It’s always exciting to see something new for the desktop from Drop, so people took notice when the versatile tech retailer previewed its BMR1 Nearfield Monitors at CES 2023. The BMR stands for Balanced Mode Radiation, a technology offering reduced distortion and improved balance across a speaker’s entire sonic field. BMR is already popular for applications where speaker size is constrained, such as soundbars and car audio. By applying the technology to desktop speakers, Drop was able to develop a form factor that maximizes the speakers’ 80Hz – 24kHz +/-6.0 dB range.
While the speakers feature a Bluetooth connection option, the 3.5mm jack lends an old-school cool vibe to the speakers, reminiscent of middle school afternoons spent in the computer room fragging friends on Quake. Including this jack instead of going purely wireless was also a practical choice, as most computers still include a 3.5mm output. The physical connection also allowed Drop to fully leverage the speakers’ internal Class D amplifier and its 15 watts of continuous power per channel.
And while the bare, industrial look of the default speakers is a match for just about any desktop aesthetic, users who are so inclined can personalize their speaker with one of the magnetic covers available from Drop. Rounding out the features are two additional outputs: a headphone out with mic passthrough and a subwoofer out for listeners who like their desk to rattle. Preorders are limited and priced at $99.
In other tech news, see the Gendome Home 3000 smart power station.