A Rig Rundown usually takes one composer's setup apart piece by piece. This one takes apart a year. In 2026, four monitor makers announced new lines that, stacked together, cover every tier a scoring setup goes through: the desk, the project room, the mix room and the immersive stage. Everything below comes from the makers' announcements as reported. We haven't measured or heard any of these, so there are no sound judgments here, only what's on the spec sheet.
Tier 1: The desk
JBL 3 Series MkIII (announced November 2026). Three full-range models, the 305P, 306P and 308P MkIII, plus a 310S MkIII subwoofer 4. Each full-range monitor has four one-touch room controls that JBL says offer 81 corrective EQ combinations without calibration software 4. The family is pitched at stereo, 2.1, surround and immersive setups, every full-range model has M4 mounting points, and the sub reaches down to 26 Hz 45. As of November 14, 2026, JBL's announcement lists availability from November 3 in Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with North America following on January 7, 2027 5.
Tier 2: The project room
KRK V Series Five (announced August 2026). Three sizes: the V4 with a four-inch woofer, the V6 with 6.5 inches and the V8 with eight 2. KRK lists the V8 down to 32 Hz with a 121 dB SPL peak 2. The composer-relevant feature is control: KRK Mesh lets you adjust settings, compare EQ profiles and manage levels from a phone app, individually or in groups, without touching the speakers 2. Room tuning includes 49 preset Boundary EQ combinations and seven parametric PRO EQ filters 2.
Tier 3: The mix room
Neumann KH 310 II and KH 350 (announced September 2026). Both are three-way designs with a 3-inch soft-dome midrange, 1-inch tweeter and 8.25-inch woofer, 585 W of amplification and compatibility with Neumann's MA 1 automatic alignment 3. The KH 310 II is sealed and claims 5 dB more maximum SPL than its predecessor 3. The new KH 350 is a bass-reflex design reaching 27 Hz (±6 dB), with a cabinet almost twice the size of the KH 310 II 3. Neumann positions it for nearfield and midfield use, larger rooms and immersive setups, slotting between the KH 310 II and the flagship KH 420 3.
Tier 4: The stage
PMC main monitors (announced at NAMM, January 2026). Four active three-way models, the PMC10, PMC12, PMC15 and PMC10-4, aimed at spatial and object-based work across music, film and broadcast, including Dolby Atmos Music setups 1. PMC says it built a long-throw bass driver in-house for the first time, with up to 36 mm of linear excursion 1. The master36 controller supplies six Class-D channels totaling 3,600 W 1. PMC's own release doesn't undersell it:
“Most significant advance in monitor design in more than three decades.”
That's a manufacturer's claim, not a measurement.
The wall, by tier
What the year says
Every one of these launches mentions immersive or multichannel use 134, or remote control and room correction 24.
For room correction built into an audio interface, see our report on Audient's iD Mk3 range.