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M-Audio Studiophile AV 40 Speaker System

Michael Brown — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 19:16:40 -0500

Considering their $200 price tag, it’s amazing to see how many professional features M-Audio’s Studiophile AV 40 reference monitors are packed with, including 1/4-inch balanced inputs that can accommodate long cable runs. But you know the company had to make some compromises—and we found out where the moment we turned the speakers on.

At first, we attributed the low-level hum we heard from the amplifier to a ground loop, which can occur when components with different ground potentials are connected. But after connecting two other systems to the same outlets, we concluded the problem was with the amp. We returned the speakers to M-Audio, and the replacement set we received was a little quieter, but we still detected a funky buzz when we pressed our ear to the driver. If you’re using these speakers for recording, mix-down, or other critical listening tasks, the noise will haunt you because you won’t know if it’s coming from your instruments, your mic, or some piece of outboard gear.

The AV 40s do exhibit a characteristic that is essential for any speaker laying claim to the “studio monitor” moniker: pancake-flat frequency response that doesn’t add to, subtract from, or otherwise color recorded music. The 20-watt-per-channel class A/B amplifier is well suited for near-field listening, but if you also want to use the system for recreational listening or even gaming, simply flip the bass-boost switch on the back and be rewarded with just a little more thump in the low end. Even in this mode, bass response is far short of what M-Audio’s subwoofer-equipped Studiophile LX4 system dishes out, but it’s impressive for monitors in this price range.

Listening to the power funk of Tower of Power’s “Oakland Stroke,” we were impressed by the AV 40s’s ability to deliver the band’s full sonic spectrum, from the belch of Stephen “Doc” Kupka’s baritone sax to the crackle and snap of Dave Garibaldi’s drum work. But we’d score these speakers much higher if the amp were quieter.

M-Audio IE-20 XB Reference Earphones

Michael Brown — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 14:33:47 -0500

One of the most commonly voiced complaints about earbuds is that they don’t deliver enough bottom end; those tiny drivers just don’t have much material to work with when it comes to producing long waves. M-Audio’s IE-20 XBs are the exception to the rule. These earphones pump more bass than many full-size headphones.

M-Audio went long by going big—the IE-20 XBs (the XB stands for extended bass) are easily the largest earbuds we’ve ever seen; they’re more than twice as large as Shure’s E4gs. Their bulky nature can be attributed to the fact that each piece houses two speakers: an armature driver for producing high and midrange frequencies and a dynamic driver to pump out the lows. A built-in crossover routes frequencies to the appropriate speaker, and a pair of acoustic canals keeps the sound waves separate until they reach your ear canal.

Those of us here with smaller ears were concerned that the Kong-like proportions of the XBs would lead to a match made on Skull Island, so imagine our surprise when we discovered how comfortable these earbuds are. The included fit-kit accommodates a wide range of ear sizes, and the cables loop over the tops of your ears, which keeps them out of the way and prevents the plugs from sliding out. The cables are removable, too, so should they ever be damaged, you can replace just the inexpensive cable instead of the entire earphone.

The IE-20 XBs aren’t just bass monsters, they’re equally adept at delivering crisp highs and well-rounded mids. While we listened to Warren Zevon’s “Please Stay,” the XBs impressed us with their ability to produce Zevon’s lead vocals, Emmylou Harris’s background vocals, and Gil Bernal’s tenor sax all on an equal footing. They’re pretty spectacular with games, too. We’d hesitate before using these earbuds as studio monitors, though, because they really do emphasize lows. Use them for mix-down work and you might end up with tracks that sound bass-shy when played back through other speakers and headphones. But if it’s bass that makes you boogie, you’ll revel in these M-Audio buds.

M-Audio StudioPro 3

Michael Brown — Wed, 22 Feb 2006 12:15:28 -0600

We so dug M-Audio’s Studiophile LX4 speaker system that we named it “Gear of the Year” in our December 2005 issue, and we looked forward to seeing what the company could do for those of us with smaller budgets. The answer? Not enough.

M-Audio’s StudioPro 3 isn’t a terrible self-amplified speaker set, but neither is it great—even when you consider its $100 price tag. At first glance, the speakers look very much like M-Audio’s higher-end studio monitors. The hefty cabinets are constructed from medium-density fiberboard (the pair weigh in at 8.8 pounds), and the 3.25-inch low-frequency drivers and 1.0-inch silk dome tweeters are magnetically shielded.

The absence of a subwoofer didn’t alarm us, because we’ve heard other 2.0-channel speakers that manage to deliver enough low-end oomph to please our eardrums. And our hopes rose higher when we plugged in the StudioPro 3s and cued up John Hiatt’s Riding with the King: Hiatt’s edgy opening guitar riff crackled, and it sounded as though Scott Matthews’ Hammond organ was in the room with us. But when Nick Lowe came in to anchor the jangly tune with his walking bass line, our optimism evaporated—the StudioPro 3 system just doesn’t have much going on down below.

Tripping the speakers’ bass-boost switch (on the back of the cabinet housing the 10-watt-per-channel amp) helped some, but it wasn’t enough to satisfy our craving for thumpin’ bass. The absence of any meaningful bottom end was especially problematic for gaming. The StudioPro 3 set delivered voices and small-arms fire with aplomb, but large explosions and larger weapons sounded anemic at best.

We know it’s possible to deliver a rockin’ 2.1-channel speaker system for a $100 budget, because we absolutely adored Tascam’s unconventional VL-S21 flat-panel-plus-subwoofer monitoring system when we checked it out in June 2005. M-Audio’s solution is better than many budget audio systems we’ve reviewed in the past year, but it doesn’t come close to competing with Tascam’s.

Month Reviewed: March 2006

Verdict: 7

URL: www.m-audio.com