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Editorial Review The M Audio Studiophile AV40 monitors have changed the world of recording for the traveling studio producer and engineer.The ability to offer professional studio grade monitors at an affordable price has been overtaken by M Audio. Custom Vinyl-Laminate MDF enclosures offer a bass reflex design combined with the polypropylene-coated 4 inch drivers, you get the low end you need.The 3/4 inch ferrofluid-cooled silk dome tweeters provide unmatched clarity for the price allowing you to hear everything.The Studiophile AV 40 monitors also feature OptImage III wave-guide technology and a 20 watt-per-channel internal amplifier that utilizes Class A/B architecture.The perfect companion for traveling musicians.M Audio Studiophile AV40 Features4 inch polypropylene-coated woofers3/4 inch ferrofluid-cooled silk dome tweetersOptImage III tweeter wave guides for superior imaging20-watt-per-channel amplifier with Class A/B architecturemagnetic shielding1/4 inch TRS balanced and RCA unbalanced inputs1/8 inch headphone output1/8 inch stereo auxiliary inputfront-panel volume controlrear-panel on/off controlbass boost controlMDF cabinet with bass reflex port design ... Read more Reviews 
2.0 Speaker Comparison Result: Tied for First!, June 25, 2007
My old Logitech Z-560 developed a short in it creating nasty crackling noises over one channel. The Z560 was a rare beast, a $140 400 watt 4.1 monster that Logitech built to really high standards to create a strong foot forward into the PC speaker market. Sadly, their quality has declined since then, and their current offerings are cheaply made, sound far worse with music than the 560s, and have even fuzzier and more overwhelming bass than the 560 did (the systems one flaw). I decided to try 2.0 systems to see if I could get good PC sound without the added failure risk of a high powered sub and the muddiness that all that extra bass and clumsy frequency transitions between sats and sub causes...
My findings, from worst to best:
Logitech Z-10: 30 watts. Looks good, costs a lot, $150, list. Sounds dreadful. Despite having a largish 3" woofer, and a 1" tweeter, the Z-10 seems to be doing a lot of signal processing of music and the soundstage sounds compressed and artificial. Changing bass and treble makes things worse, and your music will sound different (and worse) on these speakers than it would normally. The touch controls and LCD screen are useless pricy gimmicks that increase chance of failure and add weight and cost to the system. Who in the world needs to see the name of the track playing on the bottom of the speaker? Anyway, these are a disappointment, with the worst sound and tied for the highest price. The speakers are heavy and well made, very stylish, though easily smudged with the reflective black surface on the front of the speaker. Logitech needs to redo these, silly gadgets and useless feature are tolerable, bad sound however is always a deal-breaker. Two stars, for style and build quality.
Klipsch ProMedia 2.0: Also 30 watts. Nice sound, good price, $100 list. Dual 2.5" woofers and a 1" tweeter with a Klipsch high-freq horn in it. These sound pretty good, but they are unexpectedly bulky and poorly made. The oddly formed speaker housing means these take up a lot of space and the volume and bass control knobs look like they come from a $10 CyberAcoutsics set. The cheapie knobs, bulk, and ugliness make these fit for corporate presentations where good loud sound matters and where style is largely irrelevant. For the home user, the cheap knobs may well break over time, which was the Achiles heel for my 560s; quality system, cheap volume pot. Three stars, good though not excellent sound, reasonable price, loses points for ugliness and some shoddy cost cutting in build quality. The bulk is sort of a neutral issue, as the larger box size probably helps the sound and bass extension of the units, but for some users the footprint and added portability difficulties may be an issue.
Creative Gigaworks T20: 28 watts (though the box says 22 watts!) $100 list. Creative obscures most specs on these, probably fearing the single 2.5" driver versus the bigger Logitech and the double same size drivers of the Klipsch may convince buyers that the T20 lacks in comparison to its rivals. Truth is the build and design of the T20s makes them sound much better than either the Z10s or the Promedias. These little speakers can put out an awesome amount of clear accurate sound, and they look great and feel very sturdy. Treble in particular is excellent, and the alleged Bass Xport technology must have something to it, as bass is more than adequate. The separate bass and treble knobs may or may not appeal; to some, they offer more control, to others the added circuitry distorts the signal and gives an added area of complexity in the design that may fail. The portability is excellent. The only real problem is that Creative is so secretive about the wattage and driver size, out of unnecessary concern that buyers may avoid getting these because of a few watts or a half inch. These sound great, look good, and the size to sound ratio is impressive. Four stars.
M-Audio AV40s: 40 watts, $200 list. My personal choice, these speakers are much bigger than the other contenders, but the amazing sound and plentiful bass will convince you that you don't need to even think about a sub system. These wooden cabinets are very attractive and sturdy, but are not exactly portable weighing 14 lbs and being quite bulky. (More so than the Klipsch, but they also look nicer and are built better.) Besides the size and weight, the other issue is cost and maybe availability as few vendors sell M-Audio, and the price for the AV40s even with discount will be $50-$65 more than the cost of the other units I looked at. To me the sound and accuracy (no distortion at high volume, lots of accuracy at low volume) of the M-Audios, at both low and high volume, offsets all the problems. Four stars, loses a star because of higher cost and weight. (Note though these are still theoretically portable, far more so than any 2.1 system or even the average boombox...)
Do You Need More Power, a Subwoofer, or More Speakers? Probably not. If you sit at your desk with the speakers a few feet away from you, you do not need much more than 30 or 40 watts for great powerful sound. A subwoofer (unless it costs a lot!) will just screw up crossover freqs, create too much bass, and encourage the mfgr to give you cheapie satellites on the theory that the loud prominent sub will wow the casual listener who will not care that the sats have 1" uni-drivers and are made of cheap light plastic. Unless you need to entertain parties with your PC, you don't need more power or a sub.
As far as surround sound, unless you watch movies on your PC or play a lot of FPS shooters that need positional audio, the added wires and difficulty of positioning the rear and surround sats in the listening environment are too much of a pain for most folks. Plus a decent PC surround sound system is at least $250, meaning a much higher cost than any of these 2.0 systems.
Buying Recommendations: Don't mind big and bulky? Get the M-Audio AV40s. (Note the company has a smaller less powerful variant, the Av20s, but I did not hear these and they do not seem to be widely available so I cannot comment.) Want small and portable, get the Creative T20. The Logitechs unfortunately have no comparative strengths, and the Klipschs are adequate but offer no real advantage over the Creative. If you can find the Promedias significantly discounted, they may be viable.
Punchy, Crisp, With Perfect Mids After Break-In. And Subwoofers Aren't Made For Music!, December 31, 2008
Until I used these speakers, I thought that speaker "break-in" was just certain audiophiles' way of justifying a speaker purchase. The speakers didn't actually get better, their ears just adjusted to them, right? Boy, was I wrong.
I purchased the M-Audio AV 40 after reading the umpteen quadrillion 5-star reviews plastered all over the internet, and after having sworn off bloated, sloppy subwoofers forever. I eagerly awaited the arrival from Amazon (four business days, not bad!), and when they came I was so excited I could barely hook them up. However, this was followed by an extremely hollow and anti-climactic sound. I was crushed! Rather than packing them for resale, I recalled some other reviewers' advice on breaking them in. I skeptically continued by leaving them juiced them for the better part of a day, and I was rewarded with the title of this review - Punchy low end, unreal crispness in the higher frequencies, and VERY well-pronounced mids.
A lot of people consider music to be low and high end, childishly embellishing both ends of the spectrum. That's fine, as I'm not the Taste Police, but sooo much music is lost, 'smeared', or just drowned like that. Most of your music lives in the mids, and that is clearly evidenced by the outstanding reproduction of the M Audios. I'm hearing subtle nuances I've never heard before, like fingers on frets, breath, and a ton of other sounds previously washed over by my typically consumer-level 2.1 system (Klipsch).
'Punchy' lows are hard to describe until you hear it for yourself. They are clean, 'fast,' and accurate. This is a stark contrast to the typical 2.1. The M Audio rig delivers low-end as the recording engineers intended. Most importantly, the rest of your music is intact, and you're free to enjoy a clarity generally unheard of in computer audio.
Another trait that bucks the trend of computer speakers is the clear highs. Sure, those other systems have highs, too...some even have dedicated tweeters (though most use all-in-one drivers). The difference here is that the highs just sail from the speakers as opposed to being shrill, 'bright', and fatiguing after longer listening sessions. You're free to concentrate on the music without being reminded of how annoying your speakers are. That's a HUGE upgrade from most speakers that use circuitry to color your sound. Bose, for instance, is notorious for ruining pure sound by processing it into what THEY think you want to hear. If that's tinny cymbals and loose, slippery bass, hey, have at it. The M Audios leave the frequency spectrum alone, allowing you to enjoy the flat (i.e., accurate) response or EQ to your content.
Build quality is out of this world, at this price point. Clearly, these aren't your buddy's same-same, 'plasticky' speaker system. The design itself is extremely professional and understated, though I can see how some users might be turned off by the footprint. Hopefully, this will be mitigated by the lack of wires running all over your office, or subwoofers taking up floor space (not to mention screwing up your sound).
One of the simplest things to do in order to have great audio is to ditch the sub and go for a system that is designed not to compete with itself, which is what almost always happens with overpowered subs and tinny satellites. People often buy speakers like the Logitech Z-2300 based on sheer power stats. Sure, you'll rattle window sills and piss off the neighbors, but I'm convinces that too much music is lost under the flatulent bass. Those units are GREAT for home theater, as they have ported boxes that lend themselves to power over accuracy. Thus, explosions sound great. But the same force that drives home sound effects in movies is what makes kick drums or more complicated bass lines boom and bounce all over the place, destroying the natural balance of the sound. The M Audio presents the entire spectrum for you to bathe in.
These are 'near-field.' You'll get the best result by placing them very close to where you sit. They will make a terrible bookshelf solution, as they are ported in the rear and bookshelf placement will not give them proper room to breathe. What I did was buy a $50 set of speaker stands here at Amazon, mounting them about four feet from each ear. The sound is just out of this world, and they look awesome while freeing my desk for my notoriously disorganized crap.
These speakers are like $130 shipped, as of this writing. That's the cost of most self-styled 'high-end' PC systems. But trust me, the AV 40 are the only ones I've heard that are delivering anything close to a great, non-fatiguing listening experience. As a bonus, if you live in an apartment or condo they won't be talking about you at meetings. But most of all, the clarity of these little speakers is hardly EVER found at this price point. I'm ridiculously happy with them, if you couldn't already tell!
Very price competitive, August 25, 2007
Update March 22, 2010:
After almost 3 years, the speakers still perform well. I haven't experienced any buzzing or hum that some people complained about.
This was my first review on Amazon, and I see that I wrote it mostly for the audiophile audience. So here is a quick summary:
These speakers have more liveness and less distortion than you'll likely find anywhere close to their price. They sound best with close-miked instruments and human voice. Although they have no subwoofer, they carry enough convincing bass to make all forms of instruments sound fully rendered and not tinny. Put simply, these make other computer speakers sound harsh and/or anemic by comparison.
You need to be careful with placement. Keep the speakers away from the wall and do not pack objects close to them. Use the supplied mat to couple them to a solid platform. The result is very even midrange and midbase, sweet treble, agile dynamics, and wonderful 3D imaging right at your desk. They should satisfy everyone for near-field listening who doesn't require a strong bass foundation. But make no mistake, these will out-perform some 2.1 systems just because they can really punch!
Now, for the audiophile in you, here is my original 2 part review:
I have listened to speaker systems costing less [Logitech (Z-10 + others), Creative (T-20 + others)] and more [Bose (companion series 2, 3, and 5)] than these speakers, but none of them had the dynamic snap and even midrange of the AV 40 speakers--I could tell that just listening in the store. Of all the others, the Bose companion 5 sounded the best in-store (better demo setup, too)--but it fell far short of the AV 40s. I wish I could comment on the comparative focus and realism of the speakers, but I only took the AV 40s home and not the others, so there's your caveat for the rest of this review.
The first thing that impressed me was the imaging behind my monitor--but I was also a little disappointed initially, because I was used to the in-your-face treble of cheaper speakers. Vocalists and lead instruments sounded a little recessed, but focused and not lacking in detail. Things quickly got better after the amp warmed up, and since that time, I haven't noticed a recessed sound, and the speakers seemed to open up. So I think the amp+speakers do need a little breaking-in or at least to warm up in order to sound their best.
Even when playing simple recorded voices from YouTube, I was struck with how focused and life-like the voices sounded. I could hear more parts to my CDs than before. I played "Step Into Liquid", and immediately noticed how overly processed recordings ("Back to You") sounded somewhat better, while cleaner tracks ("Endlessly", with deep harmonized vocals, percussive hollow woody instruments being thonked, etc.) totally blew me away! The voices and percussion sounded beautiful, rock-solid, and much more lively than I recalled hearing on cheaper speakers.
These speakers can deliver a very dynamic punch on the right music. I played "La Folia" on track 11 with the drums, and I can't recall ever hearing such a palpable impact on the attacks except when I played that CD in a car which had MB Quart speakers, known for their high dynamic kick. We're talking midrange kick, not bass--if you hear the Bose system, you'll understand the difference (Bose seems to put all of its dynamic response into the bass module, with mids and highs sounding lifeless). There was plenty of bass to satisfy a music lover, but probably not a bass lover. For near-field sound, it's perfect.
Because the sound was as good as it was, and because I played these using the built-in sound chips on my motherboard (Dell Precision 390), I was motivated to buy an M-Audio Audiophile 2496 sound card to see just how good my system can be on a budget (to be continued, below).
I recommend these speakers to anyone who cares about clean reproduction and approaching that sweetness and liveness that better components can offer. I paid $150 + tax.
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This is a follow-up review. I installed the M-Audio Audiophile 2496 sound card, and a 1 meter pair of Audioquest Diamondback interconnects. The sound card/cable combo required about 3 hours to break-in (initially, the new components made the sound restricted and somewhat bass-shy).
But after 3 hours, what a difference:
1) Bass was now tight and extended, and I realized I had been hearing a slight bloat before. So I flicked the bass boost switch on the speakers, which gave a small boost to the lowest range of the speaker--no coloring of the midrange per se (human voices remained unchanged), but a lift added from the upper bass on down. If the bass was not so tight and well-controlled, using this switch would have been unacceptable. In fact, before the upgrade, the switch WAS unacceptable.
2) Treble was now extended to my liking, with a remarkable smoothness (lack of grain). No peakiness, just good honest extension.
3) Better imaging, better focus (definite placement of instruments; more palpable).
4) A sort of constriction had been removed. I could enjoy a more emotional flow to the music--better dynamic response.
I could now play some of my best CDs and get that level of excitement I had felt was missing before. These included "Just Friends" by the LA4, "Modern Cool", by Patricia Barber, and "Salamander Pie", by Jay Leonhart. These CDs were missing that magic breath of life before the upgrade, but now they were "in the zone". Vocalists and instruments consistently had more presence. The timber of drums sounded much more correct. Guitar was sweet and plucked bass was outstanding (pluckier, better defined, less boomy, but nevertheless full on the bottom).
I played Vaughan Williams' "Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis" with the sound card volume maxed out and the speaker volume over halfway--really loud! I wanted to hear the massed strings get muddled, harsh, break up. The music hit its high crescendo, I waited, clenching my teeth, and--it all held. Instruments stayed well-defined, and those massed loud high notes never became grainy or harsh. They just got very, very, loud... Oh, and the bottom was definitely missing from this orchestral work, even though I was getting plenty of 'motion from the violins.
Clannad "Macalla", track 1 (low voiced choir)--mission accomplished. Fresh Aire III--mission accomplished, but... I noticed that if there was electric or synthesized bass in just the right area, I would hear a resonance in the mid-bass on a couple of notes, but I think it's more due to the speakers' location on my desktop in the corner of my office. This could be mostly remedied by knocking back down the bass boost switch.
I even went back to YouTube and listened to some of the audiophile recordings there and was impressed once more by the sound quality. Try searching for "Greek Audiophile" for an example.
A final caveat: in my room, I am using a very dead-sounding wood-and-steel-frame modular table from Ikea. And I use flat-screen monitors, with the speakers to the sides and slightly behind them, about 4 inches from the back wall--no obstructions on either side of the speakers. This means there isn't much interaction between the M-Audio speakers and my office furniture. And last but not least, I had chosen the Audioquest Diamondback cables to help balance-out this speaker's profile, in that they are very extended in the highs, and just slightly on the lean side.
In the end, I found the AV40s to perform best on human voice, percussion, and bass. They work well with chamber ensembles, close-miked instruments, and basically anything acoustic that has a nice dynamic character. Acoustic guitars hold onto their honey-sweet character. Horns and flute are without annoying peakiness or harshness. And it all comes across full-bodied in character.
So, in summary, the AV40s are capable of a high-end, uncolored, and engaging sound. And they will further reward your efforts if you hook 'em up with better interconnects and a "music-oriented" high quality sound card. For the price, they are in a league of their own.
High-End Speakers in Sound, Feel, and Appearance, December 19, 2007
You won't be able to crank up the AV40s at your desk without blowing your ears out. Having said that, playing your AV40s at reasonable levels is like driving a BMW M6 at the legal speed limit and feeling the pleasure of assurance, ease, and disciplined power. For $120 the AV40s prove to be more than worth the money. Hook-up is easy. Plug-in the AC cord, insert the left-right wires to both speakers, and hook up the red and white RCA input jacks and you're done. The volume is so full, loud, and detailed that now I don't know if I'm going to spend $350 on the Sierra Sound IN Studio 5.0 to play my iPod in the living room. While the AV40s don't have a built-in iPod dock, their sound is so good I may have to buy another living room pair instead of the aforementioned Sierra Sounds.
As for now, the AV40s blow away my iMac G5's built-in speakers (no comparison) and my previous Creative Labs I-Trigue 2200s, which at 50 dollars, aren't half as good as the AV40s.
Very good .... compared to what?, January 26, 2009
This product is a solid performer as you might expect coming from M-Audio. Keep your expectations in line with what the product is.... it's not audiophile quality. They are book shelf powered speakers that deliver pleasant, smooth sound with no real low end, not remarkably great stereo imaging but not fatiguing on your ears and fairly flat across most of the audio spectrum. This product is much better that what is commonly sold as computer speakers.
I reserve superlatives such as great and exceptional for only the very best. These speakers are good where most "computer audio speakers" systems are awful.
Surprised, pleasantly, by sound quality and power, July 30, 2008
I bought these speakers to bring what I expected was probably above average quality sound to a secondary computer, but I think I'm going to be using them on my primary computer. They're really impressive.
They do offer a fairly flat response, which is what I had expected from studio monitor speakers, but if you want to color the frequency spectrum a little, there are plenty of options with sound card softwares and things like Windows Media Player.
The sound is very precise and sharp, but not harsh. The highs are more reserved than, say, on your typical Klipsch speakers (which are my standard favorites), but the depth of the boxes on these allows for a surprising amount of bass. Really surprising amount of bass! Of course, they don't reach extremely low frequencies, but they firmly support the lowest frequencies that they are designed to reach.
To my classically-trained ear, I prefer NOT turning on the "Bass Boost," for it just makes the sound too boomy in the mid-low range. They've got plenty of bass without needing much tweaking. I find they need a little boost on the highs more than the lows. Right now, I've got Dream Theater's Images and Words playing with the volume about a 1/4 of max, and it's PLENTY loud, and the sound is TIGHT.
Their "presence" is much like that of the Grado Prestige Series SR80 Stereo Headphone -- you feel as though you're essentially on stage with the performers. They do not offer an artificial "audience presence" that is popular on some of the other brands of high-end speakers and headphones. They are truly studio monitors, as advertised. I'm very pleased with them.
I'm shocked that they're just rated at 20W. Whether listening to classical or rock/metal, I find that I really don't need to turn the volume up much at all, and cranking it up I can even reach a pain threshold -- but there's still very little distortion at high volume levels, so these could be used to fill a fairly decent-sized room. Of course, you'd be missing some of the frequencies below 85Hz, as advertised, but they have no problem providing clear sound at that frequency level.
Very fine speakers, and VERY solidly built. The TRS cable inputs are an added bonus, but I guess they should be expected since these are, in truth, Studio Monitors. Very good speakers/studio monitors for the money. I will be shopping for M-Audio products in the future.
I Don't Review Any Products, But I Am Making An Exception, July 28, 2008
I am not a multimedia type by any stretch of the imagination. Recently, I discovered the Jango website, was intrigued by the fact that I could stream the type of music I enjoyed & of course was not fulfilled by the quality of sound emanating from my laptop speakers. So I embarked on a research mission for quality speakers. Reviews led me to this product, The M-Audio Stereophile AV 40. I am an audiophile on a budget & have probably spent over $100,000 on audio products in my lifetime. This is the first review I have taken the time to write. My home audio system consists of Parasound separate electronics, Platinum Audio speakers, Musical Fidelity CD player, and Hsu Research powered sub. I have listened to the AV 40s and find these gems possess accuracy, tightness, realism, & a very full sound. I do not think you can go wrong purchasing these if you are a music lover. I took the advice of other reviewers and upgraded the speaker wire to a quality 16 gauge wire and replaced the 1/8" to RCA plug to a Radio Shack Gold interconnect. This does make a difference in the fullness & tightness of the sound. The bass boost switch is not necessary. These speakers provide a very balanced sound with it off. I am streaming Jango off my laptop and also use a Sony D-EJ925 Walkman is a CD source & could not be happier with the sound quality I am receiving from these speakers. If tight, accurate reproduction of an audio source is your goal, these are the speakers for you! Highly Recommended!!!!
11 months in and the speakers need repair!, March 13, 2010
I enjoyed these speakers thoroughly for the first 11 months but then they developed an annoying buzz. I switched electrical outlets, unplugged all non electrical cables and wires but the sound remained even when playing music through the speakers.
It's not even worth trying to get these repaired as M-Audio requires the purchaser to pay for shipping both ways and possibly a nominal handling fee. Plus, if they decide the problem was caused by "regular wear" then they will pro-rate the cost of the repairs for you. No thanks!
Best computer or multi purpose speaker around. Truely a Pro Audio device, September 26, 2009
When they say "studio quality sound" they are not lying! The sound of these are so good they were used to reproduce samples at a real studio session.
I was given these as a gift in a $100 max Xmas secret santa family thing. My Bro in law went off the amazon wish list breaking the hundy limit because of the great reviews he read about these.
Since Xmas day I have used these for tons of hours and love them. That day I hooked them into the In-laws Directv box's audio out and had them pumping Transformers loud and clear as a bell. The DTV box also had sound processing for two speaker surround and it was better then the familia's 3buck Sony with a jillion little speakers and enough wires to make a hammock.
Once I got them home, I uncluttered my office area of 5 ugly creative speakers and a fat sub. Yes these speakers may not have a poser sheik blob shape or 19 mini components but it's studio black no frills look is cool. The only update is a cool led ring around the volume button which is very usable during love making in the dark.
I do wish they had a white speaker or a stainless look but the black is cool and the only plastic is there for sound reasons not decor. It's an audiophile type plastic which allows waves to flow off better (I doubt I could hear a difference but the studio junkies can....)
One thing I did for awhile was put them low facing the wall in my office. The sound is so good that it bounces clearly off the wall from behind my desk and makes people think I have in wall or surround sound.
These are not computer speakers solely. I consider these to be real speakers that could make sound anywhere with the best of them. I have hooked this to everything from an 1962 rca out turntable to an Ipod (for lemmings) or (my fav) Creative Zen. It has a the tiny universal "aux in" in the front for mp3 players or anything really if you can get to a radio shack they have the wire to connect (literally) everything to these speakers.
All that said these are made to be computer speakers and not only are the best sounding but they are plug & play auto found by microsoft OS'es. When you use the aux in or headphones out on the front they also show to the computer using the full up to date (in Oct 2009) digital standards for communicating with a computer. You can control output to you headphones using the speakers headphones out (no other can do that). This is a huge thing for monitors in studios so they can trace bumps & noises down.
The backside of the left speaker has all the buttons and knobbies. TRS inputs, RCA digital, output for standard speaker wire to right speaker. Lefty is also the powered amp and has the wall plug connection. The Bass boost button does a world of difference without killing all the music. Most bass buttons with either on/off and not other adjustment is basically turning a passover coil on. Passover coils are normally very cheap in computer speakers and the cheap ones are still found in many high end name brand stuff. Usually a speaker mounted button is a bad thing because it just kills a range of sound. The bass boost here is a great passover as it only affects the low & low mid. The mid stays clear and the high is a wee quieter but still the same high frequency. (when any sound goes threw a passive passover coil it makes all the sound a little bit quieter)
The last thing about these speakers is they really do have the reputation in the recording industry of being great speakers. I saw a about 2-3 different episodes of cribs with home studios and every smaller studio had these or a mix of a few big and many of these.
I have a friend who once did some big recording here in Seattle with all the big grunge names you're thinking of. A few months back I got a call from him and he was working in a rockstar's garage studio. His friend fried his last digital input for the sampler and dj's turntables. They all wanted to record together so he had to find a solution. He remembered I had these speakers and an hour later they were recording live from the speakers. I heard the full playback and I couldn't hear a thing wrong with it. My engineer friends comment was, "These speakers are as clear or as dirty as whatever is put into them. One of the truest & cleanest responses I have heard."
He also explained to me how ever speaker has a sound sweet spot. It's where the sound is the loudest with the best full range response without breaking the distortion gate. He found them on this speaker and he was shocked how high the db was before strain. He proceeded to order 8 for his house & studio and 2 days later with Amazon prime he no longer needed me and I became out of the posse. I'm not bitter that sob... Maybe I should have learned an instrument other then the French horn. I can't really say I play the speakers as they sorda play themselves.
So to sum up a very informative review, these are the bomb! My brother in law rocks for breaking the price rule as after I got these would I really realize that I would have paid much more for these. If they ever die I will buy more fast!
I'm totally delighted, January 8, 2008
First some background: I'd been using a pair of Sony Digital Reference Headphones (MDR CD870) that I selected years ago after buying every pair of headphones at Fry's that sold for over $100 and doing a side by side sound comparison at home. Now I wanted some decent speakers so that I could share music with friends, but I wanted the sound quality to at least approximate that of my headphones.
The speakers: I'd been researching speakers for my laptop for about a week when I discovered the reviews here at Amazon. On the recommendation of C. Kelleher and "barking burro", I bought the AV40s and I am SO pleased with them. Yes, they're clear; I'm hearing details I hadn't heard before. And even though the sound is quite detailed, there's no harshness to it. Chords are full and rich and individual notes in the chords can be distinguished. Yes, the imaging is excellent; I can close my eyes and point to the individual instruments / vocalists. The bass is nice and tight and really amazing for such small speakers.
My setup: When I first bought the speakers, I thought they sounded slightly boxy. I was going to send them back to Amazon when it occurred to me that they might be vibrating my table. So I tried suspending them and the boxiness disappeared. They hang so that the tweeters are at ear level, angled slightly upwards, 3' between the speakers' centers. The sweet spot is tiny but gorgeous: I think of it as laser sound.
The speakers' bass is quite adequate, but I really like the visceral punch of big bass and I happened to have a spare 150-watt 12" Wharfedale sub-woofer that goes down to 22Hz, so I split the signal and am using it, with a crossover at 80Hz. I'm using WinAmp with the 10-band equalizer to cancel out the speakers' slight bass boost and restore the output to what I feel is neutral.
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Good When in Use, Buzz When Silent, November 9, 2010