Just music listening

[lcswoosh05]

If I want to use monitors for just music listening on my PC or my portable MP3player should I get the M-Audio AV 20 or the AV 40? I just wanted to know which monitors is more for computer, games and portable MP3 players.

[Rad]

There's plenty of audio solutions on the consumer market that should be able to meet your needs. I see no point in getting monitors if all you're gonna be doing is listening to an iPod/games/etc through them. Monitors are intended for music production, not gaming.

[elwoodblues1969]

Hello Icswoosh05,

If you have your heart set on the M-Audio brand,the AV40's would be the logical choice for general listening-for mp3 players & such,since this particular model has a front mounted 1/8" auxillary input.

Another reason that I think the AV40's are a nice choice,is that the tweeters are made of silk,as compared to the mylar tweeters on the AV20's.

Mylar is a low grade plastic,which does not offer very good sonic qualities,nor durability.

It seems clear that Rad is unaware of the fact that in addition to the consumer market,the pro market also offers entertainment options in the studio monitor realm as well.

I think that studio monitors that have a front auxillary input,is a pretty good indication that thay are also set up for general listening as well,as why else would they manufacture aux. inputs for mp3's & other portable electronics?

Besides which,there really is no set precedent for what you can use studio monitors for anyhow,especially when you take into consideration that in general,studio monitors have better sound quality,better durability and all for a cheaper price than consumer electronics and the best part is,is that you get the best customer service & product support in the industry when you buy from Sweetwater-of which you will never recieve from a store such as Wal-Mart.

Also,if what Rad states is true,then why is it that Samson came out with a line of studio monitors that has a I-Pod docking station built right into thier monitors?

You may want to seriously consider the new Samson line of monitors,since you have more choices to pick through to get precisely what you want.

As a previous owner of M-Audio desktops and a current owner of Samson monitors,I have found Samson to offer better overall quality for a lower price than M-Audio and since I went with Samson,Adam & Alesis,I never looked back.

By the way,my apartment is living proof that studio monitors can be used for various applications,as my studio & my home theatre is comprised of ALL studio monitors.

Just some food for thought guys.:cool:

Elwood

[lcswoosh05]

Well on M-Audio.com website does say that the AV 20 are made for music and movies listening etc. Also it did say that you can hear what your music is really playing on the AV 20 monitors. But is Myler tweeters really not that good since I know alot of car speakers use them and alot of home speakers use them too. I thought since they use them for car speakers that they are very good since they can handle heat and cold temps. I also see that the tweeters for the AV 20 are made so you can place them on your computer desk and the tweeters will face towards your ears without having to level them to your ears like normal monitors. Looks like that M-Audio did update there owners manual and now they have specs for the AV 20.



Here's the link to the manual for the AV 20.

http://www.m-audio.com/images/global/manuals/012907_AV20_UG_EN01.pdf



Also here's a link to the details for the AV 20 on M-Audio.com.

http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/StudiophileAV20-main.html

[elwoodblues1969]

Icswoosh05,

I would like to suggest to you that you not take a company's advertising too literally,as product descriptions are essentially a sales pitch to promote the product,meaning that thier claims as to the functionality of thier product may be vague &/or misleading.

I am not saying that the Av20's are a particularly bad product,as you probably cannot go wrong for $100 and I agree that the cabinet design is practical & attractive,if you do not have the option of placing the speakers at ear level...but it is very simple to improvise the placement of speakers,such as to prop up the speakers with some sort of makeshift stand.

With regard to mylar and car speakers,well...mylar is more durable than paper,as it is a plastic that does in fact, hold up better in sunlight & weather conditions,but the issue at hand is choosing a pair of monitors that will provide you with the best possible sound quality,as well as speakers that can withstand higher volumes,which is why I mentioned the Samsons.

Of course,it's not just the driver material that makes a good strong tweeter,but the components & amp behind that tweeter that makes it what it is.

If you're really intent on getting a space saving pair of monitors and you want to stay in the hundred dollar range,I would recommend the Samson MediaOne 3a's-as I think they would be a better buy for the same money(if you want my opinion).

As for what monitors or speakers that would be considered "general listening"...well,consider this; unlike consumer pc speaker systems,studio monitors are optimized by design,for a balanced,broader frequency response in a smaller package.

Studio monitors generally have better materials,better amplifiers,better cabinet designs-which to me,is an ideal,multi-purpose solution.

Just because studio monitors do not have remote control operation,15 band graphic equalizers,tuners,chorus & hall effects & all the bells & whistles of a convential enertainment system,it does not mean that they are not good for general listening.

For example,in my living room,my dvd player is hooked into an Alesis mixer,which operates my 4 bi-amped monitors that are placed in the 4 corners of my room,which gives me an amazing & inexpensive quadra-phonic home theatre set up-which I am extremely happy with.

Some would prefer to have a 5.1 system with tower speakers that stand from floor to ceiling-which is fine,but it does not suit my particular taste or budget.

That's what it all comes down to in the end..personal preference.

I'm just throwing out suggestions so that you can explore all your options and to see what's out there for you,so as to give you some insight & direction,based on my personal experiences.

It's easy to get lost in the scramble for your dream speaker set up,so you may want to further your own research more and talk to a Sweetwater sales engineer.

I hope this helps you out.:cool:

Elwood

[lcswoosh05]

Well I pretty much set up my mind for the M-Audios since I really like how they are made so that's why I needed help on deciding which one I should get. But if you were me which would you pick? AV 20 or AV 40 according the specs and details etc. If there is anyone that has heard of the AV 20 or AV 40 please tell me what you think how they sound.


Thank You very much

[elwoodblues1969]

To answer your question;

I could'nt tell you what I would do if I were you,but I can tell you what I would do if I had to choose between the two.

Never mind what the specs say,as the AV40's have a bigger cabinet & silk dome tweeters,so overall in the frequency range from top to bottom,you'll have sound that you will be happier with,as I see it.

If you need user reinforcement on the quality of sound,there are 3 reviews on the product description page,right here on this site,but really,all the reviews that you could find on the internet probably won't give you a concrete decision,as the deeper you dig and the more reviews you find,this will also include negative reviews as well.

You don't seem to have any issues with a specific price range or any space constraints,so why not just go for the AV40's and return them for an exchange if you don't like them?

[lcswoosh05]

Well there isn't really any reviews for the AV 20 I noticed but if there is anyone that has heard the AV 20 I would like to know how they sound to them. Also if someone finds any big reviews for the AV 20 I would appreciate it since I seem to not find any. :)

[elwoodblues1969]

Here's a couple of links to some AV20 reviews:

http://www.zzounds.com/item--MDOAV20

[url]http://www.amazon.com/review/product/B000ND8C00/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?%5Fencoding=UTF8&showViewpoint=:1

[lcswoosh05]

Ok well it seems like there aren't many reviews eather way but from those two I only see one saying it's good and one saying it's bad. I think I really want someone in here that has listened to them tell me what they think about the AV 20 monitors.

[lcswoosh05]

As I was saying if there is anyone in Sweetwater or others that sees this topic and has heard the M-Audio AV 20 monitors please tell me what you think about them. Like how they sound and the bass for it's size etc.



Thank You very much! :)

[lcswoosh05]

Well I have heard the AV 30 monitors since they are sold in Best Buy but I never heard the AV 20 or AV 40. But I can say that the AV 30 had really clear and birght highs and good deeps lows for its size. I was amazed and they sounded ALOT better than $100 Altec Lansing speakers that have a sub. But I would assume that the AV 20 and AV 40 would sound the same but I just wanted to ask if there is anyone that has heard the AV 20 or the AV 40 monitors.

[lcswoosh05]

Ok I finaly was able to play my music on both the AV 20 and 40 and I can say that the AV 40 has alot more power and lower end bass but the highs and mids are exactly the same to me meaing both sound really clear and precise like pro studio monitors. I currently own the AV 20 since I really like the small cute size monitors but I might get the AV 40 since they can go louder but I don't know. I like the cool looking shape that the AV 20 has but let me tell you they are soo small and slender. They are actualy smaller than I thought they were. I also can say they are very powerful for a 2in woofer but acutaly when I measued the woofer it is about almost 2in and a half so it is bigger than 2in. The tweeters are 1in and yes I can see they are made of Myler since they are shiny plus whats really cool is that I can place them on my computer desk and the tweeters will point at your ears. Since normal monitors you have to level them to your ears. They are pretty heavy for there size but that means that are built well and durable so that's good. I can say that how the enclosue designed is really like the higher end BX5a I use to have but just they are soo small. The AV 40 I saw were pretty big and they are closer size to the BX5a and even sound almost about the same. Just that the BX5a has more power thats all really. So I would consider the BX5a and AV 40 are really alike monitors and both make very flat response and clear sound.

[lcswoosh05]

I have been listening to the AV 20 and they just dont have enough volume meaning they didnt go loud enough but now I have the AV 40 and its more than twice and more bass too. I am happy with the AV 40 they are much better. Plus the AV 40 has a better waveguide on the tweeter than the BX5a so the highs can spread out more clear. Also the AV 40 has a bass boost that the BX5a or the AV 20 doesn't have soo alot of bass comes out when you turn on the bass boost for the AV 40. I can say the AV 30 has the bass boost too but the AV 40 has alot more bass since it's a 4in instead of a 3in woofer that the AV 30 has.

[JeffBarnett]

Seeing as how the last five posts in this thread are from you, and you have a tendency to ignore advice when it is offered, I wouldn't expect much of a response to your query here.

[lcswoosh05]

I returned the Rolands since it was making a loud buzzing noise and it was driving me crazy. But here are pics of my orginal monitors I ordered off the net. These are the M-Audio BX5a.

[Smithcok]

Have you read a single response to your threads??

I don't mean to be rude, but do you understand how forums operate? You, being the person who is asking advice, would then READ OUR RESPONSES, make comments back and forth. Eventually, after trading enough information, you would make a more informed decision.

Quit spamming. We are here spending our time to help you, and you are wasting everyone's time.

[elwoodblues1969]

I agree with you Smithcock,but it is very clear to me that Ics knows exactly what this forum's purpose is about and rather,Ics is just entertaining himself,as he seems to have nothing better to do with his time.

If he will not listen to a moderator's instruction,then he obviously won't adhere to anyone else's advice.

Inevitably,if he continues with this-one of two things will happen;the thread will be locked down,or everyone will ignore his rambling.

I am usually very happy to help if I can,but at this point,I cannot be bothered with Ics ever again.

Elwood