Barefoot Sound MicroMain 27 Gen2, pair

Cabinet vibrations are a significant source of distortion and coloration in most loudspeakers. The primary mechanism is simple action and reaction. As the driver motor forces the cone to move back and forth in order to generate sound, the cone exerts an equal and opposite force on the motor. This force is transmitted through the driver frame to the cabinet. The effect is especially prevalent in the low frequencies where the cone motion is greatest. While MicroMain27 cabinets are massive and well braced, we also tackle the problem at its source by eliminating vibrations before they even begin. This is achieved through our innovative force cancellation design (Dual-Force™ Technology). The low-frequency drivers are mounted on opposing sides of the cabinet, and their motors are locked together. As the cones are driven in and out in opposite directions, the forces exerted on the motors cancel one another. The vibrations never make it to the cabinet because they are not allowed to develop in the first place. This layout has the further benefit of forming a massive internal metal cabinet bracing. Furthermore, because the wavelengths generated by the subwoofers are much larger than the speaker cabinet dimensions, the subs radiate as if they were a single point source located on the axis with the tweeter.

Like all Barefoot Sound monitors, the MicroMain27 includes the versatile MEME™ Technology Voice Emulation feature. Despite the advantages of high-resolution monitors, Barefoot Sound realizes that many engineers still use their NS10M’s and Mix Cubes as secondary references. These speakers have long traditions, and people find them familiar and useful for focusing on certain aspects of their mix. However, crowding one’s console with those extra boxes degrades the sound field of the primary reference monitors. Additionally, they are no longer manufactured, require amplifiers, cable runs, and consume more studio space.

The solution is to make the MicroMain27 sound and translate like those speakers. With the turn of a knob, one can switch from the MicroMain27′s brutally revealing “Flat” response to the warmer and sweeter “Hi-Fi” setting, generically emulating the sound of some high-end consumer audio gear. More specifically, the “Old School” setting closely emulates the sound of the NS10M nearfield, while the “Cube” setting emulates the mid-centric sound of classic mix cubes. The idea is not to perfectly replicate every subtle quirk of these venerable old speakers, as that would be impossible. Instead, the MicroMain27 captures the essence of how they behave and translate, modeling their frequency, phase, and transient responses, dynamic compression, and even specific distortion components.