Very Competitively Priced 
by barkingburro , September 2007
Music Background:  Audiophile (but no longer hobbyist--too expensive)

To comment on some other reviews I read from this site: The AV40s don't sound harsh in the highs or muddy in the bass--the reviewers are confusing the speakers' sound with the sound of their electronics (fatiguing highs) or poor placement (interaction with furniture and walls). Please read this review to understand what I'm talking about...

I have listened to PC 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 AV40 speakers--I could tell that just listening in the store. I wish I could comment on the comparative focus and realism of the speakers, but I only took the AV40s 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 does need a little breaking-in to sound its 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 puts all of its dynamic range into the bass module, with mids and highs sounding flaccid). 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).

**************************************************************************

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 lost their profile, 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 astounded all over again at the quality. Try searching for "Greek Audiophile" for an example.

A final caveat: in my room, I use a 1500 watt APC UPS and plug everything into it. I have to believe the battery power conditioner helps. Also, 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 resonances or harshness. And it all comes across full-bodied in character.

So there you have it. The AV40s are capable of a high-end uncolored yet engaging sound--but possibly only if you hook 'em up with high-end interconnects and a "music-oriented" high quality sound card.

  Great Beginner Monitors 
by Lee from San Diego, July 2007
Music Background:  Amateur Musician, Hobbyist

This was my first set of monitors... I'm a college student with a very limited budget and I got these a month ago as my first attempt to mix for my rock band. However I've been using them more as my desktop speakers for general music listening.

I'll say they're excellent for the money. I compared these only to the KRK RP5's at the time, which were a bit more transparent but not really worth twice the price for me. As expected, there are a few downsides to these, considering such a low price. After about a couple hours listening to the AV40's, you start feeling the effects of ear fatigue. It could be my room, but the highs are a bit abrasive for me when you crank up the volume. The bass is very good for their size but they are still relatively weak at high volumes. I'll agree with the other reviewer that the mid to low range is pretty muddy, I had a hard time mixing that level.

As for overall accuracy, for the most part they're spot on. However, keep in mind the shortcomings... when I mixed what sounded best on these monitors, my friend felt that there was too much mids on his home speakers. Also there was too much bass when I listened to my songs in the car. I know that for $150, you're never going to get real monitors, so I got these kind of as a warm-up before moving up to the real stuff. If you're a beginner like me, you'll actually grow to appreciate the sound quality and detail on these compared to your regular speakers. I feel like I've developed a keener sense of hearing from spending a few hours on these everyday. I'm definitely now prepared for the next level... I'm saving up for a good $1000 pair for next year.

  Versatility and value 
by BK from Los Angeles, CA USA, July 2007
Music Background:  composer, arranger, pianist

For less than $150 a pair, you get a lot of features and great quality. The main reasons I purchased these were their small footprint and the large number of inputs -- how often will you find monitors this size with 1/4" balanced, RCA, *and* and auxiliary? I can hook up a desktop main out, a laptop headphone out, and the main outs from my MOTU 828 all at the same time without having to unplug anything or flip any switches when I want to jump from one setup to another.

As for the sound, these clearly don't sound as good as monitors in higher price ranges. How could they? There's a slight muddiness in the low-mid range when you turn up the volume, and the "bass boost," while very effective for what it is, is no replacement for a subwoofer. Except for those shortcomings, the sound coming out of these is clear and generally very clean; absolutely excellent for a composer or recording artist who needs pleasing and crisp uncolored sound. The frequency balance is very good (except for the aforementioned muddiness), and the wood cabinets of the monitors provide some nice resonance, especially for speakers so small. The high end is particularly well-defined; great for those buzzing synths and distortion effects. Solid stereo separation, as noticed when using a virtual orchestra (I primarily use these for scoring).

I would buy these again in a heartbeat -- M-Audio clearly put a lot of thought into them, and the quality shows.

Write Your Own Review!
We all love gear, and we all love talking about gear with our friends and bandmates. Why not share your thoughts with the hundreds of thousands of customers who regularly visit Sweetwater.com? Write your own customer review on this product! To begin, just Click Here!