M-Audio BX5 D2 Active Studio Monitor Speaker (Pair)

The M-Audio BX5 D2 refers to a specific model of active studio monitors from M-Audio’s popular BX series. These are designed for accurate sound reproduction in home and project studios for tasks like music production, mixing, and mastering. “Active” means they have their own built-in amplifiers, so you don’t need a separate power amplifier.

Key Features and Highlights:

• 5-inch Low-Frequency Driver: Features a 5-inch woofer made of woven Kevlar. Kevlar is chosen for its rigidity, light weight, and excellent damping properties, which help to produce tight, accurate bass response and minimize distortion. The cone has a curved conical design for improved room dispersion.
• 1-inch High-Frequency Driver: Equipped with a 1-inch silk dome tweeter. Silk domes are favored for their smooth, natural high-frequency response, avoiding the harshness that can sometimes be associated with metallic tweeters.
• Bi-Amplified Design: The “Bi-Amped” design means that there are separate, dedicated power amplifiers for the low-frequency (woofer) and high-frequency (tweeter) drivers.
  • Total Power: 70 watts of distributed Class A/B power (40 watts for the LF driver, 30 watts for the HF driver). This provides efficient power delivery and ample headroom for dynamic mixes.
  • Optimized Crossover: A finely tuned crossover (at 3 kHz) ensures that each driver receives only the frequencies it’s most efficient at reproducing, resulting in cohesive sound across the entire frequency spectrum.
• Rear-Ported Cabinet Design: The cabinet features a custom rear-firing bass port. This design helps to extend the low-frequency response, adding punch and clarity to the bass while minimizing air turbulence and distortion. The cabinet itself is made from vinyl-laminated MDF with rounded corners to reduce edge diffraction and improve imaging.
• Waveguide-Loaded Tweeter: The tweeter is integrated with a waveguide, which helps to optimize dispersion, leading to a wider “sweet spot” (the ideal listening position where the stereo image is most accurate) and improved stereo imaging.
• Inputs:
  • XLR Balanced Input: For connecting to professional audio interfaces or mixers with balanced XLR outputs.
  • 1/4″ TRS Balanced/Unbalanced Input: This versatile jack can accept both balanced (TRS) and unbalanced (TS) signals, allowing connection to a wide range of audio sources.
• Volume Control: A volume knob on the rear panel allows you to adjust the input gain.
• Magnetic Shielding: The speakers are magnetically shielded, which prevents interference when placed near older CRT monitors or other sensitive electronic equipment (less critical with modern LCD/LED displays).
• Protection Circuitry: Includes protection against RF interference, output current limiting, over-temperature, turn-on/off transients, and a subsonic filter to protect the drivers.
• Frequency Response: Typically quoted as 53 Hz to 22 kHz (though some sources state 56Hz-22kHz). This range is good for general mixing and music production, though for very deep bass analysis (e.g., electronic music), you might still want a subwoofer.
• SPL: Maximum Sound Pressure Level (SPL) is around 90 dBA at one meter.

Who was the M-Audio BX5 D2 for?

• Home Studio Owners: Providing a significant upgrade over consumer-grade speakers for mixing and music production.
• Aspiring Producers/Engineers: Offering a more accurate listening environment to make better mixing decisions.
• Musicians: For practicing with backing tracks or refining recorded parts.
• Content Creators: For editing audio for videos, podcasts, and streams.