Напольная акустика — Westlake Reference TM-3

The Reference TM-3 is a three-way, high-power reference monitor from Westlake Audio, based in Thousand Oaks, California, and forms part of the company's Reference series with the HR-1 and the SM-1. Westlake designed it for large control rooms that need wide bandwidth, high power handling, broad dispersion and reliable operation. Its horns are made of hardwood, which gives the front of the cabinet a finished look, and Westlake has listed the TM-3 together with its MRX-2 active crossover.

Key specs that matter

Westlake fits one 15-inch woofer, a horn-loaded 2-inch compression driver for the midrange and a 1-inch compression unit, also on a horn, for the treble. The crossover splits the signal at 800 Hz and 4.5 kHz. Response is rated from 44 Hz to 20 kHz within plus or minus 3 dB, and sensitivity reaches 99 dB referenced to 2.83 V at a distance of 1 m. Nominal impedance measures 4 ohm and the minimum is 2 ohm. Following IEC practice, Westlake gives 300 W as the short-term rating and 900 W as the long-term one. The box is 76.2 x 111.7 x 50.8 cm, taking height first, and weighs about 176 kg. Black is the standard finish, and the warranty covers one year.

Engineering and use context

Compression drivers on horns cover everything above the lower crossover, which is how the TM-3 reaches high output with only three drivers per side. The cabinet shares its outside dimensions with the HR-1 but drops that model's 10-inch midrange cone, so the woofer hands directly to the 2-inch horn device, and its bass extension does not reach as deep as that of the HR-1. The enclosure is much wider than tall, a horizontal format meant for a control room front wall, and input is taken through a heavy-duty barrier strip. The MRX-2 is a two-way active unit, so with it the woofer and the horn section can each be driven from their own amplifier channel.

Pairing

The low minimum impedance rules out amplifiers that cannot hold up into low loads, and Westlake notes that its speakers should be driven by designs that handle low impedance without limiting. For owners who keep the internal network, the company favours passive bi-amping. High sensitivity means large studio amplifiers within the rated power window will rarely be pushed hard, and Westlake stresses that clipping must be avoided even though brief overloads of two to three times rated power can be absorbed.

Alternatives

The Westlake Reference HR-1 uses the same cabinet size in a four-way layout, adding a 10-inch midrange cone and a second 15-inch woofer.