Напольная акустика — Backes & Müller BMLine 80

The BMLine 80 is an active column loudspeaker built by Backes & Müller of Saarbrücken, Germany, a company founded in 1973 that makes its drivers by hand in its own facility. It shares the design approach of the larger BMLine 100 in a smaller cabinet and was priced from EUR 205,000 per pair. In the BMLine range it is placed second from the top, between the BMLine 100 and the BMLine 60, with the BMLine 50, BMLine 35 and BMLine 12 further down.

Key specs that matter

Each speaker combines six 21 cm woofers with carbon diaphragms and a Fraunhofer line radiator for the high range, a vertical slot horn. The woofer group is driven by its own 1,000 W amplifier module and the high-frequency section by a 300 W amplifier, so each cabinet carries more than 1,300 W of built-in power. The published frequency response reaches from 22 Hz to 24,000 Hz within 3 dB. The cabinet is 100 cm wide, 210 cm high and 105 cm deep, and one unit weighs about 180 kg.

Engineering and use context

Backes & Müller describes the BMLine 80 as a fully active two-way hybrid, combining horn loading for the upper range with a bass reflex alignment for the woofers. The cylindrical wave radiator and the vertical horn are arranged coaxially with the woofer array, so the whole column acts as one line source. The woofers run under DMC, the brand's diaphragm regulation that feeds cone motion back to the amplifier. Signal processing is handled by FIRTEC, a digital processor with 24-bit and 192 kHz AD and DA conversion that also forms the crossover. The system offers a Distance Shift function and a subwoofer mode, and six adjustable filters are provided in the processor. Assembly is carried out in Saarbrücken, and the standard warranty of two years is extended to four years after registration. As with other models of the series, the owner never has to choose an amplifier, since every driver group already has its own.

Pairing

Signal can enter through a balanced analog XLR input or a digital AES3 input. A preamp fitted with XLR outputs, or a digital player with an AES3 output, covers the connection, and no external power amplifier is required. Given the height of 2.1 m and the weight per unit, the path from the entrance to the listening position and the floor load should be checked before delivery.

Alternatives

The Backes & Müller BMLine 60 is the next active floorstander below it in the same line, listed at about EUR 120,000 per pair.