Recording - October 2014 - 43
The subwoofer
The BM 9S II has a 240 mm (10") front-firing Magnesium
Silicate Polymer woofer with aluminum voice coil, covered by a
removable grille and powered by a 200 W amp. Its sealed cabinet is 11.4 x 11.4 x 11.8 inches in size; it's a dense, heavy
beast at nearly 20 pounds weight.
Rear panel connections include Left and Right Sat/Sub inputs
and outputs plus LFE/Slave input and output, all on balanced
XLR. The BM 9S II provides your bass management when the
Sat/Sub I/O are used; you run the full-bandwidth signal into the
subwoofer and then run cables from it to your satellites. In this
mode, there are controls for subwoofer phase inversion and lowpass filter cutoff as well as subwoofer gain. A Satellite highpass
filter switch can be set to flat, 60 Hz, or 80 Hz. The subwoofer
has its own lowpass filter with a continuously adjustable frequency from 50 to 150 Hz (the sub's frequency response is
rated from 29 Hz up to 250 Hz).
The LFE/Slave input and output let the subwoofer be controlled
from an external console or bass management box. You feed just
the low end to one speaker (which acts as a Master), then daisychain more subs as Slaves if that's desirable. Slave units don't
have phase or volume control, that's done from the Master unit;
this is preset with the LFE/Slave switch on the rear panel. The rear
panel's controls are rounded out with a Gain pot.
Rear-panel power switching and a 2-conductor IEC cable input
are down low and hard to reach, but that's okay; the BM 9S II is
always in a mode where it goes into low-power Standby after 15
to 20 minutes without audio input.
In use
The BM Compact mkIII is an attention-getting little speaker. On
my tests without the sub (with all settings flat), I was impressed
by their musical and clear midrange, with vocals and guitars
easy to hear in great detail, the sweet and non-hashy treble
whose sparkle didn't degenerate into harsh or brittle accentuation, and the polite, tight, detailed bass.
I loved the imaging, too. Stereo spread was wide without
being overexaggerated, it was easy to place where signals
were in the soundstage, and the speakers had a reasonably
wide sweet spot that would allow for multiple listeners to check
a mix without too much trouble. This speaker is quite forgiving
of less-than-rigid listener placement.
I played with the EQ settings and about the only one I was
tempted to leave on in my setup, which is a relatively clear area
mostly free of reflective surfaces and decently far from walls, was
a -2 dB setting in the LF Shelf when working with the subwoofer.
The +2 dB LF Shelf was a tempting tweak when using the small
speakers alone; while I ended up leaving the control flat for most
of my tests, you might enjoy the added bass bump, which feels
and sounds good without being obtrusive or obviously fake.
These speakers are real contenders in the crowded field of 6"
woofer nearfield monitors; I think Dynaudio Professional calls
them "compact" simply because there's a perception (that has
some credence to it) that this is as small as you can reasonably
get. A speaker with a woofer much smaller than this size is of
limited studio use unless you attach a subwoofer to handle the
lows. And speaking of which...
Adding the BM 9S II was a tricky proposition, not because there
was anything wrong with it as a speaker, but simply because it was
a subwoofer. In recent issues we've discussed the pitfalls of trying
to get a subwoofer to reinforce the low end of a speaker system in
an accurate way rather than merely giving "client boom"; you
have to move the speaker around to a good spot in the room, then
tweak its lowpass filter and the highpass filter on the satellites so
there's a nice smooth handoff from the satellites to the sub.
With Dynaudio's system, there are highpass filters on both the subwoofer and the satellites, with the same settings; if you set both to
identical frequencies, you could get a deeper notch at the crossover
frequency than if one or the other is set flat, depending on where the
sub's lowpass filter and gain are set. I got what sounded like the most
realistic results when I left the satellites flat and adjusted the gain and
the lowpass filter on the subwoofer to create a good-sounding blend
that wasn't overly bass-heavy. This is a two-person job that will take
some trial and error, with one person at the listening position while
the other turns both knobs in small increments, playing back wellknown tracks until they sound properly balanced.
Once this was done, the BM 9S II did what any subwoofer would ideally do in a setup like this: fill in the missing bass frequencies that the BM Compact mkIII simply
couldn't produce, for a fuller and more balanced sonic
image. By having it reinforce only the very lowest frequencies, which are difficult for the ear to localize, I was able to
minimize the effect of having the sub off center from my listening position so the stereo imaging was unaffected. The
overall result was a pleasing, rich, detailed listening experience that didn't leave me guessing as to what was going
on in the lowest lows while producing balanced, detailed
highs and mids. Could I mix on this setup? Happily!
Conclusions
In a marketplace where many manufacturers do their
best to convince buyers that they can dodge the laws of
physics and mix perfectly on tiny speakers without any
bass reinforcement (or at least cross checking), it's
good to see a speaker marketed as "compact" that may
be a bit bigger than the word normally might imply, but
which doesn't skimp on performance. The BM Compact
mkIII is a serious little speaker that will serve you well
as your studio grows, letting you hear what you have to with little or no fuss or hype. It's not as cheap as some other speakers
out there, but you get what you pay for in sound quality.
Adding the BM 9S II fills out the low end in a very smooth and
musical way that doesn't have to be overly hyped-unless you
want it to be, which can be fun. If I have any gripe with the BM
9S II, or with the satellite/subwoofer setup as a whole, it's that
there's no easy way to mute the sub to check what you're hearing without it, or to globally control the volumes of all three
speakers at once. To do that, you'll need a separate monitor
controller with bass management.
That aside, this is a sweet little system that will allow engineers to
track and mix with confidence in smaller rooms. Well done!
Prices: BM Compact mkIII (with ISO-L8R155 stand included),
$629.99 each; Volume Box, $69; BM 9S II subwoofer, $999.99
More from: Dynaudio Professional,
www.dynaudioprofessional.com
RECORDING October 2014
43
http://www.dynaudioprofessional.com
Recording - October 2014
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - October 2014
Contents
Recording - October 2014 - Intro
Recording - October 2014 - Cover1
Recording - October 2014 - Cover2
Recording - October 2014 - 1
Recording - October 2014 - 2
Recording - October 2014 - 3
Recording - October 2014 - 4
Recording - October 2014 - 5
Recording - October 2014 - Contents
Recording - October 2014 - 7
Recording - October 2014 - 8
Recording - October 2014 - 9
Recording - October 2014 - 10
Recording - October 2014 - 11
Recording - October 2014 - 12
Recording - October 2014 - 13
Recording - October 2014 - 14
Recording - October 2014 - 15
Recording - October 2014 - 16
Recording - October 2014 - 17
Recording - October 2014 - 18
Recording - October 2014 - 19
Recording - October 2014 - 20
Recording - October 2014 - 21
Recording - October 2014 - 22
Recording - October 2014 - 23
Recording - October 2014 - 24
Recording - October 2014 - 25
Recording - October 2014 - 26
Recording - October 2014 - 27
Recording - October 2014 - 28
Recording - October 2014 - 29
Recording - October 2014 - 30
Recording - October 2014 - 31
Recording - October 2014 - 32
Recording - October 2014 - 33
Recording - October 2014 - 34
Recording - October 2014 - 35
Recording - October 2014 - 36
Recording - October 2014 - 37
Recording - October 2014 - 38
Recording - October 2014 - 39
Recording - October 2014 - 40
Recording - October 2014 - 41
Recording - October 2014 - 42
Recording - October 2014 - 43
Recording - October 2014 - 44
Recording - October 2014 - 45
Recording - October 2014 - 46
Recording - October 2014 - 47
Recording - October 2014 - 48
Recording - October 2014 - 49
Recording - October 2014 - 50
Recording - October 2014 - 51
Recording - October 2014 - 52
Recording - October 2014 - 53
Recording - October 2014 - 54
Recording - October 2014 - 55
Recording - October 2014 - 56
Recording - October 2014 - 57
Recording - October 2014 - 58
Recording - October 2014 - 59
Recording - October 2014 - 60
Recording - October 2014 - 61
Recording - October 2014 - 62
Recording - October 2014 - 63
Recording - October 2014 - 64
Recording - October 2014 - 65
Recording - October 2014 - 66
Recording - October 2014 - 67
Recording - October 2014 - 68
Recording - October 2014 - 69
Recording - October 2014 - 70
Recording - October 2014 - 71
Recording - October 2014 - 72
Recording - October 2014 - 73
Recording - October 2014 - 74
Recording - October 2014 - 75
Recording - October 2014 - 76
Recording - October 2014 - 77
Recording - October 2014 - 78
Recording - October 2014 - 79
Recording - October 2014 - 80
Recording - October 2014 - Cover3
Recording - October 2014 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202502
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202501
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202412
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202411
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202410
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202409
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202408
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202407
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202406
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202405
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202404
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202403
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202402
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202401
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202312
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording-november-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202310
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202309
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202308
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202307
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202306
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202305
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202304
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202303
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202302
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202301
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202212
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202211
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202210
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202209
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202208
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202207
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202206
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202205
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202204
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202203
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202202
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202201
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202112
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202111
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202110
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202109
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202108
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202107
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202106
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202105
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202104
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202103
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202102
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202101
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202012
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202011
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202010
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202009
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202008
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202007
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202006
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_20205
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202004
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202003
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202002
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202001
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201912
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201911
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201910
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201909
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201908
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201907
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201906
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201905
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201904
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201903
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201902
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201901
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201812
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201811
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201810
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201809
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201808
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201807
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201806
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201805
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201804
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201803
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201802
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201801
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201712
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201711
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201710
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201709
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201707
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201706
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201705
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201704
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201703
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201702
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201701
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201612
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201611
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201610
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201609
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201608
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201606
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201605
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201604
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201603
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201602
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201601
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201512
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201511
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201510
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201509
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201508
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201507
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201505
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201504
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201503
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201502
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201501
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201412
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201411
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201410
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201409
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201408
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201407
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201406
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201405
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201404
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201403
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201402
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201401
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201312
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201311
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201310
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201309
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201308
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201307
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201306
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201305
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201303
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201302
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201301
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201212
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201211
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201210
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201209
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201208
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201207
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201206
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201205
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201204
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201203
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201202
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201201
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201111
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201110
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201109
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201108
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201107
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201106
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201105
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201104
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201103
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201101
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201012
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201010
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201009
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201008
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201007
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201006
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201005
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201004
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201003
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201002
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201001
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_200912
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_200911
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_200910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/nxtd
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com