The new diminutive MASS home cinema system from Monitor Audio offers a space-efficient design, packed with technology and easy-installation features. There are three main components to this system – a compact satellite speaker, a centre channel and an active subwoofer.

The compact MASS 10 satellite speaker and its centre-channel counterpart have a stylish construction of rigid polymer, enveloped in a black cloth finish and crowned at either end with contrasting solid aluminium end caps. Their eye-catching curved design is ribbed internally and enhanced by variable wall thickness to produce the most inert enclosure for the twin C-CAM drivers: a newly developed 1″ tweeter and 4″ bass/midrange.

The 1″ high frequency transducer is adapted from a new generation of ultra-compact low-profile designs, conceived to maximise performance in reduced cabinet volumes. It vents through a custom-formed housing and around the outside of a high power Neo magnet system to a rear-loading chamber, reducing resonance to a point way below the crossover frequency.

Adopting innovation first applied to the flagship Platinum speaker range, the 4″ bass/mid driver is mounted on a tie-bolt fixed to the back of the cabinet. This configuration has the effect of cross-bracing the structure for added rigidity while avoiding front fixings, which can transfer unwanted resonances to the system. Monitor Audio’s award-winning Platinum blueprint is also represented by the HiVe reflex port, rifled to optimize airflow and reduce turbulence.

Underpinning the mid-high frequency refinement of the MASS satellite is a bass engine of equal caliber. The W200 active subwoofer is primed with the precision-crafted ordinance of twin 10″ bass drivers and a potent 220W Class D amplifier, but, with some digital magic from Monitor Audio’s engineers, is so much more than the sum of its parts.

The on-board amplifier is controlled by an advanced DSP, custom-tuned in the software to optimize the response characteristics of the drivers for the deep, sustained bass delivery that distinguishes the best home cinema systems. It powers a side-firing 10″ long throw C-CAM bass driver equipped with a large, dual-stack magnet system, which produces high electro-mechanical damping to ensure there is no overhang, keeping the bass lines perfectly in time. Complementing the active driver is a 10″ Auxiliary Bass Radiator (ABR), the two working in tandem within the W200 to generate the output and scale normally associated with ported designs, but with the fast accurate transient response of a sealed box. By doubling the effective radiating area of the system, the drivers maximize the Sound Pressure Level (SPL) from the W200 for room-filling, foundational low frequencies, which match the performance of the MASS 10 satellites in speed and quality. In addition, the W200s integrated DSP offers tailored bass curves for fine-tuning according to taste. ‘Music’, ‘movie’ and ‘impact’ pre-sets may be selected by way of a switch on the back of the W200’s heavy-duty MDF cabinet, which is cloaked in stealthy black cloth grilles on four sides to complement the aesthetics of the MASS 10.

MASS 10 and MASS Center Features
• 4″ Bass-Mid-range driver featuring C-CAM cone technology, for better clarity and control.
• Specially developed 1″ C-CAM tweeter design featuring unique venting and rear loading chamber – low resonance design to provide clean, pure sound.
• Damped Polymer moulded cabinet with internal ribbing. Curved shape also helps to eliminate unwanted standing waves.
• Single point fixing (1/4″ x 20 TPI) for universal wall bracket installation (not provided).
• Concealed, discreet cable termination inside end cap using binding post type connection.
• Single bolt through driver and bracing system, for increased overall bracing and rigidity.
• Single front mounted port featuring HiVe technology for clean, powerful, punchy bass.
• Black cloth finish with contrasting solid aluminium end caps.

MASS W200 Features
• Long throw 10″ sub bass driver featuring C-CAM cone technology
• 10″ flat ABR (Auxiliary bass radiator) – Tuned for tight, fast bass punch
• 220 watt class-D power amplifier
• DSP providing accurate filter characteristics
• Advanced limiters designed to ensure the W200 never loses control.
• 3 x pre-set bass mods (Music, Movie, Impact)
• 12v trigger input – ensures W200 switches on and off with other equipment.
• Heavy duty MDF construction
• Discreet black cloth finish.

MASS Pricing (CDN MSRP)
MASS 5.1 System:
$1,299.00
MASS 5.0 (4 sats, 1 center):
$699.00
MASS Subwoofer:
$599.00

Available November 2012. For more info, please visit www.monitoraudio.ca.

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