as from sound engineers and producers. For them, the answer is simple. Everything they do is great and there should be no problem with a proper reproduction of what they produce. Putting too much emphasis on the reproduction is silly because it is the first stage that counts, that is audio engineering and production. There is no need to get upset over such an opinion or even to look for arguments to prove otherwise as they will simply fall on deaf ears. I can’t see any common ground to reach an agreement about the whole audio chain, from recording to reproduction. I strongly suspect that they will remain two separate universes.
The proper question should rather be: “Why does APS care about having their speakers reviewed in a magazine that deals with consumer audio?” To be honest, I cannot find the answer to that, except maybe one: they like the challenge. There is also an alternative one: even though they do not believe it, somewhere in their mind there is still some room for a doubt or a thought that maybe there is just something to all this audiophile frenzy.
There are not many such companies but it’s possible to designate a group of manufacturers of audio components, speakers and cables who think likewise (i.e. those who would answer to the question in one of the two aforementioned ways): Manley Labs, Weiss, ATC, PMC, Bryston, dCS, Mytek Digital, Vovox, The Chord Company, JBL, Lipinski Sound. All of them are highly regarded among sound engineers and at the same time are the objects of music lovers’ dreams. What is fantastic about this is the fact that there are more and more Polish names and brands in that group, including the famous Mytek of Mr. Jurewicz and Lipinski Sound of Mr. Lipiński.

The idea to start the first Polish company that manufactures active studio monitors was born in 2005 when a group of people involved in TLC PRO could not proceed with their development plans due to the collapse of Tonsil (the mother company of TLC PRO). At the beginning of 2006, APS Spanily s.j. was created from scratch by 6 people. A few months later they started their research and development and production. The company began cooperation with Norwegian SEAS (drivers), Witowa Sp. z o.o. (cabinets), Toroidy (transformers) and SECURUS (SMD assembly). Within the next few months, the first studio monitor that was designed in these new conditions made its market appearance as the AEON. Since 2007 the AEON has been recognized by the pro audio markets all over the world. Even in Poland hundreds of people who are involved in sound production, both professionally and as a hobby, use the AEON monitors. In the next years the company launched new products like the IO and Coax active monitors followed by the SUB15 active studio subwoofer – a showoff of APS designers’ capabilities in low frequency reproduction.
In 2010 the company moved its headquarters from Swarzędz to Obłaczkowo near Września. APS has been reaching new markets abroad (MusiKMesse fair) and has representatives in 16 countries. It also uses direct sales to several markets where it does not yet have its own distributors. The Trinity reviewed today belongs to the top in the APS lineup. A few months ago the product offering was extended to include the SUB10 active studio subwoofer designed to complement the lowest frequencies when paired with the Coax active monitor. The manufacturer is now working on two new studio monitor designs in response to suggestions and inquiries coming from international dealers. In the nearest future, the APS focus will remain on active studio monitors although passive speakers, including on-stage designs, have also been long in the planning.

Albums auditioned during this review)

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• Audiofeels, UnCovered, Penguin Records 5865033, CD (2009); płyta została nagrana w siedzibie APS, na monitorach APS AEON!
• Bing Crosby, The Radio Years, GNP Records/King Records 240E 6848, “Very Best Jazz”, CD (1988).
• Chuck Mangione, Children of Sanchez, A&M Records 396 700-2, 2 x CD (1978/1998).
• David Crosby, Croz, Blue Castle Records BCR1142-1, CD (2014).
• Deep Purple, Now What?!/ Now What?! Live Tapes, EAR Music 0209064ERE, 2 x CD (2013).
• Ella Fitzgerald & Andre Previn, ”Nice Work If You Can Get It”, Pablo Today/Victor Entertainment VICJ-60850,
• Jean-Michel Jarre, Oxygene 10, Disques Dreyfus/Epic 664403 2, Maxi SP CD (1997).
• Jean-Michel Jarre, Oxygene 10, Disques Dreyfus/Epic 664715 2, Maxi SP CD (1997).
• Joe Pass, Portraits of Duke Ellington, Pablo/Victor Entertainment VICJ-41583, K2 CD (1983/2006).
• John Coltrane Quartet, Ballads, Impulse!/Universal Music LLC (Japan) UCCU-40001, Platinum SHM-CD (2013).
• Krzysztof Duda, Altus, GAD Records GAD CD 012, CD (2013);
• Krzysztof Duda, materiały do płyty Altus, kopia z ta¶m-matek CD-R (2014).
• Maria Peszek, JEZUS is aLIVE, Mystic Production MYSTCD 256, CD (2014).
• Martyna Jakubowicz, Burzliwy błękit Joanny, Universal Music Polska 376 131 8, CD (2013).
• Slayer, Live Undead, Metal Blade Records/Metal Blade Records Japan MBCY-9009, SHM-CD (1974/2009).
• The Rolling Stones, Exile on Main St., Atlantic/Universal Music Company (Japan) UICY-40001, Platinum SHM-CD (1972/2013).

Japanese editions of CDs and SACDs are available from

The Trinity are the best active speakers I have ever had at my place. I would actually put them among the best active studio speakers I have ever heard. Only big far field monitors from Tannoy and PMC managed to outperform them, mostly in bass reproduction and the ability to create even bigger phantom images (volume). At the same time Trinity’s emphasis and its set of characteristic features is completely from what I hear every day with high-end passive consumer speakers.
Their tonal balance is different from what we usually hear in the recording room. We are presented here with a big dense sound without as much as a hint of aggressive treble. A proper setting of the rear panel equalizer controls is fundamental to achieve this kind of tonality but it can be done after just a few minutes of listening. To set the tonality I considered best suited for my listening room I used William Byrd’s Motets and Mass for four voices performed by The Theatre of Voices. The human voice, especially in harmony with others, is the best for that purpose. A good reference point, beside my Harbeths M40.1 driven by the Soulution 710 amplifier, turned out to be the Trinity’s “Midrange Direct” mode, with only the midrange driver active and no equalization. The equalizer settings for the review were: 40Hz set to “+”, 125Hz to “0”, 625Hz to “+”, 3125Hz to “0” and 15,625Hz to “0”. As can be seen, the changes were not substantial, although I started with boosting bass at 125Hz and reducing the frequencies of 3125Hz and 15,625Hz. It turned out to be unnecessary.

The APS speakers are capable of sounding full and selective at the same time. Hallelujah! Selectivity is most often achieved by a certain manipulation of tone that emphasizes the attack and reduces the body. This is one of the methods that is often used to good results. It allows to quickly and precisely grasp the recording status and to identify what needs to be changed. But the result is that we only listen to part of music and can only correct some of the problems. The way it is done by the Trinity seems to me much better as it brings the sound in the recording studio closer to that achieved on good audio systems in listeners’ rooms. The selective but at the same time “thin” and plastic sound of many active monitors has nothing to do with the sound presentation of most speakers from good brands – “home audio” brands, that is.
Trinity’s selectivity comes not from contouring the sound but from an extraordinary speed of its presentation. It is a real, not pretended, speed and, hence, without any side effects in the form of hardening of the sound. The sound is sort of warm and soft, which I quite liked. The warmth and softness as I mean them come from the high resolution and purity of sound. I have frequently come across that and the discrepancy between a popular use of these terms and the one I’m talking about now is best audible on tube amplifiers. These amplifiers are iconic for a certain type of sound – warm and three-dimensional, yet with little control. Some of them are simply made to sound this way to meet the demands of certain customers. But if we are to really make use of the tube’s advantages, we need to give up their euphony. And then it often turns out that those amplifiers sound too light and not enough resolving. However, when everything is properly designed for low distortion and low harmonics, the sound thickens, warms up and deepens. It’s exactly the same way with speakers. Just listen to Trinity’s titanium dome and Harbeth’s soft dome tweeter, both similar drivers from SEAS, to notice that it is the former that sounds warmer and slightly less plasticky.

This is generally how I perceive these speakers - a bit warm and incredibly fast. However, both these terms need to be taken in the above context, not as a stereotype. Here, the speed ​​ refers to their amazing ability to render the volume of sound and its dynamics. It’s an absolute rarity for the kick drum to be so clearly conveyed. The Trinity shows it as if picked up by a good microphone and heard directly on quality stage audio speakers, without any recording involved. Home speakers almost always compress the sound, which is why the fast or even dry bass drum punches come out flattened and muffled. While my Harbeths are unique in this respect, the Trinity showed something that my speakers are not capable of – they brought out dense percussion from any album.

If a recording is flat, with reduced dynamics, the Harbeths will show it as such. The Polish speakers would get deeper into the recording and, without exaggerating, would try to show not only the instrument but also the microphone. It was true with the concert recording of Maria Peszek’s JEZUS ​​is ALIVE and the old Slayer’s album Live Undead . In both cases, production quality is rather problematic, to say the least, but the music and crowd energy make us listen to it with flushed cheeks. The Trinity didn’t mash it up into a sonic blob. This is not a "loudness" type of speaker, so I’m not talking about the contouring of sound, either.

The APS do not sound like "home" speakers, though. Their volume of sound and its intensity are outstanding and I wish I could say the same about every speaker design I normally review. Imaging, on the other hand, is mostly limited to the foreground. There is no special difference between closer and further planes and the whole presentation is on the speaker line. Sound sources have unique three-dimensional bodies, which is something to be envied. They are rich and strong but always located at the front. If the vocals are further up in the mix, here they are shown as quieter. The Harbeths show them as smaller (that is, located further). But everything that happens in the foreground is shown by the Trinity as very tangible, close at hand, within reach.
Differentiation in this plane is slightly boosted, even though the speakers under review, similarly to top headphones (like the HiFiMAN HE-6), do not show very clear changes in the sound intensity and dynamics. While it can be argued that the greater the differentiation the better, a "golden mean" is preferable – just like with selectivity.

Fortunately, the Trinity are never ever tiring. I had no problem with listening to various recordings and comparing them closely, even for several hours straight. Among others, I was comparing the GAD Records release of Krzysztof Duda’s Altus with the CD-R sent by him that contained a direct copy from the master tape. GAD Records does a great job and I buy all their releases as soon as they show up. Everyone can have a bad day, though, and this is what happened with Altus.
In my review of the album, I commended the music but also pointed out some problems with the sound and suggested that they might be related to overly aggressive noise reduction. I was right. Mr. Duda sent me an email in which he explained that the mastering studio used a Behringer Noise Reducer set to maximum and that was responsible for the resulting sonic anomalies. The second album release is supposed to have an improved sound.
To help me form my own opinion, he sent me a CD-R with the material before mastering. The difference in its favor is beyond any dispute and results, among others, from the flaws that are introduced between the master tape and the pressed CD. I've heard these many times, while comparing CD-R studio material with pressed CDs. It is a better control over them that helps the Japanese to press the best CDs (you can read more about those differences HERE). But there's something more to it on Altus. The CD-R source material is many times more dynamic, less plasticky and not as muffled as the CD release. The Trinity showed these differences as clear and easy to identify, describe and evaluate, which is probably the most important. Comparing the dynamics was especially comfortable. The Polish speakers are absolutely unique in this respect as they are capable of conveying attack transients without losing body and weight. Tonal comparison between the CD and CD-R also proved easy, even though I needed more time to compare the low frequencies. The reason for that was that the APS speakers tended to slightly unify the bass so it always came out strong, dynamic, fleshy and dense. Yet it was not as well differentiated as the midrange. Be that as it may, with Trinity’s help I prepared for Mr. Duda a description of the differences and suggested corrections. One general conclusion that can be drawn is not to use noise reduction. If it absolutely necessary, only use specialized equipment operated by the best professionals.

Conclusion

I do not expect audiophiles and music lovers to suddenly start shopping for studio monitors, even ones as successful as the Trinity. The kind of sonic aesthetics it offers is so different from what we got used to that it may seem unacceptable for many music lovers. Except that the problem lies with home audio systems, not with the speaker from APS. The Trinity does not compress the sound, which may come as a shock to many a listener. The bass drum punch is very "physical" rather than "unreal". The density and tangibility of this sound are truly exceptional and worth hearing at least once in life to know what’s happening. On the other hand, its foreground focus is evident and there is no soundstage to speak about, at least in the hi-fi and high-end sense. Audible space is shown as something that comes out to the front and surrounds the listener. Music instruments are brought to our room instead of us being transferred to their world. That’s the way all studio monitors sound and the APS is no exception.
Its selectivity is excellent thanks to coherent driver integration. The large boxes sound as one big driver. As the selectivity is thick and warm, it is easy on the ears. The Trinity can be listened to with concentration for long periods of time, hence it is not tiring when used for work, apart from the fatigue that is caused by the work itself. The treble is thick and strong but also sonorous, showing the "weight" of sound produced by the tweeter dome. The deepest bass is shallower than that offered by the best passive speakers I’ve had at home, that is the Harbeth M40.1 and the Hansen Audio Prince v2. It was evident on the fantastic starting track of Uncovered by Audiofeels, which I auditioned for the deep bass response. Incidentally, the album had been recorded and mixed on APS AEON speakers; the recording took place at the APS headquarters and the band had two rooms at their disposal. However, as everything above 60-80 Hz is strong and dense, you won’t be aware of such differences without a direct comparison. Besides, you can always buy a SUB 15 subwoofer. Or two.

The Trinity is a three-way active speaker with optional stands. The speaker is massive, very deep and high. It is available in two versions that differ in the drivers used:

• SEAS 27 TBC/G, 27mm metal dome tweeter + SEAS ER15RLY, 150mm mid-woofer + 260mm woofer, custom made for APS by SEAS.
• SEAS 27 TDC, 27mm soft-dome tweeter + SEAS ER15RLY mid-woofer + 260mm woofer, custom made for APS by SEAS.

A typical studio version is also available, with adjustable tweeter + midwoofer driver module to position the Trinity vertically or horizontally. The pair of Trinitys that came for a review were finished with genuine piano lacquer. The finish consists of eight layers of lacquer, each layer sanded before applying the next one. The whole process takes a week and APS contracts the specialists from Piano Renovation in Kalisz to do the work. Hence, this is not the ubiquitous paint finish that mimics the piano lacquer effect. As with all APS products, the Trinity is 100 percent made in Poland with 98 percent of components purchased in Europe. High design and finish quality is guaranteed by the manufacturer’s 7-year warranty. A pair of Trinitys in the basic black matte finish sells for 24,000 PLN. Other colors are available for an extra charge of 1000-2000 PLN / pair.
The speakers arrived with optional stands that are custom made by Ostoja. They can be ordered together with the Trinity and are available in any color.

The cabinet is made of thick MDF panels, braced inside with a vertical panel that separates electronics from the drivers and horizontal panel that forms the rear-facing vent. The pictures also show a Trinity version with round front-facing vents. The interior is very heavily damped with artificial wool, and the walls are covered with bitumen mats.
The electronic circuit is fully assembled on an aluminum board mounted to the rear of the speaker. Toggle switches, input connectors and input sensitivity knob are located outside, on the rear panel. Numerous control options are available, as listed below.

INPUT SENSIVITY - simply adjusts the volume level. Instead of a potentiometer, it uses an 8-position switch. Stepless volume control would not allow for precise volume level adjustment of both monitors, which is essential for the sound engineer, the more so as all APS monitors are pair matched with 0.3 dB accuracy across the whole frequency response. Rotary precision switches eliminate the problem of imprecise input sensitivity adjustment. The high quality switches used in the Trinity are imported directly from a manufacturer in South Korea.

EQUALIZER – tone control. The possible settings are +3dB/0/-3dB for each stated frequency. In practice, the +3dB or -3dB adjustment is achieved exactly at the selected frequency, with a gentle upward and downward slope of the filter.

MIDRANGE DIRECT - a simulation of a small radio speaker or computer speakers. Activating this option only leaves the midrange driver active, without any crossover. The midrange driver is mounted in its own enclosure.

WOOFER - after turning off the woofer, the Trinity turns to a small speaker system consisting of a midrange driver and tweeter. This combination has similar applications to those of the Midrange Direct described above.

There are two inputs available in a single Combo type connector that includes an XLR connector and a 6.3 mm stereo jack. Input impedance is relatively low (10 k Ω), which requires care with tube preamplifiers. After input buffers, the signal is sent either to the filters or "pass-through" (XLR) output. The active crossover and equalizer are mounted on a small board that is connected to a larger board that houses power amplifiers. The three amplifiers use 2SA14 transistors from Toshiba in push-pull mode. The transistors are mounted to an aluminum plate, which is in turn mounted to a plate at the speaker’s rear. All sections use a common power supply unit with a large toroidal transformer with several secondary windings. Passive components include lots of polypropylene capacitors from Wima and other manufacturers.