Designed for use with the M-Audio CX and BX Deluxe series—or most other studio monitors—the SBX10 active subwoofer delivers the kind of bass response necessary for music, film and multimedia projects. Since today’s personal audio systems are designed to reproduce very low bass frequencies, it is critical that your audio production environment allows you to monitor and adjust those frequencies while you are mixing. When paired with either the M-Audio CX or BX Deluxe studio monitors, the SBX10 becomes part of an integrated system that provides accurate monitoring for the entire 20Hz to 20kHz spectrum. Of course, it enhances most other direct-field monitors as well.

Studio monitors like the CX5 and BX5a Deluxe are designed to work well as full-range monitors. Yet when they reproduce extremely bass-heavy material at high volumes, it can be both taxing on the speakers and fatiguing to the listener. When they’re used in tandem with the SBX10, however, the system can comfortably reproduce full-range signals at higher levels without stressing the components.

The SBX10 subwoofer accepts the two-channel stereo outputs from your mixer, audio interface or sound card, and your main monitors connect to the subwoofer’s outputs. The internal crossover network of the SBX10 splits the signal at a user-defined crossover frequency (50-200Hz), routing everything below it to the internal sub and everything above it to the main speakers. This significantly improves fidelity because the components aren’t tripping over each other to reproduce the same frequency—and each only has to deliver frequencies to which it is ideally suited. The variable crossover makes it possible to tailor the bass response in your monitoring environment in order to achieve the most accurate acoustic response—both in studio and home theater applications.

Bass you can feel takes some heavy-duty power and components. That’s why the SBX10 carries a hefty 240 watts of totally discrete Class A/B power for tons of headroom. The 10-inch driver features an oversized magnet and a high-temperature, long-throw voice coil, delivering maximum low frequency output and optimized power handling. The cabinet is made of 3/4-inch vinyl-clad MDF with 1-inch front and back baffles, serious internal bracing and a flared rear bass-reflex port to minimize turbulence and improve low frequency efficiency. The fiberglass/paper composite driver provides exceptionally accurate bass response, resulting in a clean and refined low-frequency extension that minimizes listener fatigue.

A good monitoring system allows you to create material that translates well across a variety of playback environments. As such, it’s important to know what your mixes will sound like both with and without the low-frequency extension a subwoofer provides. Fortunately, the SBX10 includes a subwoofer bypass function that completely removes the subwoofer amp, speaker, and crossover from the signal path—sending the full-bandwidth program to your direct-field monitors. By plugging in the included footswitch, you can control this function dynamically as you’re playing back your material—even from across the room.

Why would anyone need directions for setting up reference monitors? Just put them on your desk, and you’re done, right? Well, it turns out that reference monitors are actually one of the most important and influential elements of your studio, and can really make or break the performance of your whole setup.