Floorstanding loudspeakers — PMC MB2 XBD-A SE

The PMC MB2 XBD-A SE is a large active floorstanding loudspeaker drawn from PMC's studio monitor range and aimed at demanding rooms rather than a typical home installation. PMC started out in professional recording and mastering studios, and this model brings that monitor engineering into a domestic, if unusually large, product. Among PMC's active models it sits below the BB5 XBD-A SE, yet it remains one of the largest and most powerful designs the brand makes.

Key specs that matter

Quoted bandwidth spans 20 Hz to 25 kHz, so the cabinet covers the full audible range down to the lowest octave without a subwoofer. Built-in amplification is split into three channels rated at 150, 150 and 900 W. Each cabinet measures 174.0 x 38.0 x 53.5 cm and weighs 116 kg, which puts it at studio monitor scale rather than among ordinary domestic towers.

Engineering and use context

The three amplifier channels each drive their own frequency band, so the speaker is tri-amplified rather than relying on a passive crossover between one amplifier and the drivers. The design brief is accuracy and headroom at professional monitoring levels, not a consumer voicing. Its size and weight mean the room and floor have to suit a cabinet of this mass.

Pairing

With its amplifiers housed inside the cabinet, the MB2 XBD-A SE does without an outboard power amp. Each speaker takes its signal straight from a line-level source or a studio monitor controller, which takes the choice of power amplifier out of the system entirely.

Alternatives

The PMC ACTIVE twenty5.23i is an active floorstanding speaker on a domestic rather than studio scale and weight.