M-Audio BX5 D3 Active Studio Monitor

When you look at purchasing a studio monitor, you need to be certain that it can produce an incredibly accurate representation of your recording, with a flat frequency response and minimal distortion levels - it needs to be brutally honest in letting you know exactly what's present or missing from your recording. On that front, M-Audio have got it nailed with their new BX5D3 Studio Monitor.

The Rightful Successor to the original Studio Icon

Being at the heart & soul of a monitor's performance, it's imperative that the drivers are of the highest quality. The drivers on the BX5D3 are of the highest quality, utilising premium grade materials, design and construction to deliver the best performance that you could want.

M-Audio BX5D3 Highlights

• Industry-leading 100w Class A/B bi-amp
• Computer-Optimised Waveguide
• Positioning LED
• Smooth front panel
• 5" Kevlar woofer with damped rubber surround, 1" natural silk dome tweeter
• Internally flared rear port
• XLR and 1/4" TRS/TS inputs
• Accoustic Space Control

A Monitor Is Only As Good As Its Drivers

For the low-end and midrange frequencies, there's a rigid and lightweight 5-inch woofer that's constructed from military-grade Kevlar, ensuring an outstanding transient response whilst eliminating "cone breakup".

For the top-end frequencies, the BX5D3 is home to a treated silk dome tweeter, which delivers the perfect combination of low mass, and the absence of audible resonances that plague more conventional tweeters. The BX5D3's tweeter is mounted in a custom waveguide, designed spceifically to eliminate unwanted high-frequency "scatter" on a soundstage that remains consistently wide and stable.

These two drivers work together in the delivery of critical detail, nuance and dynamic accuracy, making sure that your mixes have all of the veracity and transparency that you need.

Excellent Enclosure

Every level of detail on the BX5D3 has been meticulously designed and engineered with the simple goal of facilitating the freedom to mix with confidence. The BX5D3 comes complete with a rear-mounted bass port to offer a deep, defined bass response with maximum bass extension and resolution, and when combined with a smoothly-flared port, the BX5D3 allows you to notice a marked reduction in the audibly-intrusive air turbulence that you would usually get when playing bass frequencies back at high SPLs.

Even that iconic M-Audio studio-monitor "Keyhole" design serves a purpose: this special "fastnerless" design ensures that that are no driver attachment screw heads present to intefere with any of the sound coming from your drivers.

However, my personal favourite feature on the enclosure would have to be the front-mounted positioning LED, which shines brightly when you're located in the perfect listening spot, making sure you receive the most accurate playback experience! This allows for seamless setup and easy-location of the optimum listening position, making your experience that little bit more palatable.

Industry-Leading, High-Current, High-Headroom Bi-Amp

The BX5D3 is home to an incredible Class A/B Bi-Amp system which powers both the woofer and tweeter separately - each is optimised for the specific frequency range it handles, and is engineered to compleiment the characteristics of its companion driver. The specially engineered, precision-tuned corssover point guarantees that each driver will only handle the frequencies that they produce most efficiently, resulting in a sound that's cohesive across the entire frequency spectrum. If that wasn't enough for you, the bi-amp design is also a far more efficient and accurate way to power a loudspeacker than using a single full-range amp to drive multiple driver elements.

Tailor-Made Sound

The BX5D3 always offers you a sonically-true experience, with reassuringly-accurate sound reproduction, thanks to the incredible Acoustic Space control. This control offers you a precise adjustment of the monitor's sound output in line with your studio space, allowing you to custom tailor your sound to your environment.

M-Audio BX5D3 Technical Specs

• Type: 2-Way near-field studio reference monitor
• Low Freq Driver: 5" Kevlar curved cone with high temperature voice coil and damped rubber surround. Magnetically shielded
• High Freq Driver: 1" magnetically shielded natural silk dome
• Freq Response: 52 Hz - 35 kHz
• Crossover Freq: 2.5 kHz
• Low Freq Amp Power: 60w
• High Freq Amp Power: 40w
• Max Peak SPL: 110dB SPL - full bandwidth pink noise measured
• Input Sensitivity: -10dBU
• Input Connectors: 1 x XLR Balanced Input Connector, 1 x TRS balanced / unbalanced input connector
• Input Impedance: 10kOhm balanced, 20kOhm unbalanced
• Polarity: Positive signal at + input produced outward LF cone displacement
• Protection: RF interference, output current limiting, over temperature, turn on/off transient, subsonic filter, external mains fuse
• Cabinet: Vinyl-laminated high-acoustic-effiency MDF
• Dimensions: 6.9" (W) x .7.8" (D) x 10" (H)
• Weight: 5.6kg (12.3lbs)