Напольная акустика — PMC BB5 XBD-A SE

The BB5 XBD-A SE is a twin-cabinet active loudspeaker in the SE (special edition) home range of PMC, the British maker of studio monitors, and is derived from the professional BB5 XBD-A used in recording and mastering rooms. It is offered only in active form, because PMC states that the power output it needs cannot be delivered in a passive configuration. PMC says its range extends further than that of any other speaker the company makes. The US list price is USD 199,999 per pair.

Key specs that matter

Every channel pairs two PMC 380 mm (15 inch) Radial bass drivers, one per cabinet, with the PMC75 75 mm fabric dome midrange and the PMC34 34 mm soft dome tweeter, so a pair uses four of the large Radial units. Crossover points are 380 Hz and 3.8 kHz, and the rated response is 17 Hz to 25 kHz. Two transmission lines, each 4 m in effective length, load the bass drivers. Amplification per channel is split as 2 x 900 W for the bass, 300 W for the midrange and 300 W for the tweeter, housed separately from the cabinets. The complete stack measures 2080 mm high, 432 mm wide and 790 mm deep and weighs 136 kg.

Engineering and use context

Compared with the single-cabinet BB5 SE, the second bass cabinet adds 3 dB of low-frequency headroom. In the active SE systems PMC matches its own amplifiers and active crossovers to each model and couples them directly to the drive units rather than through a passive network. The tweeter was created for the power handling of these active versions, and PMC spent 18 months on its acoustic lens alone. The midrange dome sits in a profiled dispersion flange machined from a solid aluminium billet, and every SE driver carries a soft-feel Nextel coating. Inside, the ATL cabinets are heavily braced, and custom acoustic linings soak up everything except the deepest bass, which exits through a vent on the front panel. SE cabinets come in four hand-selected veneers - Jet Black, Natural Oak, Amarone and Grand Walnut - and PMC gives a 20-year warranty when the purchase is registered within 10 days.

Pairing

Signal and power links use professional Neutrik NL8 and NL4 connectors, with a balanced analogue XLR input for the source. A preamplifier or streamer with a balanced variable output completes the system. The electronics sit in stand-alone amplifier units beside the speakers, so space for them has to be planned next to each tower.

Alternatives

The PMC MB3 XBD-A is a smaller twin-cabinet active tower from the studio range, using 12 inch Radial drivers and standing 1740 mm tall.