words: MICK WILSON TECH Fostex PM0.3s
VERDICT BUILD QUALITY
EASE OF USE FEATURES
7.0 8.0 7.0
VALUE FOR MONEY 9.0 SOUND QUALITY
7.0
HYPE A great little speaker system
GRIPE Small sound from a small
that costs nothing, but delivers loads.
set-up, but you get what you pay for.
Fostex have designed and made a speaker system that is ideal for various uses and can be harnessed for DJing, producing or just as a soundsystem for laptop set-ups.
7.6/10 COMPACT BY DESIGN
Are Fostex’s new PM0.3 Personal Active Speakers a small and compact monitoring option for DJ/producers stuck on space, but not prepared to compromise on sound?
M
ore and more people are looking to make music at home in their home studio set-up, but this
new direction in production brings with it a certain amount of new problems, especially in the sound department. Big studio speakers used to be de rigueur, but with constraints on space and sound, a lot of producers are now looking for something that will deliver a decent sound at a size where the compromise doesn’t affect the quality. This has always been a diffi cult area for manufacturers of studio monitors to address. It’s a question DJ Mag Tech gets asked all the time — what desktop-style monitors are perfect for the job for a serious studio session? Step forth Fostex, with their new PM03 desktop monitors.
Desktop monitoring is a really diffi cult area to approach. Many will hail the virtues of having proper monitoring to check out the sound on tracks, as they attempt to mix down or create that potential next dancefl oor smash. There are also arguments as to why producers shouldn’t be using headphones in order to mixdown their masterpieces, but surprisingly enough, many tunes that are currently smashing it up in clubland have
been recorded in this manner.
The times have changed in the way that producers make music. Gone are the days of the all-powerful and domineering studios, with their massive monitoring systems. Nowadays it can often be all about the convenience of the laptop and a small bedroom, and with this new dimension, we have to look at the alternatives. Small monitoring systems are basically now fi lling the space where the main monitor would once have been.
Trying to mixdown music on small speakers will require a lot of patience and skill, as in technical spheres the sound won’t translate as well as on speakers twice or three times the size. However, with the advances in speaker technology, a pretty decent and balanced mixed track can be achieved using these micro compact monitors. Look at JBL’s sound sticks, or even Bowers & Wilkins MM-1 speakers — both use technology found in their hi-end monitors fi ltered down to their compact range to deliver a very impressive sound indeed. Can Fostex use all their industry know-how to achieve the same result? The ultra-compact PM0.3 speakers are the newest addition to the Fostex PM0
range, and now complete the line-up of this highly-praised PM-series, ranging from the new three-inch to eight-inch woofer size. PM0.3 is a perfect fi t for desktop use, and surprisingly enough, these little warriors are active! God only knows where they put the amps to power these little things. Power comes from the built-in Class D amps that drive the three-inch low frequency driver and ¾-inch tweeter, and provide a decent enough amount of punch to drive the audio coming out of them. OK, if pushed to the limit, things start to get a bit yucky in the sound department, but that’s not the point of the PM0.3s. Simply put, those wanting a bigger sound signature should get bigger speakers. For general music production, the PM0.3s work well. The sound is nice and punchy, and they do a fairly decent job of translating the overall mix to producers’ ears. Moving away from production and into the DJing arena, the PM0.3s are a perfect set of monitors for someone looking at a smaller speaker due to room or sound constraints. As mentioned, the sound that comes out of these monitors is not bad at all, and for DJing it’s actually pretty good. Users won’t get phat dirty bass sounds, especially if they’re into bassline or drum & bass-style music, but for general dance music the PM0.3s are
www.djmag.ca perfectly adequate.
Fostex describe the PM0.3s as a Personal Active Speaker System, and that’s the best way to look at these speakers. They look good coupled up to a laptop and placed on the side of a set of decks, and are perfect for use when DJ/producers know that anything bigger or louder is going to annoy the neighbours. The PM0.3s are well-made, too. The three-inch main driver is made from fi breglass and the tweeter is a silk dome variety, all housed in a wooden box. Both the materials used in the drivers can be found in larger speakers and are used by various manufacturers in their speaker designs, so that is a pretty decent starting point. The PM0.3s also come in three colour fi nishes — black, grey or white. I personally prefer the white version — they look pretty slick, whilst the black and grey look just functional. Nothing wrong with that, mind.
At the back of the speakers are the input and volume controls, which are taken care of by standard RCA (jack)- type connectors and a stereo mini-jack input. The speakers are then connected together via a standard mini-jack to jack connection. Overall, the sound for the size is good and they do what is required of them.
085
PRICE £89
CONTACT
fostexinternational.com
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