They Keep Improving!
Written: Feb 15 '02 (Updated Feb 15 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Crisp, clean and detailed sound
Cons: Highly directional
The Bottom Line: For PC speakers, these are "da bomb." Crisp, well-balanced, detailed sound. Tight, clean bass that is free of boominess. Well-constructed, easy to set up.
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| monkuboy's Full Review: Level 9 Sound Designs MM-702 2 Speakers |
I wasn't even thinking about purchasing new speakers for my computer but I was intrigued after reading Computer Shopper's glowing review of the Monsoon MM-702 3-piece system (Feb 2002). While I couldn't find any other reviews of this particular model on the web, there were enough professional and consumer reviews of Monsoon's other models to heighten my interest. I finally decided to purchase them, sight unseen and sound unheard, based on the reviews. The lowest price I could find was via Dell Direct, $112.46 total cost after applying a 10% discount coupon and their free shipping offer, plus the bonus of not having to pay sales tax.
AFTER ordering the speakers, I found them on display (for $149) at a local CompUSA store. They sat on a shelf alongside some respected competition, such as the Klipsch 2.1 Promedia, Logitech 560, and comparable Altec and Cambridge Soundworks models. You would think this would give me a good opportunity to do a good side-by-side evaluation, but alas the arrangement was not conducive to such a thing. The speakers were on shelves of different heights, they were not spaced properly, and the music/sound source was really a repeating commercial with hyped-up, unnatural sound. All the speakers sounded lousy to me. During the whole time, the salespeople did what they usually do at a CompUSA store, they made themselves invisible.
The speakers arrived and I set them up. They are very easy to set up. The system comes with a subwoofer, two planar satellite speakers that are about 1/2" thick with attached cords that plug into the subwoofer, two adjustable stands, and a cord that connects the sound card to the subwoofer. On this cord is the infamous "puck" I read so much about in the other reviews, that some people love and some hate. It is like an adam's apple in the middle of the cord, with a muting button and a transistor radio-type volume control. My impression of this is that it seems rather cheaply constructed and it is cumbersome trying to turn the dial. I wish the dial had numbers on it for volume reference purposes, but no such luck. The construction of everything else in the system is of high quality, however - the cords are durable and thick, the satellites feel sturdy and weighty, and the subwoofer is appropriately heavy, solid and nicely finished. The instruction manual is very brief since it is basically a plug and play deal. The stands are metal and allow for angle, but not height adjustment for the satellites. The cords are generous in length. Many of the reviews I have read raved about the good looks of these speakers. While the thinness of the satellites is unusual, I am neutral regarding the aesthetics of the design.
So how do they sound? On first listen, I was disappointed. I was expecting something magnificent and my first impression was that they sounded closed-in, with a nasal quality especially apparent with male voices. Not too bad, but not what I had been led to expect after reading the reviews.
Maybe they need a break-in period, I thought (hoped). I first listened to them on a Monday and really didn't get to use them extensively until the weekend. But when the weekend came, they got a workout. I've been using them now for almost three weeks and have to say they keep getting better and better. An e-mail inquiry to Monsoon resulted in their response that the speakers needed about a week of break-in time. They appear to be correct, though I'd recommend even more than a week.
I was reading a forum on another web site where someone asked the question, if speakers need a break-in period, why don't the manufacturers break them in before sending them out? Another person wondered if speakers really needed breaking in, or if your mind needed to get used to listening to them (this was for speakers in general, not any particular brand or model). I pondered these questions, wondering if I was trying to justify my purchase, and thus was persuading myself into liking these speakers.
Well whatever it is, I sure do like them! And to answer the above paragraph, I believe the Monsoons do indeed need a break in period because they definitely sound different now than when first played. The sound is very clean; I can hear fine little details in the recordings, and in my opinion there is good balance over the entire audible range. I have the subwoofer set at around a 2 o'clock position (12 o'clock being halfway) and the bass is solid and tight. It is not boomy, it is not overbearing, and it is stays in the bass frequency - it doesn't crawl up into the midrange. The clarity of the satellites makes me smile and I can't wait to get home and listen to them every day. Female voices in particular sound extremely natural and detailed.
Initially I thought perhaps part of my disappointment was caused by having a narrow soundstage. After all, I am using a 15" monitor so it isn't like there is a wide stage in front of me. Therefore, imaging and localization of sound isn't going to be the same as listening to a home theater setup with the left and right speakers being about 10 feet apart as opposed to 20 inches or so. After the break-in period, however, I find the soundstage seems more open and airy.
Another significant factor is placement. I recommend finely tuning where you put the two satellites because even inches makes a difference in the way they sound. I placed mine slightly forward of the monitor, angled in toward me, with my head and the two speakers forming an equilateral triangle. Whatever you do, take the time to experiment with placement because the results will be worthwhile. I find that if I move my head closer to the monitor, I get a sensation just like wearing headphones, but this seems unnatural to me. I prefer moving back and having the sound come from in front the sides, rather than like it is direcly inside of my head. The subwoofer, meanwhile, is on the floor in the corner of the pc table, to the left of the speakers. The bass can be felt, and it is fairly non-directional.
Here are some of the cd's I used to evaluate these speakers. Note that I am not a gamer, so I have no comment about 3-D sound seeming to fly around the room, etc.
Dianne Reeves, "Bridges" album - her voice sounds very lifelike and clear; the instruments are well-placed and the clarity is stunning. Joni Mitchell's composition, "River," is a good example.
Santana's "Greatest Hits" - The guitar on Europa is impressive and you can feel the sheer power of Carlos Santana's wonderful solo on this song. The sound is clean and pure. On "Everybody's Everything" and "Soul Sacrifice" the percussion can be felt in your gut. The tom-toms sound very lifelike, with no false resonance or boominess. The sound is very precise.
Donny Hathaway's version of "What's Going On" - I wanted to hear a live performance. This was recorded at Doug Weston's Troubador (a small club) and it sounds like you are sitting in the middle of the audience. The acoustics of the hall give it a very open, airy character.
Steely Dan - Walter Becker and Donald Fagen are known for their perfectionism when it comes to sound. Tracks from "Two Against Nature," "Aja" and "Pretzel Logic" are all crisp, clean and well-balanced. The sonic subtleties present in "Aja" can be heard nicely.
The female voices in Laura Nyro's "Live From Mountain Stage," Bonnie Raitt's "Luck of the Draw," Ella Fitzgerald's Gershwin album and Linda Ronstadt's "Feels Like Home" are all stunning in how realistic they sound. There is no harshness or sibilance.
Pat Metheny's "The Road to You" and his trio's 00-01 live album sound very good. There is proper air and spaciousness, and the instruments sound lifelike.
Overall, I find that these speakers have extremely good clarity and detail, and are well-balanced throughout the range. The transient response of the satellites is great - sound comes across very crisp and clean. Some have complained that the bass is weak, but in my opinion, the bass is balanced with the rest of the range. If you are a "bass freak" and love to make everything boom and shake, then don't buy these speakers. The bass from the MM-702's is solid and deep enough for my purposes, and the subwoofer can make the floor vibrate. But it seems to reproduce bass accurately, not in an overwhelming or exaggerated manner.
Sorry for such a long review, but I had a lot to say (obviously).
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
monkuboy
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Location: san gabriel valley, ca
Reviews written: 12
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
I'm just another person who wants to add their two cents!
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