Dynaudio AIR-20 (circa 2003)
A $4,660 three-way active monitor with DSP, PWM amplification and a network jack inside the cabinet. It was the first three-way in the AIR series.
Overview
The AIR-20 was Dynaudio Acoustics' first three-way design in the AIR series. It is not a passive box you match to an amp. The AIR series used precision DSP filtering and PWM (pulse-width modulation) amplification, and every monitor tied into the TC Link network. That gave a studio central remote control, preset storage and recall, and unusually fine alignment flexibility. The AIR-20 integrated into any AIR network and carried all the system conveniences already established on the AIR 6 and AIR 15, according to the period documentation.
The driver complement shows this was a full-range monitor, not a small nearfield. A 1.1-inch soft-dome tweeter with a 1.1-inch aluminum voice coil and an oversized neodymium magnet system handles the top. The midrange is a one-piece molded polypropylene 5.5-inch cone. Down low sits a 10-inch woofer with a one-piece molded polypropylene cone and a 4-inch aluminum voice coil. That is a big coil for a 10-inch driver. The new tweeter and midrange designs were specifically aimed at controlling directivity, which minimized reflections off the console, the floor, and other nearby surfaces.
The price was $4,660, and Mix (2003, p.113) ran the AIR-20 in its pages as the new three-way taking advantage of AIR technology, combining it with Dynaudio's two-to-one technology to set new standards for performance and precision in three-way powered monitors. That is advertising copy more than an independent verdict. The AIR platform's feature list is more concrete: acoustic placement compensation, programmable reference levels, level alignment in 0.1 dB steps, and all monitors factory-aligned within ±0.2 dB precision, along with integrated parametric EQ. Those numbers matter in a 5.1 room, where every cabinet has to behave identically.
That is how the AIR-20 was meant to be used. The AIR series monitors were matched and interchangeable out of the box and configurable in both stereo and 5.1 monitoring setups. The period record shows the AIR-20 in that role: Mix (2003, p.102) noted NRG Studios in North Hollywood planning to equip its new rooms with 5.1 AIR systems. It was built to be deployed in multiples and aligned as a system.
What's documented about the AIR-20 is mostly the launch story: the NAB 2003 booth presence, the trade-press announcements, the network architecture. What's not documented is the long-term service record, the failure modes, the going rate on the used market, or how many rooms actually kept these running. The documentation trail is thin on the back end. The engineering is clear enough: a three-way active monitor with DSP, PWM amps, and network control, sold at a price that put it firmly in professional territory.
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