Most folks who don’t listen to their computers and tablets through headphones usually shop for speakers that will fit on their desktop, fit their budget, and, hopefully if the first two criteria are met, look half decent. Then there are those audiophiles and pro music mixers who have but one requirement: superior sound quality. If you are one of the three-criteria majority then you might not be interested in the M3XE and DBM50. And these are what?
Earlier this year, Dynaudio Professional unveiled two sets of speakers at the NAB 2012 show held in the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada. Displayed for the first time in the US, the M3XE main monitors and the DBM50 desktop monitors employ some unique technologies to deliver audiophile-quality performance. Oh yeah, they look very cool as well.
The M3XE main monitoring system was launched in observation and celebration of the company’s 20th anniversary. It pairs Dynaudio’s proprietary driver and cabinet technology with signal processing and amplification from Lab.gruppen, Lake, and TC Electronic. The system specs a frequency response from 20 Hz to 25 kHz and is capable of delivering a sound-pressure level (SPL) greater than 133 dB.
The M3XE main monitoring system comes in pairs with two Lab.gruppen power amps.
Other features include two 12-in. ESOTAR woofers with aluminum voice coils, two 6-in. midrange drivers, a 1.1-in. ESOTAR soft-dome tweeter with aluminum voice coil, and heavy internal damping for minimum cabinet resonance. The system measures 555 mm (W) x 775 mm (H) x 505 mm (D) and weighs 143 lbs., not exactly a featherweight system for ‘lightweight’ users.
Taking the Best in Show Award at NAB 2012, the DBM50 two-way, active nearfield desktop monitors employ handcrafted Dynaudio drivers and are designed specifically to accurately reproduce desktop mixes, making them highly desirable for editing apps at broadcast facilities. One DBM50 packs a 7.1-in. woofer and a 1.1-in. soft dome tweeter. Specifications include a frequency response of 46 Hz to 21 kHz (±3 dB), a maximum SPL per pair at 1m (IEC Short Term) of 117 dB peak, a power rating of 50W (woofer and tweeter), and a resonant frequency of 39 Hz.
NAB 2012’s Best in Show winner, the DBM50 is a two-way, active nearfield desktop monitor sporting impressive specs.
Okay, both systems fit on desktops and they are really good looking, now, about that budget. Price for the DBM50 is $499 each, meaning a pair will run you about $998, and the M3EX is sold as a pair including two Lab-gruppen amps for $34,800. Having had a chance to both listen to and do some mixing with both systems, they do merit those price tags. I would’ve bought a pair of M3EXs for myself, but I tipped a cab driver more than the retail price and was short on cash. ~MD