Bookshelf Speakers — PMC BB6-A

PMC builds the BB6-A as a powered three-way studio reference speaker. The British studio and home speaker maker designed it to follow the BB5, a design PMC credits with 25 years of use in professional rooms. It keeps the older model's Radial bass driver, frequency range and output capability, and adds PMC's own Class-D amplification with DSP control. The company lists it for larger recording, mixing, mastering and outside broadcast facilities, where it can stand on its own or be built into a soffit wall.

Key specs that matter

BB6-A drivers comprise a PMC 380 mm (15 inch) Radial woofer, a hand-built 75 mm soft-dome midrange and a 34 mm soft dome for the top octaves, which PMC pairs with an acoustic radiator. Crossover points are 380 Hz and 3.8 kHz. The published response is 17 Hz to 25 kHz, and maximum output reaches 128 dB at 1 m. Each channel draws on 3225 W in total, split as 2400 W rms for the woofer, 550 W rms for the midrange and 275 W rms for the treble. The woofer is loaded by PMC's Advanced Transmission Line, 4 m long in effective terms. Signal enters through an AES3 digital connection at 24-bit and 96 kHz, input sensitivity can be set from +4 to +20 dBu, and balanced input impedance is 20 kOhm. The cabinet is 1040 mm tall, 432 mm wide and 790 mm deep, and one speaker weighs 73 kg.

Engineering and use context

PMC states that soffit mounting is optional, because the transmission line already gives enough low-frequency output without the gain a wall mount would add. For the same reason the maker does not treat subwoofers as necessary, since the BB6-A covers the 20 to 60 Hz region with headroom to spare. Multichannel content is handled through dedicated PointOne LFE inputs on each Power 1200 amplifier, so the film or music LFE channel can be routed into the main speakers. A separate BB6-C-A centre model exists for surround layouts, and the speaker can also be set up vertically as a tower. Registering the product within 10 days of purchase gives a 20-year warranty.

Pairing

Because the amplification and crossover come with the system, the BB6-A needs only a digital source or controller with an AES3 output and a level control ahead of it. The adjustable input sensitivity helps match studio consoles and monitor controllers running at different reference levels, and the depth of almost 80 cm plus the weight call for a solid stand or a purpose-built soffit.

Alternatives

The PMC MB3-A is a smaller three-way active monitor with a 12 inch Radial bass driver, 870 mm tall and rated to 126 dB.