Swan Speakers - M200MKIII - Powered 2.0 Bookshelf Speakers - HiFi Speakers - 1'' Dome Tweeters - 5.25'' Long-Throw Woofers - Solid Wood Cabinet - CES Award Winner - 120W RMS

My previous desktop speakers—the Audioengine A5 and the KEF X300A—were both fantastic speakers with minor flaws that in time grew into big pet-peeves. The A5, for example, put out a crisp, warm sound with a thick mid-bass response, but unfortunately, no matter how I positioned the A5s, I couldn't get them to produce a focused stereo-image: the type of image that should place the vocalist into the “sweet-spot” at the center of your near-field listening position. The KEF X300A, on the other hand, had no problem producing this effect and many other pleasing effects associated with a wide soundstage. But the X300A's sound lacked body and warmth, and though its bass was impressively tight, the KEF's all too often sounded anemic (or maybe "polite" is a better word) with more bass-demanding genres: rap and electronica, say.Enter the Swans M200MKIII: These bad-boys marry the best qualities of the A5 and the X300A while avoiding their respective problems. The MKIII, as a result, can produce an impressively coherent stereo-image with a wide sweet-spot (for a desktop setup at least) that puts the vocalist right where she belongs: at the center of a wide and passably holographic soundstage. And this 3D effect does not diminish or come at the expense of the MKIII's less esoteric attributes: bass response, for example.Speaking of bass. Hot-damn! The MKIII can reproduce those visceral and thudding beats found in dubstep and electronica and still sound as tight as a coiled spring. These speakers can even play a 40 Hz test tone without noticeable distortion. An amazing trick for a desktop speaker system boasting 5-inch woofers.My only complaint: The MKIII is a bare-boned system. You can connect them to your source via the (provided) analog cable--and that's your only option! If you require USB or Optical or Bluetooth options, you're out of luck. I can live without these features, though this might be a deal-breaker for some folks.Anyway, I'll give the MKIII 5 stars, despite the lack of (expected) audio features.UPDATE: HiVi has produced a new model of the M200MkIII--the M200MkIII+--which addresses my one complaint by adding Bluetooth and Optical options. I'm tempted to upgrade, but because I purchased the MkIII during a flash-sale for an absurdly trivial sum, I'll probably stick with the older model.One final note: These speakers sound even better after a few months of "break-in." No exaggeration: These speakers impress me anew just about every day. The price to performance ratio is exceptional.

My first foray into more expensive speakers, and I'm not disappointing. First of all; the sound you get is VERY dependent on how you place them. They can project a very good image in front of you like other monitors I've heard if you aim them at your ears, or they can kind of envelope you in there sound stage if you aim them behind you. Sound is also very easily tuneable with the nobs in the front.One thing I am very impressed at was that mine came with two frequency response graphs, in paper, from the testing of both speakers. They are pretty neutral; going off those graphs. However, I will say that the listening experience is really pleasing/easy going coming from other monitors I've heard. I originally did state that they just might come off as a bit bright depending on what your used to, but compared to some actual monitors, and with both nobs set to a neutral position, I would describe the sound signature as ever so slightly on the warm side of neutral. For reference, the hd600 is my ideal sound signature on a headphone. There is some zing to the treble on some notes, which is why i said what I said earlier, but overall the treble region is very defined without being harsh to my tastes. Female voices just sing like I haven't heard from any speaker or headphone.UPDATE: So after adjusting the position of the speakers to "aim them" towards a little outside of my shoulders and tweeters aimed just under my ears - I'm in bliss. The projected "image" is VERY wide with a good amount of sound both inside and outside of the center field (between the speakers). I also switched the dac in my amp from a sabre chip I was using before to a burr brown and the high frequencies are much more in-line with the rest of the frequency (to my ears). Just a note in case your into that stuff.

These MKIII's are great desktop speakers for a small to mid-size room. They sound phenomenal for their price tag. They look outstanding on a desk. They are pretty large for a desktop speaker, but for me, they're worth the extra desk space. I've paired them with an SVS sub and this 2.1 system absolutely can rock my office. These don't necessarily need a sub, but it gives them an extra oomph on the low end to help you feel the music. I do wish these were the "plus" versions with a Bluetooth input and remote, but those are extremely hard to find.I only have two SMALL grips about these speakers. The amps will get warm on them, even when not being played, and there is no eco mode on them. Because of this, these should be turned off when not in use to extend their life, but unfortunately the power switch is located ON THE BACK of the right speaker so keep that in mind. The plus side to these not having an eco-mode, as that these start to play immediately when a you play something. There is no delay or pop, just clean sound that works great for any type of music or games. The bass, treble, and volume controls are nice to have on the front, though I generally leave them flat and control the volumne from my dac/headphone amp/pre-amp.I recommend these speakers. If you have the room for them, buy them, and enjoy them.