PMC 8-2 Active Studio Monitors (Pair) (2024)

PMC 8-2 Active Studio Monitors Pair

The PMC 8-2 active studio monitor tells you the truth about your recordings, delivering unflinching accuracy session after session. Designed for reference-grade midfield monitoring in midsized and larger rooms, the PMC 8-2 is a 3-way design with bespoke drivers — two 200mm woofers, a 55mm midrange, and a 27mm soft-dome tweeter — mounted in the company’s acclaimed ATL (Advanced Transmission Line) cabinet. ATL is PMC’s proprietary bass-loading technology that extends LF response while reducing distortion, enhancing phase and frequency linearity, and optimizing SPL capability. Equipped with custom state-of-the-art Class D amplification and sophisticated acoustic engineering, the PMC 8-2 provides a spacious soundfield with stunning depth, clarity, imaging, and dynamic punch. Your monitors are the key to great-sounding recordings — step up to a new level of accuracy with PMC.

New drivers for improved performance

The PMC 8-2 features two newly designed 200mm bass drivers that work in tandem with ATL technology to deliver significantly improved bass response that rivals that of many larger monitors. The tweeter used for the PMC 8-2 is the classic ScanSpeak unit used in PMC’s acclaimed IB1S-AIII monitor — the performance target for the 8-2 but with enhanced features and customization options. Together, these advanced drivers represent yet a new level of accuracy and transparency for PMC, whose monitors have been critical components of world-class control rooms for decades. To assist in providing a generous listening sweet spot, the midrange driver is mounted in PMC’s proprietary n-compass waveguide, which optimizes dispersion to achieve coherent, linear response across a broad horizontal and vertical area. The PMC 8-2’s unerring accuracy, extended frequency response, and relatively compact form factor make it an excellent main monitor for mobile recording trucks and other applications where space is at a premium but monitoring precision is essential.

Optimized electronics, formidable power

The PMC 8-2 is quad-amplified by next-generation ICEPower amplifiers delivering 400 watts to each of the four drivers through a cutting-edge crossover system. For setup flexibility, the XLR input is switchable between analog and digital AES. A joint venture with the iconic high-end consumer electronics company Bang & Olufsen, ICEPower was founded in 1999 at a time when Class D amplification, which had been around since the 1950s, had matured and was starting to be deployed in pro audio applications such as active monitor speakers, where high power, light weight, and cool-running operation were desirable. ICEPower’s close association with B&O gave them access to the resources, technical expertise, quality-control processes, and business acumen of a well-established company, and today, the company’s advanced amplification modules are found in world-class products throughout the pro audio, consumer electronics, and automotive industries. The PMC 8-2 may be combined with its dedicated subwoofer, the PMC 8-2 SUB, to form an XBD system, thereby increasing LF headroom in the same manner as PMC’s other XBD systems.

Advanced Transmission Line Technology delivers cleaner, deeper bass

Since their first professional studio main monitor design was embraced by the music, broadcast, and post-production industries in the early 1990s, PMC has become famous for their proprietary Advanced Transmission Line (ATL) technology. A transmission line is a method of loading a low-frequency speaker in a cabinet so that undesirable frequencies radiating from the rear of the driver are absorbed, allowing only the lowest frequencies to pass. These emerge from a front-baffle vent, which effectively acts as an auxiliary LF driver that extends bass response while absorbing undesirable low frequencies that contribute to harmonic distortion, clouding the upper bass and midrange. One of the keys to PMC speakers’ natural, highly detailed sound, ATL technology delivers deeper bass and higher output from smaller cabinets, while providing rich, full sound at any listening level. And because ATL bass extension doesn’t vary with volume levels, the low end is well-defined and always in balance, even when listening quietly.

Mixes that translate

Engineers at the Pro Audio know that there’s no substitute for midrange clarity in a monitor. This is the heart of your mix, and it remains relevant regardless of playback system. That’s why you can spend hours struggling to achieve a perfect balance and end up with nothing but frustration, listening fatigue, and a mix that doesn’t “translate.” In addition to improving bass response, PMC’s ATL technology also mitigates troublesome frequencies and eliminates port noise that can mask the midrange in other types of monitor speaker designs. As a result, you’ll find it’s easier to place, for instance, vocals and solo instruments in a mix, allowing you to achieve an ideal balance that translates to the world outside your studio.

PMC 8-2 Powered Studio Monitor Features:

• Active 3-way nearfield reference monitor with ATL bass loading
• Frequency response: 25Hz – 25kHz (- 3dB @1m full space, on-axis)
• Max. cont. SPL: 113dB @1m (half space value calculated as +3dB from full space measurement.
• Unweighted input, 20-20kHz Pink Noise (IEC) with 12dB CF for 2 hours AES2-1984 duration)
• State-of-the-art Class-D amplifiers: HF 400W, MF 400W, LF 2x 400W
• Analogue / AES3 digital input (16/24-bit, 18 -192kHz sample rate)
• Digital ‘through’ output (AES3 24-bit 96kHz
• SoundAlign network control interface for single or group EQ & settings
• Sophisticated DSP crossover, driver protection, EQ, and delay/polarity options
• Optional dedicated floor stands for PMC8-2 (40”)

Dimensions:

• Height:21″
• Width:21.7″
• Depth:17.3″
• Weight:86 lbs. (each)

Tech Specs

• Powered:Yes
• Power Configuration:Tri-amped
• Quantity:Pair
• LF Driver Size:8″ Woofer
• LF Driver Type:Studio 8 Driver
• MF Driver Size:2″
• MF Driver Type:Soft-dome Mid-range
• HF Driver Size:1″ Tweeter
• HF Driver Type:Soft-dome
• LF Driver Power Amp:2 x 400W
• MF Driver Power Amp:400W
• HF Driver Power Amp:400W
• Total Power:1600W
• Frequency Response:25Hz-25kHz (+/- 3dB)
• Maximum Peak SPL:125dB SPL @ 1m
• Input Types:1 x XLR (Analog/digital AES3 switchable)
• Output Types:1 x XLR (AES/EBU)
• Other I/O:1 x RJ45 (PMC SoundAlign web interface)
• Enclosure Type:Front Ported
• Enclosure Material:Medite Resonance Damped Composite

Additional information