B&C 12CLX64 – Improve Your Build with an Ultra-Light 12″ Neodymium Coaxial

At just 3.2 kg, the B&C 12CLX64 is quite possibly the lightest professional 12-inch coaxial driver you’ll ever hold in your hands. Part of B&C’s cost-optimised CLX series, this driver gives you genuine full-range coaxial performance — a 500 W woofer paired with a 106 dB HF polymer compression driver — in a package that weighs less than most standalone 12-inch woofers.

If you’re a builder looking for a coaxial that delivers real point-source performance without the weight or the price tag of the flagship CXN models, the B&C 12CLX64 is designed exactly for you. It’s the entry point into B&C’s neodymium coaxial range, but it’s far from a compromise — it’s a purpose-built driver that prioritises value, portability, and balanced output.

With 60-degree coverage, a frequency range from 54 Hz to 18 kHz, and a heavy-gauge metal basket for structural rigidity, the B&C 12CLX64 is built for compact PA tops, lightweight installed speakers, portable monitors, and budget-conscious builds where every gram and every rand counts.

Design and Construction of the B&C 12CLX64

The B&C 12CLX64 uses a 64 mm (2.5-inch) copper voice coil on a Kapton former. This is a different approach to the glass fibre formers found in the CXN series — Kapton is lighter and provides excellent electrical insulation, contributing to the driver’s remarkably low 45.3 g moving mass and 3.2 kg total weight.

That ultra-low moving mass gives the B&C 12CLX64 fast, snappy transient response. You’ll hear the immediacy in vocal consonants, the attack of acoustic instruments, and the crispness of percussion. Lighter cones simply react faster, and at 45.3 g, this driver responds quickly to every signal your amplifier sends it.

The copper winding provides better thermal conductivity than aluminium, helping the coil manage heat during sustained use. The waterproof-treated paper cone adds durability for outdoor and humid-venue applications, so you don’t need to worry about environmental damage over time.

An aluminium demodulating ring in the motor structure keeps distortion low through the midrange. This is a meaningful detail in a cost-optimised driver — B&C hasn’t cut corners on the features that actually affect how your build sounds. You’ll get cleaner vocals, more detailed midrange, and less harmonic muddiness than drivers in this price class typically deliver.

The high-frequency section features a 51 mm (2-inch) aluminium voice coil driving an HT Polymer diaphragm. Polymer diaphragms are inherently well-damped, which means the highs are smooth and controlled with virtually no breakup harshness — a characteristic that makes the B&C 12CLX64 particularly forgiving and easy to listen to over long periods.

At 106 dB HF sensitivity with 1.6 T flux density, the compression driver still has solid output and projection. The single neodymium ring magnet powers both sections, and the heavy-gauge metal basket provides the structural rigidity needed for reliable long-term use. The entire package sits at a depth of just 164 mm, making it one of the shallowest 12-inch coaxials available — a real advantage for slim cabinet designs.

Performance and Applications for the B&C 12CLX64

The B&C 12CLX64 handles 500 W continuous on the LF section and 140 W on the HF. While these numbers are lower than the CXN76 and CXN88 models, they’re more than adequate for the compact, portable applications this driver is designed for. You’re not building a festival main PA with this driver — you’re building a smart, lightweight cabinet that sounds great and goes anywhere.

The Thiele–Small parameters tell an interesting story. A Qts of 0.57 and EBP of 89 Hz place this driver in flexible territory — it works well in both sealed and vented enclosures. That’s a significant advantage for builders who want design flexibility. The 74-litre Vas keeps enclosure requirements modest, and the 5.5 mm Xvar provides clean excursion for its size class.

The 11.86 Tm Bl factor and 45.3 g moving mass combine for a driver that’s responsive and well-controlled. Bass won’t be as deep or as powerful as the larger-coil models, but it will be tight, defined, and musical — which is exactly what compact cabinets need.

Builders commonly choose the B&C 12CLX64 for:

• Budget-friendly compact PA tops and powered speakers
• Ultra-lightweight portable monitors for rehearsal and small gigs
• Installed sound in cafés, restaurants, retail spaces, and small venues
• Slim-profile wall-mount and ceiling speakers where depth is limited
• First-time coaxial builds where cost and simplicity are priorities

B&C offers the FBCLX64 passive crossover network, purpose-matched to this driver. If you want a simple passive build without DSP or custom filter design, the FBCLX64 gives you a ready-made crossover solution that takes the complexity out of your project.

Both drivers share the same acoustic centre for true point-source output with coherent phase alignment. The 60-degree dispersion provides focused, even coverage that suits both portable and installed applications where controlled sound is preferred over wide-angle fill.

Specifications – LF Section

• Nominal Diameter: 320 mm (12 in)
• Voice Coil Diameter: 64 mm (2.5 in)
• Continuous Power Handling: 500 W
• Nominal Power Handling: 250 W
• Nominal Impedance: 8 Ω
• Minimum Impedance: 6.6 Ω
• Frequency Range: 54 Hz – 18,000 Hz
• Sensitivity: 96 dB
• Winding Material: Copper
• Former Material: Kapton
• Winding Depth: 14.5 mm (0.57 in)
• Magnetic Gap Depth: 8 mm (0.31 in)
• Flux Density: 0.9 T
• Cone Treatment: WP Waterproof Front Side

Specifications – HF Section

• Voice Coil Diameter: 51 mm (2 in)
• Continuous Power Handling: 140 W
• Nominal Power Handling: 70 W
• Nominal Impedance: 8 Ω
• Minimum Impedance: 7.8 Ω
• Recommended Crossover: 1.2 kHz
• Sensitivity: 106 dB
• Winding Material: Aluminium
• Inductance: 0.14 mH
• Flux Density: 1.6 T
• Diaphragm Material: HT Polymer
• Magnet Material: Neodymium Ring

Conclusion

The B&C 12CLX64 proves that you don’t need to spend flagship money to get real coaxial performance. At an astonishing 3.2 kg, it’s the lightest and shallowest 12-inch coaxial in B&C’s range, giving you true point-source output from a driver you can practically hold in one hand.

The HT Polymer HF diaphragm delivers smooth, fatigue-free highs, the copper voice coil and aluminium demod ring keep the midrange clean and honest, and the flexible Qts opens up both sealed and vented enclosure options for your design. With the matched FBCLX64 passive crossover available for plug-and-play builds, the B&C 12CLX64 is the smartest way to get into neodymium coaxial building — light, affordable, and genuinely impressive for its class.

VIEW MORE B&C PRODUCTS HERE.

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.