Currently touring their album A Different Kind Of Fix, British indie folk rockers Bombay Bicycle Club are playing to sold-out venues throughout the UK. Band monitor engineer Dan Hermouet seized the chance try out some APG SMX15 stage monitors…

‘I was specifically looking for a wedge monitor that would work with our in-ear monitors,’ he explains. ‘The band enjoy using their in-ears but we all agreed that it would be great if we could find something to supplement the IEMs so that they could benefit from the physical sensations on stage that you only get with a wedge monitor.’

He took three pairs of APG SMX15 wedges on the tour, using one for each guitarist and one as a listener: ‘I had several occasions to compare the SMX15s with monitors from other brands, and I have to say that on the whole they compared very favorably,’ he reports. ‘There is a stronger, more defined bottom end to the SMX15 which gives an impression of extra power. A similar product from a different manufacturer had a stronger presence between 4kHz Hzand 5k at the same level, which would turn into feedback. As a result, I found the SMX15 was a better tool to use in combination with IEMs. Performers looking for drive from the wedges combined with transparency from the IEM won’t be disappointed – the SMX15s delivered every time.

‘I also liked that they were lighter than similar wedges from competing brands, and the design of the cabinet offering five possible angles makes the SMX15 very versatile,’ he adds. ‘Our support band, Dry River, used them on all their shows in a traditional monitor configuration, and were delighted with them from the outset.’

More: www.apg.tm.fr