Oberlin, OH: As the oldest continuously operating conservatory of music in the United States, Ohio-based Oberlin College offers a number of undergraduate majors, including private study in 32 areas, in addition to concert halls, practice rooms and teaching studios. So when the time came to outfit the Joseph R. Clonick Recording Studio and control room with surround-sound loudspeakers, Oberlin looked to the best: PMC Reference Monitors.

“We selected a pair of MB2S-XBD cabinets for left and right channels, plus an MB2S-C for the center,” explains the Oberlin’s Director of Audio Services, Paul Eachus. “We went for PMC because our MB2S system offers a very large sound stage in terms of both width as well as height – the image extends far beyond the system’s physical dimensions. Which means that our students can work throughout the room on tracking and mixing sessions and not lose that essential sweet spot. MB2S offers life-like reproduction, just as if the band was right there in the room with you. The PMC system is a major contribution to our new facility.” The studio is housed in the conservatory’s new Bertram and Judith Kohl Building.

The three up-front PMC monitor loudspeakers are augmented for surround-sound projects with a pair of PMC IB2S reference monitors located in the rear of the control room on 34-inch stands. All PMC reference systems are powered by Parasound amplifiers: three JC 1 single-channel units for left, center and right, plus a single A21 two-channel unit for the surrounds.

The MB2S XBD is a development of the successful MB2S, with increased dynamics and LF performance. According to Maurice Patist, PMC’s Strategic Sales Manager, Specialist Systems Group, “the addition of the XBD cabinet containing a second precision 12-inch Radial™ driver increases the LF headroom by 3 dB below 380 Hz, which allows a larger room to be driven to greater effect. The MB2S XBD is featured in many quality-conscious films scoring, music recording and mastering facilities.”

The new performance area measures 55 feet by 38 feet with 30-foot ceilings, with a good-sized isolation booth, connected to a spacious control room. The new space was designed by leading acoustical consultant Dana Kirkegaard, and integrated into the Kohl Building by project designer Jonathan Kurtz of Westlake Reed Leskosky, a Cleveland-based architectural and engineering firm. “We needed a studio large enough to accommodate jazz and classical recordings as well as performances,” Eachus continues, “including rehearsals with the Oberlin Jazz Ensemble.” Recent events at the college included an early-May grand opening celebration weekend with Bill Cosby and Stevie Wonder (both received honorary doctorates from Oberlin), together with performances by the Oberlin Jazz Ensemble, with Stevie Wonder serving as a very special guest.

“I first heard these new MB2S systems at the AES Convention in New York a few years ago, and was very impressed,” Eachus recalls. “Maurice Patist set up critical listening sessions in Los Angeles to audition the PMCs. I was totally convinced. The sound quality and detail is outstanding and extremely accurate through the entire frequency spectrum. And the correspondence between the front and rear soundstage is seamless – the IB2Ss are a perfect match for the surrounds. I want a pair of IB2S reference monitors for my living room!”



Paul Eachus, Oberlin Conservatory of Music’s Director of Audio Services, with the new MB2S cabinets and Parasound amplifiers within the recently completed control room. “We went for PMC because our MB2S system offers a very large sound stage in terms of both width as well as height – the image extends far beyond the system’s physical dimensions. Which means that our students can work throughout the room on tracking and mixing sessions and not lose that essential sweet spot. The PMC system is a major contribution to our new facility.”

Note to editors: High-resolution copies of this and other product images in TIFF/JPEG formats are available upon request.
More information from Paul Eachus, Oberlin Conservatory of Music | 440.775-6668 | paul.eachus@oberlin.edu


About PMC
PMC designs feature its uniquely engineered Advanced Transmission Line technology (ATL™), which provides high-resolution, wide-bandwidth signal response across the complete product range. Proprietary drive units, electronics and cabinet engineering, provide unrivalled tonal accuracy, clarity and dynamic range throughout a range of designs. PMC monitor systems are in service with most of the world’s premiere music and film sound recording studios, broadcast companies, post production and audio mastering facilities. Such is the influence of PMC’s engineering on the audio world that the majority of blockbuster movies, chart-topping albums and revered classical recordings have been mixed and mastered using PMC loudspeakers.


About the PMC MB2S-XBD
The MB2S-XBD is a development of the successful MB2S with increased dynamics and LF performance. The addition of the XBD cabinet increases the LF headroom by 3 dB below 380 Hz that allows a larger room to be driven to greater effect. The 32-element, 4th order passive crossovers are housed in external enclosures which can be mounted to the rear of the XBD cabinets for improved fidelity. Cabinets can be positioned vertically or side by side. Matching low-profile center- channel (MB2S XBD-C) is also available, plus matching XB2 subwoofer to complete a surround system.

About the Oberlin Conservatory of Music
Awarded the 2009 National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama, the Oberlin Conservatory of Music is renowned internationally as a professional music school of the highest caliber. Praised as a “national treasure” by the Washington Post, the conservatory, founded in 1865 and situated amid the intellectual vitality of Oberlin College since 1867, is the oldest continuously operating conservatory in the United States. Oberlin’s alumni enjoy illustrious careers in all aspects of the music world. They have achieved prominence as solo performers; chamber, orchestral, and jazz musicians; composers; conductors; and music educators, scholars, and administrators. For more information visit www.oberlin.edu.

Paul is a great guy, who knows his stuff... Also of note Yolanda Kondanassis teaches at Oberlin.

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PMC, Bryston, Purist Audio Design.

That looks like a really fun room. /me wants.

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• McIntosh XRT1K MDA1000 MC402 XLS112 | WireWorld Silver E 5^2 Power & XLR, Ecl 6 Speaker
  
• 4.3TB Media Server (Custom) Upsampled to 24bit/96khz | RGPC1200C, PPP
  
• Mobile: McIntosh MX406 MDA5000 MCD4000 MCC420M, JM Lab/Focal Utopia 3-way + Subs
• Office: Bel Canto S300iu, McIntosh XLS320s, JM Lab sub
  

Further evidence as to the sound quality of PMC speakers. They continue to be popular with experienced music listeners.

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System 1: McIntosh MC302, MA6600 w/T2, MCD500, Denon DP-72L w/Grado Reference Platinum 1
PMC OB1i, Vienna Acoustics Concert Grand
System 2: McIntosh MA6500, MCD205, MR85, bel canto Dac, MacBook Pro w/AE
McIntosh LS320 - PS112, Klipsch Heresy III

are these the i series?

WTF? You can take recording classes at Oberlin? Wow, I went to the wrong university. .. Please take back my BA in English from the University of San Diego!