PMC has announced the QB1 Active, a large-scale, ultra-high-resolution main studio monitor with analogue and digital (up to 192kHz) inputs.

Designed for either soffit-mounted or free-standing use, each enclosuer uses the latest generation of PMC’s driver designs, Class-D amplification, Advanced Transmission Line (ATL) bass-loading technology, DSP control, and four 10-inch carbon fibre/Nomex piston bass drivers.

With a maximum SPL of 132dB at 1m, the QB1-A promises both level and accuracy. Each channel has 4,825W of class-D amplification at its disposal (275W on the HF driver, 550W on the mid-range, and 4kW on the four bass drivers), and the latest iteration of PMC’s ATL technology for a frequency response down to 20Hz. The onboard DSP provides driver unit optimisation, EQ and crossover networks, while the wired RJ45 desktop control provides user-friendly access to user EQ settings via its backlit display and jog wheel, with the ability to store up to four user presets. At 1092mm x 820mm x 520mm (WHD), the QB1-A will retrofit into almost all existing studio soffits. Alternatively, its ATL design means that free-standing use has no impact on its bass response.

The QB1-A uses recent advances in PMC’s transmission line design concept, as found in the company’s IB2 midfields and twotwo close-fields. Extra bracing and damping inside the speaker cabinet prevents noise and reduces resonance to insignificant levels beyond the limits of human audibility, while the newly introduced vertical strakes in the transmission line add further bracing and simultaneously reduce turbulence in the throughput airflow, making it laminar.

Each speaker employs three proprietary driver types. PMC’s soft-dome 34mm and 75mm drivers handle high frequencies and mid-range respectively. Depending on requirements regarding the height placement of the QB1-A, the HF driver may be placed above or below the MF driver as needed. Four handmade, individually matched low-frequency drivers handle bass, using PMC’s proprietary ‘honeycomb’ carbon-fibre/Nomex design in an extensively vented, cast-aluminium chassis.

‘We saw that there was a gap at the high end of the market,’ says PMC R&D Project Manager, Oliver Thomas. ‘In the main, the current products on the market don’t offer the flexibility of analogue and digital inputs, and suffer from giving listeners an insufficient sense of resolution, compared to what can now be attained with good Class-D amp design and DSP-aided crossover management.

‘Many engineers record with one set of monitors to create a sense of excitement while tracking, but then use another set for the low-level, intensely detailed business of mixing and mastering,’ he adds. ‘The QB1-A is designed for both kinds of work, offering faithful, non-fatiguing reproduction for a beautiful general listening experience or for recording, but with microscopic detail when you need it.’