Полочная акустика — PMC IB2S-AII

The IB2S-AII is a three-way active reference monitor from PMC, the British company whose full name is The Professional Monitor Company. PMC describes it as offering the attributes of its large ATL active reference monitors in a more compact single cabinet, aimed at professional users who work in stereo and surround and need high-end monitoring for reference and mastering work. It belongs to the studio side of the catalogue and is the newer generation of the IB2S active range.

Key specs that matter

Inside every cabinet sit a 250 mm (10 inch) piston bass driver with a carbon fibre and Nomex cone, a hand-built 75 mm soft dome midrange and a 34 mm soft dome high-frequency unit fitted with an acoustic radiator. Crossover frequencies are 380 Hz and 3.8 kHz. PMC quotes a response of 25 Hz to 25 kHz and a maximum SPL of 125 dB. Amplifier power per channel totals 2025 W, split as 1200 W RMS for the bass, 550 W RMS for the midrange and 275 W RMS for the tweeter. The bass line inside has an effective ATL length of 2.4 m. Each monitor is 745 mm high, 330 mm wide and 564 mm deep and weighs 46.5 kg.

Engineering and use context

The system is controlled by DSP and powered by class D amplifiers built for low distortion, and the amplification is housed in units that fit a standard equipment rack rather than inside the speaker. The drive units are made by hand at PMC. The connection panel offers balanced analogue main and LFE inputs, each with a through output, plus AES digital main and LFE inputs with through connections that accept signals up to 96 kHz and 24 bit. Analogue input sensitivity is adjustable from +4 dBu to +16 dBu, and a level trim covers 8 dB up or down. An RJ45-connected remote supplied with the system changes level trims, EQ and the choice between analogue and digital input from the listening position, and three stored presets let several engineers keep their own settings. PMC gives a 20-year warranty when the product is registered within 10 days of purchase.

Pairing

The pass-through outputs and separate LFE inputs let the IB2S-AII be chained with other monitors and a subwoofer feed in multichannel rooms, and dedicated vertical and horizontal centre channel versions exist for surround layouts. A digital console or interface can feed the AES input directly, while analogue desks connect through the balanced inputs. PMC offers purpose-built high-mass Studio Frame stands about 84 cm tall.

Alternatives

The PMC MB3-A is the larger active main monitor, with a 12 inch Radial woofer, 3225 W of amplification per channel and a maximum SPL of 126 dB.