Dynaudio BM15 Passive Near/Mid-Field Monitors-
Background:
Those of you who aren’t familiar with Dynaudio and their line of
high-end personal and professional loudspeakers have probably been in a
coma for 20 years or just got thawed out from the last ice age.
However, in case you aren’t overly familiar with them, here’s a little
bit of history. Dynaudio is a Danish company who has been turning out
seriously top-end speakers for nearly 30 years. Despite their
upbringings in the dollar-driven consumer electronics industry,
Dynaudio has been consistently striving to make great speakers, not
just speakers that market well. Of course, their attention to detail
and eye for quality eventually led them to manufacturing their own line
of drivers instead of using OEM drivers. Now, major speaker
manufacturers around the world rely on Dynaudio to provide them with
OEM drivers for their high-end loudspeaker systems.
In 1999, Dynaudio partnered with market giant TC Electronics to begin
distributing pro-audio lines of loudspeakers. Currently, Dynaudio
manufactures an entire line of main (far-field), mid-field and
near-field monitors. Many of their offerings come in both active and
passive versions. All of their monitors use drivers designed and
manufactured in-house as well as custom cabinets and crossovers.
The Fun Stuff:
The specifications of a loudspeaker are what really get most people
excited about going and actually listening to a speaker (and hopefully
not what they use as a basis for purchasing them). Of course, specs are
only one (very) small part of the big picture. On paper, these monitors
look next to impossible to beat. The question is, can they hold up in
the real world?
The monitors in question here are the BM15, not to be mistaken with the
BM15A, which is their active twin brother that includes built-in
amplification making the system a fully active monitoring system. Why
did I choose the passive versions you ask? Simple – I have good
amplifiers and the built in amplifier provides me no benefit. I like
the capability to mate a loudspeaker or monitor with the amplifier of
my choosing. For this review, I chose the Hafler PA3000 and a Rotel
RMB-1075. I don’t want to hash out the advantages of active versus
passive monitors here, but I’ll simply state that my preference is
almost always on the side of passives. Often, their crossovers are
lower, more phase-friendly slopes and an outboard amplifier is
specifically designed by an amplifier manufacturer, not by a speaker
company who is trying to squeeze as much juice into a small package as
possible. One other bonus is that if an amplifier were to “blow,” one
could simply plug a passive monitor into a different amp; active
monitors would require service or replacement in such a case.
The BM15, as rated by Dynaudio Acoustics is a 2-way, passive
near/mid-field monitor with a 28mm Esotec ™ tweeter and a 24 cm
(approximately 10 inch) bass driver. The crossover uses a gentle,
phase-friendly first-order (6dB/octave) slope centered at 2700 Hz. The
tweeter uses a slightly more aggressive but still somewhat
phase-friendly 2nd order (12 dB/octave) slope also centered at 2700 Hz.
This frequency is just high enough to put any phase anomalies outside
the critical mid-range. One concern I had just by looking at the specs
however was the high-frequency demands on the 10-inch driver. If I
monitor with peaks of 105 dB in the range around the crossover, I could
potentially be asking the driver to produce 5500 Hz tones at 99 dB.
This can cause lesser “large” drivers to seize in a heartbeat. I would
hardly consider this driver to be a lesser driver though considering
its massive 4-inch voice coil and oversized magnet.
Frequency response is rated at a respectable 43-20,000 Hz but
unfortunately there is no tolerance specified. The sensitivity is rated
at 88 dB / watt and impedance at 4 ohms but dips below 3 ohms
frequently so a stable, high-current amplifier is strongly recommended.
Included in the packaging are foam plugs that Dynaudio Acoustics
recommends to be placed in the front-venting port, especially when
closely mounted near a boundary that would exaggerate bass frequencies.
The plugs extend the low frequency of the monitors but smooth it out a
bit. They also reduce the monitor’s total maximum output to a decibel
or two less than the incredibly impressive 127 dB (specified at 1
meter) as stated for the ported configuration.
The Goods:
Besides microphones, monitors are perhaps the most difficult pieces of
gear to review objectively. Preamps, mixers, and effects all have
quantifiable features that can make or break a unit. Monitors, on the
other hand, can have all the features in the world, but it ALL boils
down to the sound and nothing else. In the case of these monitors, I’ll
spare you all the suspense – they sound fantastic. My initial
impression of these monitors was less than stellar. Upon receiving
them, I impatiently unpacked them and set them up on 38-inch stands
immediately sending musical programming to them. My first sentiments
were – “Ouch, these are a tad harsh.” Then, I did Dynaudio the courtesy
of reading the instructions in which they strongly recommend a 100-hour
break in period. I’m not a very patient person, but I know when I
should do what I’m told. So, I generated a pink noise clip, looped it
and let it play through the monitors for 4 whole days. The signal
output for this break-in session was measured at 85 db, C-weighted at 1
meter with both speakers operating. Needless to say, it was not fun to
run in and out of the studio while they were breaking in.
After the break in, I decided to let the speakers cool down for a few
hours. During their cool-down time, I decided to play with placement
and put them roughly where most of my speakers sound good. The normal
placement puts the speakers in an equilateral triangle with the
listener at a distance of roughly 3 and one half feet. What I found is
that, at this distance, these monitors are simply overpowering at
virtually any amplitude. By expanding the equilateral triangle by
roughly 2 feet in every direction, I immediately got a full, wide and
open soundstage without the hint of overpowering.
When I next sat down at the mix position and fired up the little
beauties, I simply couldn’t believe my ears. What emerged was some of
the smoothest, most liquid, undistorted and uncolored sound I’ve ever
heard pour out of a pair of wooden boxes. Regardless of monitoring
level, this system had a consistent sound; they simply sounded
stunning.
At this point in a monitor or loudspeaker review, I would normally
resort to giving examples of the sound quality based on
industry-standard recordings and use terms like “warm,” “full,”
“smooth” and so-on. In this case, I don’t feel as though these overly
used buzzwords will accurately describe what I’ve encountered from my
brief stint with these monitors. In a word, these monitors are accurate
– plain and simple. Playing orchestral recording that I have done
through these monitors simultaneously allowed me to hear the
performance as I heard it live as well as to hear minute issues with
microphone placement and level adjustment that could now be easily
fixed. The linearity of these speakers is in a word awe-inspiring, and
I have yet to hear a pair of monitors in this price range that could
even come close to rivaling their clarity and accuracy.
Any concerns I had in regards to the crossover frequency and
first-order crossover were easily squashed upon listening to my first
few discs. Many orchestral and jazz works actually have quite a bit of
active music in the frequency range surrounding the crossover points on
this system. At no point, did I hear any dips in frequency, driver
distortions or any other abnormalities due to crossover issues. As I
mentioned above, when monitoring at louder decibels it’s usually quite
easy to spot these deficiencies. Simply put, I could not get these
speakers to flinch until I drove them past the level of sanity (i.e.
peaks beyond 120 dB!)
One thing that got me excited about these monitors before even
receiving them was their potential for bass response. With the larger
woofer and cabinet volume to support it, these little Danish beauties
really have the potential to move some air. My expectations were,
needless to say quite high, especially considering I am quite familiar
with Dynaudio’s hi-fi speakers and know full well what they are capable
of. Without a doubt, my expectations were met
and exceeded. With the port engaged (not plugged), these speakers are
capable of playing all but the very lowest half octave of notes with
quite a bit of authority. The remaining notes are there, just not at a
usable monitoring level. Essentially, with good placement, I was able
to get 30 Hz tones from this system at no lower than –3 dB from a
reference 1kHz tone which definitely lends credence to their published
specifications. With the ports plugged, the speakers did in fact reach
a tad lower, but the overall output of the lower frequencies was a
little subdued. These plugs would be great in a situation where you
need to place the speakers close to a rear or side wall.
Of course, having ample amounts of bass is not the telltale sign of a
quality monitor. How it handles these tones musically is another matter
altogether. I have just the recording to test out the musicality of a
systems bass driver – string bass choir. Yep, you heard (err, read) it
right, string bass choir. A local university put on an hour concert
highlighting their basses, and what copious basses they have! From
pizzicato bass to bowed to amplified acoustics, this recording has it
all (except high-frequencies). Most subwoofers get drowned in murkiness
with this kind of woofer-fodder and many “mini-monitors” simply won’t
even attempt it. Giving credit where credit is due, this system did a
very respectable job of dancing through these tracks, not getting
bogged down by the supreme lowness and reproducing all the tones in a
musical, non-bloated fashion. Again, the absolute lowest of the notes
didn’t register with quite the authority of a full-range system, but to
get much more, you would have to go with far larger speakers or far
more expensive ones (or both).
Now, let’s move on to the little brother of the woofer – the tweeter.
In this particular case, Dynaudio uses their trademarked “Esotec”
tweeter. It is a soft dome tweeter with an oversized magnet structure.
Traditionally, the two main types of piston-derived tweeters are either
soft-dome (made from materials such as silk, polypropylene or paper) or
metallic (from such materials as aluminum or titanium). Both types have
their advantages and disadvantages. Soft domes are said to be less
fatiguing but supposedly roll off their highest frequencies. Metallic
tweeters are typically more linear, but brighter or more fatiguing. In
this particular case, Dynaudio’s use of a soft-dome system is wise. I
noticed no roll-off at any frequency and the speakers never once became
fatiguing, even after several hours of listening. As well, these
speakers also display no problem in remaining linear. In fact, their
high-frequency extension and accuracy is a model by which other monitor
manufacturers should design. Once again, resorting to some of my
orchestral recordings to find music that would be downright abusive to
any monitoring systems, particularly at higher system volumes, I threw
a large operatic production that I am currently working on into the CD
player. With a mass choir of over 200 individuals and a full, 100-piece
orchestra and pipe organ, this recording has in many cases shown the
absolute weakness in lesser systems. The high-frequency imaging and
depth are quick to fall apart in many cases. Once again, I was truly
amazed; the depth of image and the breadth of the soundstage portrayed
by the Dynaudios was astounding. What I recorded and the image that I
had hoped to portray was definitely in tact. In fact, sitting in my mix
position trying to use my critical ears was quite difficult. I found
myself at many times putting down my notepad and simply listening for
the sheer enjoyment.
The Breakdown:
Dynaudio once again has a fantastic loudspeaker on their hands. The
BM15 is as accurate a speaker as I’ve heard in quite some time.
Shedding the adage that an accurate speaker must also be clinical, the
Dynaudio is actually quite pleasant to listen to. Of course, with
respect to the fact that it is terribly accurate, if your recording is
not stellar, you will hear it. In other words, if your mixes sound good
on these monitors, they will translate to any other system you can
throw at them. If I had only one caveat at all to this system it would
be to make sure that you have adequate space for these monitors. They
truly need a little bit of room to allow their sound to reach their
fullest potential. In short, this is one of the most capable, accurate
and downright awesome monitoring systems I have ever encountered,
regardless of price. I can unequivocally recommend this system for just
about any user. And if you’re into powered systems, Dynaudio hasn’t
left you out either; remember, the BM15 has a powered brother – the
BM15a.
