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We’ve reviewed a number of great speakers, but we haven’t been this excited about a set of boom boxes since we laid hands on the eponymous Cambridge SoundsWorks MicroWorks in the very first issue of boot magazine—way back in September 1996.
Listening to Peter Gabriel’s new album Scratch My Back on Bowers & Wilkins’ MM-1 computer speakers sent chills down our spines, a sensation rapidly followed by slack-jawed awe. We downloaded the album from B&W’s Society of Sound music club, which has the exclusive rights to distribute the album in studio-master quality: losslessly encoded in FLAC with 24-bit resolution at a 48Hz sampling rate. The MM-1 delivers audio quality that’s so exquisite, so pristine, that it makes the mighty AudioEngine A5—our previous favorite 2.0-channel speakers—sound almost muddy in comparison.
B&W tells us it didn't need to move a lot of MM-1s to earn a profit—no surprise there—but would the system sound as sweet if it were produced en masse?
We were particularly impressed with the MM-1’s bass response: There’s no subwoofer, so this system will never rattle your floor joists; in fact, frequency response bottoms out at 57Hz. But those lows are absolutely clean, lusciously well rounded, and perfectly balanced with the most scintillating highs and midrange frequencies we’ve ever heard from desktop speakers. In fact, this system is already pushing the Klipsch Pro Media 2.1 off our Best of the Best list—and that product took up its perch only last March. And yes, we’re taking games and movie soundtracks as well as music into consideration.
The MM-1 sounds so magnificent that we don’t even mind that it’s a USB speaker system that bypasses the PC’s audio circuitry; in fact, that’s a major plus—unless you’ve invested in a high-end soundcard like the kick-ass Asus Xonar Essence STX we reviewed in June 2009. Our only other mild criticism is that B&W decided to use a proprietary cable hardwired to the right speaker (which contains the amplifier and DAC) to connect the left speaker, and the cable is just long enough to position the speakers on either side of a 30-inch display.
If you ever needed proof that sheer power doesn’t necessarily ensure great sound, give the MM-1 a listen. The amp delivers just 18 watts to each of the four drivers (two one-inch Nautilus tube tweeters and two three-inch glass-fiber woofers), and while B&W considers them strictly near-field monitors, we found they had no difficulty filling our 80-square-foot home office with music. The speakers look as gorgeous as they sound, too, wrapped in stretchy black fabric with spun-aluminum tops and surface-mounted volume and power buttons embedded in the aluminum band around the right cabinet. You’ll find a line-in jack for a digital media player and a headphone jack there, too. A flat, ovoid remote controls volume and the transport mechanism for your favorite music software (we tried it with Media Monkey, iTunes, and Foobar 2000). Thick rubber bases on both speakers isolate them from your desktop.
We’d like to tell you that the MM-1 is comparably priced to speaker systems made by the likes of Logitech, Altec Lansing, or even Klipsch, but 500 clams puts it at the opposite end of the spectrum. If you’re as passionate about audio quality as you are about the rest of the components in your rig, on the other hand, that’s not such a high price to pay.
UPDATE: We selected the MM-1 speakers to accompany our 15th annual Dream Machine build. You'll find our first Dream Machine 2010 story here.
Exquisite audio reproduction; elegant design.
Very expensive; short-ish, hardwired cable on right speaker cabinet.
| Amplifier Power | 18 watts x 4 channels |
| Frequency Range | -6dB at 57Hz and 22kHz |
| Tweeter | One-inch Nautilus tube (two) |
| Woofer | Three-inch glass-fiber (two) |
| Inputs | 1/8-inch line-in; USB 2.0 |
| Outputs | 1/8-inch headphone |
tarrant07
July 06, 2010 at 6:54pm
Ever since Vista came out (and now win7) ... I've become more and more confused about the role of a dedicated sound card for gaming.
It used to be you needed a discrete sound card for improved audio fidelity, 3D-positional audio, environmental/ambient effects (EAx) and sound acceleration for gaming purposes. However, with the advent of Vista I think EAX went out the door, although there were patches around that (Creative ALchemy I think).
Now, with these B&W Speakers using USB, it seems a sound card is all but irrelevant. Other than those who watch movies on their PC or use their PC as a HTPC, do we really need sound cards anymore??
albe23
June 23, 2010 at 6:52pm
I too am a little suspicious of the $500 price tag, and it is quite a bummer that it is not a 2.1 system. I would however been less suspicious if they at least had a sub-out. What I do not and will not ever do, again, is buy logitech speakers. That Z-2300 uses a crap "full/extended range" driver for its sats. Not to mention that the control pod will probably break since the Z-600, Z-5500, and G series all had the same problems.
"Force has no place where there is need of skill." - Herodotus (484 BC -
430 BC)
athlon11
June 23, 2010 at 3:49pm
Sorry to say but the B&W make the Logitech speakers sound like shit.
albe23
June 23, 2010 at 11:22am
So for $500 dollars I get an 18WX4 speaker package with a short cord that completely bypasses my sound card....brilliant! I also like the fact that you say they will hit 57Hz out of a 3" driver but fail to mention its at -6dB, I would like to know where the actual f3 point is. The form factor is quite appealing and they may sound great, they are from B&W, but I would rather go with the MKIII's which will sound more fantabulous even with a crap card. Also, I don't think this will pull me away from my card/reciever/2.1 setup I have now.
"Force has no place where there is need of skill." - Herodotus (484 BC -
430 BC)
Number Six
June 23, 2010 at 11:19am
Ten is for perfection. The thing is hardwired. That's not perfection.
Oh the humanity!
-Six
MrMick
June 23, 2010 at 11:25am
A verdict of "10 Kick Ass" isn't meant to imply perfection; that's why we have minuses in the verdict as well as pluses.
Michael Brown, Reviews Editor
Twitter: brownieshq
Talcum X
June 23, 2010 at 10:42am
Even if they sound better, there is no sub....so its not accuate to have them in the 2.1 category. I know, I'm being nit-picky, make it the 2.x category to cover both. Sorry, I'm bored today. Vid card on the fritz and my games keep crashing. Replacement on the way. Will feel better soon.
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Every morning is the dawn of a new error.
"In Ireland, there are more drunks per capita than people." - Peter Griffin
DReborn
June 23, 2010 at 10:00am
I have wanted these guys since they have been announced last year. Even hunted them down at CES, tried to steal them from the B&W booth but supposedly that was "theft."
Got them about 2 months ago and they are something special. They make you want to listen to new music. And yes you pretty much have to factor in a B&W Society of Sound membership into the price of the MM1's.
ONE negative which I absolutely agree with MPC on is the length of the propriety cable. I have a tri monitor setup with a 30" flanked by two 19" in portrait and the MM1's BARELY reach around the 30". Seems silly for B&W not to have a longer cable or at least sell a longer one.
Only way I rationalized the price was to compare it to a great pair of speakers and an expensive soundcard. I was going to get the Swan MKIII's + the ASUS Sonar Essence STX which I am sure would be amazing but then I have these big bulky speakers, another piece of hardware in my computer (they will get outdated), crappy soundcard software, etc all for pretty much price of the all in one MM1 package.
That, and I never told people these little black speakers on my desk cost more than a laptop deal at Best Buy.
