B&C DE550 – Highest-Output 1-Inch Compression Driver with 2 Tesla Motor and 70 Watt Power Handling
The B&C DE550 is the most powerful 1-inch compression driver B&C has ever made — and it isn’t close. A 2 T flux density surpasses every other driver in B&C’s entire product catalogue. A 51 mm voice coil is the largest ever fitted to a B&C 1-inch exit. 70 W AES and 140 W continuous program power handling lead the range by 40%. 108 dB sensitivity is the highest of any B&C 1-inch. Every specification that the DE502 leads the range on, the B&C DE550 exceeds.
The 2 T flux density is the headline. It is the highest magnetic flux of any driver in B&C’s entire product catalogue — LF or HF, ferrite or neodymium, any size, any format. The DE502’s 1.9 T was already extraordinary. The B&C DE550 pushes past it into magnetic circuit performance that no other B&C driver achieves.
That extreme flux driving a 51 mm voice coil produces the 108 dB sensitivity and 70 W AES power handling that place the B&C DE550 in territory other 1-inch drivers from any manufacturer struggle to approach.
The 1.2 kHz recommended crossover is the lowest of any 1-inch compression driver in B&C’s range. It’s 300 Hz lower than the DE502’s 1.5 kHz, 600 Hz lower than the DE36’s 1.8 kHz, and a full octave lower than the DE10’s 2.5 kHz. The B&C DE550 is doing compression driver work in frequency territory most 1-inch formats can’t reach.
At 1.17 kg and 92 mm overall diameter, the B&C DE550 is lighter than the DE502 (1.4 kg) and the DE160 (1.7 kg), and more compact than both. The HT polymer diaphragm provides smooth, controlled treble — more detailed than Mylar, smoother than titanium, with thermal stability that supports the 70 W AES rating through sustained operation. Available in 8 and 16 Ω with a user-replaceable diaphragm (part number MMD5508).
Design and Construction of the B&C DE550
The B&C DE550 uses a 51 mm (2-inch) aluminium voice coil driving an HT polymer diaphragm through a 1-inch exit throat. The 51 mm coil is the largest ever fitted to a 1-inch exit compression driver in B&C’s range — 7 mm larger than the DE502/DE160’s 44 mm and roughly double the radiating area of the DE10’s 25 mm.
The larger coil provides substantially more surface area for heat dissipation. That’s the engineering foundation of the 70 W AES power rating — 40% more than the DE502 and 75% more than the DE160. The compression ratio from a 51 mm coil to a 25 mm exit is the highest of any 1-inch driver B&C makes, generating extreme acoustic impedance transformation and the 108 dB sensitivity that leads the range.
The magnetic circuit produces 2 T of flux density — the absolute highest in B&C’s product catalogue. For context, the 10NSM76 midrange achieves 1.6 T, the DE502 achieves 1.9 T, and the B&C DE550 pushes to 2 T. Generating 2 Tesla from a compact motor assembly that fits inside a 92 mm body weighing 1.17 kg represents the most concentrated magnetic circuit B&C engineers have achieved in any product.
The HT polymer diaphragm is a high-temperature engineering polymer — the same material family used in the DE36 ring radiator. HT polymer is stiffer and more thermally stable than Mylar, producing more detailed and extended high-frequency output without the aggressive resonant peak titanium diaphragms exhibit.
The practical result is treble that sounds natural and present without requiring corrective EQ. The thermal stability means the diaphragm maintains its mechanical properties at the elevated temperatures the 70 W AES rating generates during sustained use. The dome doesn’t soften, deform, or shift its resonant behaviour as the driver heats up.
The 0.14 mH inductance is low, keeping the impedance curve manageable through the 1 kHz – 17 kHz operating range. The 17 kHz upper limit is 1 kHz lower than the DE502’s 18 kHz — a minor trade-off reflecting the larger coil’s slightly higher moving mass at the frequency extremes. In practice, 17 kHz covers the full range of musically significant high-frequency content.
At 1.17 kg, 92 mm overall diameter, and 49 mm depth, the B&C DE550 is remarkably compact for a driver with these specifications. The 92 mm body is smaller than the DE502/DE160’s 102 mm — the neodymium motor’s extreme flux concentration means it doesn’t need a large body to generate 2 T. Two M6 mounting holes on a 76 mm bolt circle provide secure attachment to compatible horn flanges.
Performance and Applications for the B&C DE550
The B&C DE550 delivers 108 dB sensitivity across a 1 kHz – 17 kHz bandwidth with a recommended crossover frequency of 1.2 kHz. The 108 dB is the highest sensitivity of any 1-inch compression driver in B&C’s range — 1 dB above every other 1-inch driver.
That 1 dB advantage is consistent across the power range and becomes a 3 dB advantage in total output when combined with the 70 W AES rating versus the DE502’s 50 W. The B&C DE550 produces significantly more sustained peak output than any other 1-inch driver B&C makes.
The 1.2 kHz recommended crossover is the specification that most dramatically changes what a two-way system built with a 1-inch compression driver can achieve. Crossing over at 1.2 kHz means the horn controls directivity from the upper mid-range — a full octave lower than where most 1-inch systems hand off.
The woofer operates in a narrow bandwidth below 1.2 kHz where its directivity is wide and uniform. The compression driver on its horn controls the coverage pattern from 1.2 kHz upward. The result is smooth, consistent directivity performance that system designers typically associate with larger-exit drivers on bigger horns — achieved here from a 1-inch exit in a 1.17 kg package.
The 70 W AES / 140 W continuous program power handling is more than double the DE14TN’s 30 W and 40% more than the DE502’s 50 W. For large-format touring systems, high-SPL club installations, and festival rigs where the compression driver operates at sustained high power for hours, the B&C DE550 provides thermal headroom no other 1-inch in the range can match.
The 51 mm coil’s surface area and the HT polymer diaphragm’s thermal stability work together to sustain the 70 W rating without the gradual compression and output degradation that smaller-coil drivers exhibit under the same conditions.
The HT polymer diaphragm positions the B&C DE550 tonally between titanium and Mylar. More detailed and extended than polyester, smoother and more controlled than titanium. In systems with DSP, the naturally smooth response provides a clean baseline for voicing. In systems without processing, the B&C DE550 sounds balanced and present without corrective EQ.
The 8 and 16 Ω impedance variants provide multi-driver flexibility for line array configurations and multi-driver HF sections without impedance-matching complications.
Ideal applications for the B&C DE550 include:
- Premium two-way PA tops requiring the highest possible HF output from a 1-inch exit
- Touring speaker systems and festival rigs running sustained high-power operation
- Line arrays using the 16 Ω variant for multi-driver HF configurations
- Two-way systems crossing over at 1.2 kHz for maximum directivity control from the horn
- High-SPL club installations and permanent install systems running extended hours
- Three-way systems where the compression driver covers a wide bandwidth from 1.2 kHz upward
- Applications where HT polymer’s natural treble eliminates the need for corrective DSP
Specifications – B&C DE550
- Throat Diameter: 25 mm (1 in)
- Nominal Impedance: 8 Ω
- Minimum Impedance: 8.3 Ω
- Nominal Power Handling: 70 W
- Continuous Power Handling: 140 W
- Sensitivity: 108 dB
- Frequency Range: 1 kHz – 17 kHz
- Recommended Crossover: 1.2 kHz
- Voice Coil Diameter: 51 mm (2 in)
- Winding Material: Aluminium
- Inductance: 0.14 mH
- Flux Density: 2 T
- Diaphragm Material: HT Polymer
- Replacement Diaphragm: MMD5508
- Available Impedances: 8 Ω, 16 Ω
- Net Weight: 1.17 kg (2.58 lb)
Mounting Information – B&C DE550
- Overall Diameter: 92 mm (3.62 in)
- Depth: 49 mm (1.93 in)
- Bolt Pattern: Two M6 holes on 76 mm (3 in) bolt circle, 180° apart
Conclusion – B&C DE550 Compression Driver
The B&C DE550 is the absolute pinnacle of 1-inch compression driver performance in B&C’s range. The 2 T flux density is the highest of any driver B&C makes — in any format, at any size. The 51 mm voice coil is the largest ever fitted to a B&C 1-inch exit. The 70 W AES is the highest power in the range by 40%. The 108 dB sensitivity is the loudest. The 1.2 kHz crossover is the lowest.
It achieves all of this from a 1.17 kg, 92 mm package that is lighter and more compact than the DE502 it outperforms on every metric.
The HT polymer diaphragm makes the B&C DE550 a complete driver rather than just a powerful one. It delivers treble detail and extension without the resonant artefacts titanium produces or the early rolloff Mylar exhibits. Clean, natural, controlled high-frequency output from 1.2 kHz to 17 kHz at sustained power levels that would compromise any other 1-inch driver in the range.
For premium touring systems, high-SPL installations, line arrays, and any application where a 1-inch compression driver needs to deliver the absolute maximum in power, sensitivity, and bandwidth from the smallest possible package, the B&C DE550 sits alone at the top. Two Tesla, 108 dB, 70 watts, 1.17 kilograms — nothing else in B&C’s 1-inch catalogue comes close.
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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.
