The new Community MX10 monitor wedge is extremely small with an incredibly low profile. In fact, when I first saw it in the shipping container, I thought the box was too small to contain a floor monitor. As small as it is, it's hard to believe there's actually a smaller version in the M Class from Community: the MX8. So I was very interested to see how the ultra-compact speaker system would perform during a rehearsal and Sunday service for our church. One of the interesting elements of the review process was the opportunity to listen to the MX10 next to our regular compact monitor wedges and compare the two. The wedges we use every week are actually multi-purpose boxes that are configured horizontally with the horn next to the woofer, whereas the MX10 is configured vertically.
The MX10 is surprisingly small (10.4 inches tall, 12.6 inches wide, and 16.5 inches deep and 22 pounds) and features a 10-inch, two-way driver configuration. The advantage to its size is its aesthetic; it can easily live on the front of a stage and not be a distraction. Typically, the disadvantage of any smaller speaker system is a lack of low-frequency reproduction, so this was one area of the MX10's performance I was keen to observe. Two of the other features that caught my attention were the conical dispersion and coaxial loudspeaker design, which together the company says give the MX10 a flat frequency and phase response, as well as even stage coverage.
In use, as expected, I found the MX10 doesn't have the dynamic low-frequency reproduction of larger speakers. But you shouldn't expect to get much kick drum or bass guitar out of an 10-inch speaker.
Its clarity and evenness, on the other hand—especially regarding those frequencies that assist vocalists in maintaining pitch—greatly surpassed the more expensive boxes we currently use. Instruments were so clear that we were able to reduce the volume from our normal levels.
Another advantage the MX10 offers over our normal wedges is even blending of the drivers in the near field. This allows up-close deployment of the wedge without the risk of uneven convergence of the drivers. The MX10 also allowed more gain before feedback than our current wedges.
Despite the reduced low-frequency response, I was impressed overall with the MX10. The claims of even frequency and phase response, as well as even coverage throughout the box's dispersion, certainly seemed valid based on the time I spent listening.
One of the musicians who was using the MX10 as his primary monitor says, “I think the sound coming out was really crisp and clear….” Clarity is king on our stage, and the MX10 delivered. Additionally, its dispersion—115 x 115 degrees—makes the MX10 perfect for applications where large areas need to be covered with minimal visual impact.
Utility features such as the Ergo-grip handle and the possibility of wall-mounting it with an optional bracket make the MX10 a good investment because of its ability to be deployed in different ways. Some recommended applications would be as a vocal monitor wedge, choir monitor wedge, front of stage monitor wedge, and as a wall-mounted speaker system for a café or other situation where low frequencies are not important, but clarity and even coverage from a small speaker are required.
