Product Description

The compact Studiophile AV 40 powered reference monitors deliver the same proven M-Audio technology favored by top producers, recording engineers and musicians around the world. The combination of 4" polypropylene-coated drivers and 3/4" ferrofluid-cooled silk dome tweeters provides punchy lows, crisp highs and a balanced, uncolored response. Custom cabinets with dense wood construction deliver more accurate bass response than you could ever get from plastic multimedia speakers. The Studiophile AV 40 reference monitors are the perfect solution for traveling musicians or anyone who wants top-notch sound from their desktop multimedia system.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #28 in Musical Instruments
• Brand: M-Audio
• Model: 9900 52155-00
• Dimensions: 8.75" h x 6.00" w x 7.25" l, 17.50 pounds

Features

• 4-inch polypropylene-coated woofers
• 3/4-inch ferrofluid-cooled silk dome tweeters
• OptImage III tweeter wave guides for superior imaging
• 20-watt-per-channel amplifier with Class A/B architecture
• Magnetic shielding

Amazon.com Product Description
The compact Studiophile AV 40 powered speakers deliver the same proven M-Audio technology favored by top producers, recording engineers and musicians around the world. The combination of 4-inch polypropylene-coated drivers and 3/4-inch ferrofluid-cooled silk dome tweeters provides punchy lows, crisp highs and a balanced, uncolored response. Custom cabinets with dense wood construction deliver more accurate bass response than you could ever get from plastic multimedia speakers. And for the highest possible fidelity, the Studiophile AV 40 speakers also feature OptImage III wave-guide technology and a 20 watt-per-channel internal amplifier that utilizes Class A/B architecture. The Studiophile AV 40 reference monitors are the perfect solution for traveling musicians or anyone who wants top-notch sound from their desktop multimedia system.

A perfect solution for traveling musicians or anyone who wants top-notch sound from their desktop multimedia system. Click to enlarge.

Convenient front auxiliary input and phones jack.

Rear features balanced quarter inch and RCA inputs, along with bass boost switch for low-end enhancement. Click to enlarge.

Studiophile AV 40 Compact Desktop Speaker System

Professional Components--Professional Results
The Studiophile AV 40 monitors are designed with the same quality materials and internal electronics that are used in M-Audio's acclaimed professional monitors. You'll find features like audiophile-grade Class A/B amplifier architecture and balanced 1/4-inch TRS inputs in addition to RCAs. It all adds up to a big sound that belies the speakers' small size. With the Studiophile AV 40s, you don't have to give up professional-grade fidelity to enjoy the ease and mobility of a compact speaker system.

Extended Low End
If you require extra bass response, the Studiophile AV 40 speakers have you covered. MDF wooden cabinets, bass reflex design and an integrated bass boost switch let the Studiophile AV 40s crank out plenty of low end--perfect for urban/dance music, DVDs and more.

OptImage III Technology
M-Audio's proprietary OptImage III wave guide improves overall detail and clarity while minimizing sound issues that can plague other compact monitors. The system works by improving the overall efficiency of the tweeter as well as time-aligning the drivers. This ensures that the audio from each driver reaches the listener at the same time, guaranteeing precise stereo imaging and accurate response.

Magnetically Shielded for Desktop Use
Unchecked, all speakers emit electromagnetic waves that can wreak havoc with your computer's video monitor or a nearby TV. The Studiophile AV 40 speakers are magnetically shielded so that all of your electronic equipment can coexist on your desktop without interference.

AV 40 Specs

• Type: Two-way desktop reference monitor
• Low-frequency Driver: 4" diameter, magnetically shielded and curved cone with high-temperature voice coil
• High-frequency Driver: 1" diameter, magnetically shielded silk dome tweeter
• Frequency Response: 85Hz - 20kHz
• Crossover Frequency: 2.7kHz
• RMS SPL: 101.5dB @ 1 meter
• Signal-to-Noise Ratio: > 90dB (typical, A-weighted)
• Input Connectors: Left and right RCA line input, left and right 1/4" TRS input and 1/8" aux input
• Polarity: Positive signal at "+" input produces outward low-frequency cone displacement
• Dynamic Power: 20 watts continuous, per channel into 4 Ω
• Input Impedance: 10 k Ω unbalanced, 20 k Ω balanced
• Input Sensitivity: 100 mV pink noise input produces 90dBA output SPL at 1 meter with volume control at maximum
• Protection: RF interference, output current limiting, over temperature, turn on/off transient, subsonic filter
• Indicator: Blue power LED ring around volume knob on front panel
• Power Requirements: 100-120V/~50/60Hz, 220-240V/~50/60Hz; powered via detachable 2-conductor line cord
• Cabinet: Vinyl-laminated MDF
• Dimensions: 8.75" (H) x 6" (W) x 7.25" (D)
• Weight: 14 lbs./6.34 kg

What's in the Box
Pair of AV 40 Monitors, Two Power Cables, 1/8-Inch Mini-to-RCA cable, 1/8-Inch Auxiliary Cable, Bare Wire Cable for Speaker Connection, Two Traction Pads, User's Manual.

From the Manufacturer
The compact Studiophile™ AV 40 powered speakers deliver the same proven M-Audio technology favored by top producers, recording engineers and musicians around the world. The combination of 4” polypropylene-coated drivers and 3/4” ferrofluid-cooled silk dome tweeters provides punchy lows, crisp highs and a balanced, uncolored response. Custom cabinets with dense wood construction deliver more accurate bass response than you could ever get from plastic multimedia speakers. And for the highest possible fidelity, the Studiophile AV 40 speakers also feature OptImage III wave-guide technology and a 20 watt-per-channel internal amplifier that utilizes Class A/B architecture. The Studiophile AV 40 reference monitors are the perfect solution for traveling musicians or anyone who wants top-notch sound from their desktop multimedia system.

Professional Components—Professional Results

The Studiophile AV 40 monitors are designed with the same quality materials and internal electronics that are used in M-Audio’s acclaimed professional monitors. You’ll find features like audiophile-grade Class A/B amplifier architecture and balanced ¼” TRS inputs in addition to RCAs. It all adds up to a big sound that belies the speakers’ small size. With the Studiophile AV 40s, you don’t have to give up professional-grade fidelity to enjoy the ease and mobility of a compact speaker system.

Extended Low End

If you require extra bass response, the Studiophile AV 40 speakers have you covered. MDF wooden cabinets, bass reflex design and an integrated bass boost switch let the Studiophile AV 40s crank out plenty of low end—perfect for urban/dance music, DVDs and more.

OptImage III Technology

M-Audio’s proprietary OptImage III wave guide improves overall detail and clarity while minimizing sound issues that can plague other compact monitors. The system works by improving the overall efficiency of the tweeter as well as time-aligning the drivers. This ensures that the audio from each driver reaches the listener at the same time, guaranteeing precise stereo imaging and accurate response.

Magnetically Shielded for Desktop Use

Unchecked, all speakers emit electromagnetic waves that can wreak havoc with your computer's video monitor or a nearby TV. The Studiophile AV 40 speakers are magnetically shielded so that all of your electronic equipment can coexist on your desktop without interference.

Specifications

type:	two-way desktop reference monitor
low-frequency Driver:	4" diameter, magnetically shielded and curved cone with high-temperature voice coil
high-frequency Driver:	1" diameter, magnetically shielded silk dome tweeter
frequency Response:	85Hz - 20kHz
crossover Frequency:	2.7kHz
RMS SPL:	101.5dB @ 1 meter
signal-to-Noise Ratio:	> 90dB (typical, A-weighted)
input Connectors:	left and right RCA line input, left and right 1/4" TRS input and 1/8" aux input
polarity:	positive signal at "+" input produces outward low-frequency cone displacement
dynamic Power:	20 watts continuous, per channel into 4 Ω
input Impedance:	10 k Ω unbalanced, 20 k Ω balanced
input Sensitivity:	100 mV pink noise input produces 90dBA output SPL at 1 meter with volume control at maximum
protection:	RF interference, output current limiting, over temperature, turn on/off transient, subsonic filter
indicator:	blue power LED ring around volume knob on front panel
power Requirements:	100-120V/~50/60Hz, 220-240V/~50/60Hz; powered via detachable 2-conductor line cord
cabinet:	vinyl-laminated MDF
dimensions:	8.75" (H) x 6" (W) x 7.25" (D)
weight:	14 lbs./6.34 kg

Customer Reviews

2.0 Speaker Comparison Result: Tied for First!
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.

Very price competitive
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 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 puts all of its dynamic response 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).

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.

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

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 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 peakiness 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.

Very good .... compared to what?
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.