MusicRadar

• Manufacturer's Description

Manufacturer's description

The BX5a refines our highly acclaimed BX5 near-field reference monitors, renowned for packing a lot of punch for their size. Our new 5” low-frequency driver cones are crafted from Kevlar, an extremely resilient material typically found in much more expensive monitors. Curved cone design coupled with high-temperature voice coils and damped rubber surrounds deliver incredible fidelity and durability. The 1” high-frequency drivers’ magnetically shielded natural silk domes produce crisp top end while still being gentle on the ears. Integral cabinet and electronic engineering work together to deliver improved bass response. 70-watt bi-amped power and expertly tuned crossovers round out an incredible sounding pair of reference monitors with a footprint small enough to fit just about anywhere.

Kevlar drivers

M-Audio's new BX5a employs Kevlar for low-frequency driver construction. The same material used in bulletproof vests, Kevlar's high resilience makes it ideal for use in speaker cones—although it is typically reserved for monitors with higher price tags than the BX5a. Needless to say, Kevlar represents a significant improvement over the polypropylene and paper used in most monitors for this price.

Magnetically shielded for desktop use

Unchecked, the electromagnetic waves emanating from your speakers can wreak havoc with your computer's video monitor or a nearby TV. The BX5a is magnetically shielded so that all of your electronic equipment can coexist on your desktop without interference.

Bi-amplified efficiency

Active monitors have a distinct advantage over unpowered monitors, in that the built-in power amps are designed specifically to work with the drivers and crossovers in a tuned system. Bi-amplification further refines the concept by dedicating separate power amps to the highs and lows. Combined with a finely tuned crossover, this design insures that both the high- and low-frequency drivers are asked to deliver only the frequencies they are more efficient at reproducing.