M-Audio BX3 and BX4 from £85

Need some compact monitors for your set up? Jon Musgrave sizes up two new offerings from M-Audio

- Jon Musgrave

M -Audio’s long established BX powered monitor range is aimed at project and home users, and the latest designs are their most compact yet. Built around 3.5” (BX3) and 4.5” (BX4) Kevlar LF drivers and the same 1” silk dome tweeter, the BX3 and BX4 have identical features and very similar prices (£85 and £100) so whichever one you go for will probably boil down to size considerations as much as anything else.

The monitors are powered (2 x 25 Watt RMS) but audio inputs and mains power are supplied to one active speaker, with the second passive speaker connected via the included â…›3.5mm TS interconnect cable. Both balanced and unbalanced inputs are provided (a pair of TRS jacks and RCAs respectively).

In practice the BXs are very easy to set up and with only one power connection and stereo inputs, cabling is tidy. You can also specify left/right on the active monitor, so you can position the active speaker to whichever side suits.