B&C 10MD26 – Highest-Efficiency 10-Inch Mid-Bass Driver with Extreme Motor Authority
The B&C 10MD26 is the most motor-dominant 10-inch driver B&C makes — and one of the most extreme mid-bass transducers in professional audio. A 76 mm aluminium voice coil, 1.45 T flux density, 19.6 Tm force factor, and 31 g moving mass combine to produce 100 dB sensitivity and 3.9% reference efficiency from a 10-inch cone. The B&C 10MD26 delivers the same sensitivity as many ferrite 15-inch woofers from a frame that’s 130 mm narrower and fits in the palm of your hand.
The numbers behind this driver are genuinely unusual. The 1.45 T flux density is the highest of any driver in B&C’s entire LF range — higher than every 18-inch sub, every 15-inch woofer, every neo and ferrite driver in the catalogue. A 3-inch voice coil on a 10-inch cone gives the B&C 10MD26 a coil-to-cone ratio typically seen only on larger-format drivers, and the resulting 19.6 Tm force factor on a 31 g moving assembly creates the kind of acceleration factor that produces instantaneous transient response and absolute motor control.
With a Qts of 0.21 and an EBP of 345 Hz — the highest EBP of any driver in B&C’s range — the B&C 10MD26 is designed exclusively for horn-loaded and vented mid-bass sections in multi-way speaker systems. At 350 W AES and an 80 Hz – 4000 Hz bandwidth, it delivers the mid-bass punch and vocal presence that carry the energy in live sound reinforcement.
Design and Construction of the B&C 10MD26
The B&C 10MD26 uses a 76 mm (3-inch) aluminium voice coil wound on a glass fibre former. Fitting a 3-inch coil in a 10-inch driver is an aggressive design choice — the coil occupies a significant portion of the cone’s radiating area, and the driver’s entire architecture is built around maximising the motor’s authority over the ultra-light 31 g moving assembly. The 11 mm winding depth operating in an 8 mm magnetic gap yields 1.5 mm of linear one-way excursion (Xmax) with an additional 4.5 mm of travel (Xvar) before mechanical limits.
The 1.5 mm Xmax is by design, not by compromise. The B&C 10MD26 is a mid-bass driver — it operates in the frequency range where wavelengths are short enough that minimal cone displacement generates high SPL. Every millimetre of excursion capability that was sacrificed went into sensitivity, and the result speaks for itself: 100 dB from a 10-inch driver at 3.9% efficiency.
The motor uses a ferrite magnet in a T-pole configuration, producing 1.45 T of flux density — the absolute highest in B&C’s LF range. That extreme flux drives a force factor (Bl) of 19.6 Tm, which on the 31 g moving mass creates a Bl/Mms ratio that no other 10-inch driver in B&C’s range can approach. The motor’s grip on the cone is absolute — transient response is essentially instantaneous, and the cone follows the input signal with zero perceptible lag.
The exponential cone profile supports pistonic behaviour well into the upper mid-range, enabling the 4000 Hz upper bandwidth. The cone has no waterproof treatment, keeping mass as low as possible. A single spider handles suspension, paired with a double-roll surround. At 7.25 kg and 124 mm deep, the B&C 10MD26 is the heaviest 10-inch driver in B&C’s range by a wide margin — the massive ferrite motor assembly required to produce 1.45 T accounts for the bulk. The motor weighs more than the cone assembly does by an order of magnitude.
Performance and Applications for the B&C 10MD26
The B&C 10MD26 delivers 100 dB sensitivity and 3.9% reference efficiency across an 80 Hz – 4000 Hz bandwidth. The 100 dB sensitivity from a 10-inch driver is an extraordinary achievement — it matches B&C’s most efficient 12 and 15-inch woofers, meaning the B&C 10MD26 produces the same output per watt from a smaller, more compact platform. For system designers, this opens up architectures where 10-inch mid-bass sections match the sensitivity of larger-format woofers without padding or attenuation.
The Thiele–Small parameters are the most extreme in B&C’s entire LF range. A Qts of 0.21 and an EBP of 345 Hz define a driver with overwhelming electromagnetic damping — the motor has complete, absolute control over the 31 g cone at every point of the excursion stroke. These parameters categorically exclude sealed enclosure use. The B&C 10MD26 demands a vented or horn-loaded enclosure with high tuning frequency, and builders should model the T/S parameters in simulation software to optimise their alignment — expect optimal results in the 10–20 litre range with tuning frequencies above 80 Hz.
In horn-loaded applications, the B&C 10MD26 is in a class of its own. Every parameter favours horn loading — the very low Qts, extreme EBP, exponential cone, 3-inch coil on a 10-inch frame, and featherweight moving mass. The horn’s acoustic impedance match amplifies the already-extreme 100 dB sensitivity further, producing real-world horn-loaded output levels from a 10-inch driver that can compete with direct-radiating 12 and 15-inch systems in the mid-bass frequencies.
Ideal applications for the B&C 10MD26 include:
- Dedicated mid-bass sections in three-way and four-way professional systems
- Horn-loaded 10-inch mid-bass bins for live sound reinforcement
- High-output compact vented mid-bass cabinets
- Systems where 10-inch mid-bass drivers need to match the sensitivity of larger-format woofers
- Multi-way designs where the mid-bass section must keep up with high-sensitivity compression drivers
Specifications – B&C 10MD26
- Nominal Diameter: 250 mm (10 in)
- Nominal Impedance: 8 Ω
- Minimum Impedance: 7.2 Ω
- Nominal Power Handling: 350 W
- Continuous Power Handling: 700 W
- Sensitivity: 100 dB
- Frequency Range: 80 Hz – 4000 Hz
- Voice Coil Diameter: 76 mm (3 in)
- Winding Material: Aluminium
- Former Material: Glass Fibre
- Winding Depth: 11 mm (0.43 in)
- Magnetic Gap Depth: 8 mm (0.31 in)
- Flux Density: 1.45 T
- Magnet Material: Ferrite
- Cone Shape: Exponential
- Cone Treatment: None
- Surround Shape: Double Roll
- Spider: Single
- Pole Design: T-Pole
- Net Weight: 7.25 kg (15.98 lb)
Thiele–Small Parameters – B&C 10MD26
- Fs: 76 Hz
- Re: 5.8 Ω
- Qes: 0.22
- Qms: 4.8
- Qts: 0.21
- Vas: 20 dm³ (0.71 ft³)
- Sd: 320 cm² (49.1 in²)
- η0: 3.9%
- Xmax: 1.5 mm
- Xvar: 4.5 mm
- Mms: 31 g
- Bl: 19.6 Tm
- Le: 1.2 mH
- EBP: 345 Hz
Mounting Information – B&C 10MD26
- Overall Diameter: 262 mm (10.3 in)
- Bolt Circle Diameter: 245 mm (9.6 in)
- Baffle Cutout Diameter: 230 mm (8.8 in)
- Depth: 124 mm (4.9 in)
- Flange and Gasket Thickness: 14 mm (0.55 in)
- Air Volume Occupied by Driver: 2.6 dm³ (0.09 ft³)
Conclusion – B&C 10MD26 Mid-Bass Driver
The B&C 10MD26 is the most extreme mid-bass driver in B&C’s range — and arguably one of the most extreme in professional audio. The 1.45 T flux density (highest in B&C’s LF range), 345 Hz EBP (highest in B&C’s LF range), 100 dB sensitivity, and 31 g moving mass create a driver that exists purely to maximise acoustic output in the mid-bass frequency range. Nothing about the B&C 10MD26 is moderate — it’s an engineer’s solution to the problem of matching mid-bass sensitivity to high-output compression drivers in multi-way systems.
The trade-off is transparent: 1.5 mm Xmax and 7.25 kg for a 10-inch driver. The minimal excursion means this is categorically not a bass driver — it operates above 80 Hz and relies on the sub section to handle everything below. The 7.25 kg weight comes from the massive ferrite motor needed to produce 1.45 T — the motor is the driver, and the cone is along for the ride.
For horn-loaded mid-bass sections, high-output vented mid-bass cabinets, and any multi-way system where the 10-inch driver needs to deliver 100 dB sensitivity and keep pace with the compression drivers above and the sub drivers below, the B&C 10MD26 is the 10-inch mid-bass driver that refuses to be the weak link in the chain. It’s a specialist built for one job — and nothing in B&C’s 10-inch range does that job better.
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About B&C Speakers S.r.L.
B&C Speakers products are built in Bagno a Ripoli (Florence), Italy., ensuring high quality products to suite your speaker building requirements. Their 10,500 square meter facility incorporates highly sophisticated automation and quality control. Over the years they become one of the world leaders in the Professional Audio market, a brand recognized everywhere as a premium product that offers excellent value to the consumer.
