By bringing their expertise in transmission-line technology to nearfield monitors, the Professional Monitor Company have found favour in many quarters. The new TB1S is a 'transflex' configuration with ferro-fluid tweeters. Ian Masterson takes them for a test drive.

As their name suggests, The Professional Monitor Company have been producing loudspeakers for the studio industry for some time now. Generally speaking, their innovative use of transmission line technology has won them great friends in the classical recording, film and broadcast worlds.

Having developed a solid reputation in these somewhat 'conservative' arenas, PMC have now decided to jump headfirst into the more cut-throat world of the project studio. The TB1S 'Transflex' hi-fi/monitor loudspeakers are intended to pull the rug out from underneath that traditional nearfield monitor market once and for all: PMC have thrown down the gauntlet and are ready to kick some ass.

In the past, PMC's designs have offered an attractively neutral frequency response, at the expense of the booming bass so beloved of the pop and dance industry. To your average producer and remixer, colouring the bass is a critical part of any mix; if your monitors don't show any enthusiasm for handling those sub-surface rumblings, they're not much fun to work with.

Hence the current trend for mixing on larger mid- and full-field units, or nearfield with added sub-bass boxes (JBL Control 1s or DynaudioAcoustics M2s with ABES, being two popular examples). But this approach isn't really accessible to the project studio owner, since big drivers cost big bucks. It leaves a large market for nearfields that get excited when pumped full of Juno-esque thuds and booms, while still retaining an accurate frequency spectrum.

PMC's solution employs a system of 'Transflex loading' in the TB1S, combining the virtues of full transmission line technology in a small, compact enclosure suitable for nearfield use. Transmission line is desirable, because it offers superior driver control, leading to higher SPLs, lower distortion and less coloration than an equivalent reflex-ported loudspeaker. The constrictions of a small cabinet size are reduced by employing a truncated transmission line tuned to 58Hz. Unlike a reflex speaker whose response would fall rapidly at 24dB/octave, the TB1S rolloff is modified by this very short line, extending inroom response down to 40Hz.

The construction of the TB1S is immaculate. While nothing particularly unusual to look at in terms of shape, the swish matt black finish, rounded corners and appreciable mass all give the impression that these are monitors intended to perform.

Unfortunately, they come supplied with a nasty tacky plastic mesh front grille, but at least it's easily removed (and discarded). The cabinets themselves are constructed from 18mm MDF, with internal partitioning to strengthen the box; the resulting weight (8.5kgs) means that you need quite sturdy stands to support them (PMC make their own variety to suit). However, if you want to get the best from these monitors, sturdy stands are probably essential in any case.

Driving forces

A pleasant surprise is that the TB1S system can actually be bi-amped. Instead of just one pair of binding posts on the rear panel, you get two, normally connected by a set of gold linking bars. If you wish to drive the hi-frequency driver separately from the mid- and bottom-end, you can simply remove these jumpers and run an extra set of cables back to your amp(s). In the hi-fi world, such things are commonplace, and it's nice to see studio monitors offering a similar facility should you need it. It's worth pointing out that the binding posts are securely recessed too, preventing them from breaking off should the cabinets fall.

A 170mm cast bass driver and 25mm aluminum alloy tweeter are responsible for actually turning your amp juice into sound, and very impressive they are too. The little tripod-like construction over the front of the ferrofluid-filled tweeter is actually a precision phase shield, designed to optimise stereo imaging.

I'm not sure of the theory behind this add-on, but it does seem to work; moving your bonce in the stereo field while you scud around your studio doesn't seem to disrupt the audio picture very much at all - unlike certain popular nearfields I could mention. In use, the glossy bass driver is actually quite restrained, with all but the most extreme thuds being handled without the cone jerking madly.

The power handling of 150 watts is more than adequate for nearfield use, with the usable frequency response around 40Hz to 25kHz.

Pump it up

I auditioned the TB1Ss in The Mix's demo studio using a TLA Miniamp (an old favourite), and a more meaty Bryston 3B. At first, I tried placing the cabinets on the meter bridge above our resident desk, but this plan quickly fell apart. Not only do the monitors look slightly too big to suit a standard meter bridge layout, it also meant the HF driver sits well above your head when you're mixing.

Furthermore, the unstructural nature of a meter bridge also means that the area on which the monitors was sitting was far from ideal acoustically - it resonated, wobbled and coloured the sound horribly. So the TB1Ss were moved onto 'proper' studio monitor stands, where they sat happily, at ear's height, for the rest of the test.

Playing a wide variety of source material through these monitors revealed some interesting characteristics in the TB1S's sound. Firstly, the sound does have a character, and an engaging, pleasant one at that. Previous PMC monitors have been much too neutral and - forgive me guys - a tad bland for my personal tastes. But the TB1S are much, much warmer - they're simply more fun to work with.

Secondly, the work PMC have put into their bass performance really does show. Spinning a hard house track based on a rumbling analogue sub-bass and thundering 909 kick through the TB1S, proved that serious movement can be had from small enclosures; these cabinets really can cut it in a pop or dance mix. Just be careful where you site them, 'though; too close to a wall or corner and you might experience an irritating notch in the upper-low end, around the 100Hz mark, where things seem to 'boom' slightly.

Possibly the best thing about these monitors 'though, is their 'all-roundedness'. If your studio regularly handles all sorts of music, from jazz through to string quartets, to sweaty rockers and tripping junglists, you could well be into the sound of the TB1Ss.

I feel this probably owes quite a lot to their transmission-line technology origins; quite simply, they can handle pretty much whatever you throw at them. In the general-purpose nearfield market, this is definitely a major point in their favour.

Verdict

All in all, PMC have been rather cunning in the design and execution of their latest loudspeakers. By drawing on a proven pedigree, and yet managing to adapt it to cope with the latest trends in a fickle market, they could well be onto a winner.

However, it's going to be a tough fight. With the likes of the Yamaha NS10Ms and JBL Control 5s in the 'tried and tested' corner, and newer heavies such as the Spirit Absolutes and DynAudio BM10s in the other, PMC should prepare themselves for a bloody battle indeed. Let's get ready to rumble...

The essentials...

Prices inc VAT: TB1S £430 pair; TB1SM £473.50 XB1 Sub-bass £586.50 (available January)

More from: Raper & Wayman, (Contact Details)