Audio precision for your desktop.
Written: Jan 26 '02 (Updated Dec 18 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fairly accurate, sharply detailed and crisp audio reproduction; wonderful imaging for the PC.
Cons: Typical aiming and imaging problems associated with planar designs, susceptibility to dust, 'weakest-link' connectors.
The Bottom Line: Though ultimately fragile, they've been considered the best 2.1 solution ever available; five years of audio excellence is all the evidence I needed.
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| monoblocks's Full Review: Level 9 Sound Designs MM-1000 2 Speakers |
(UPDATED: 12/18/05):
The Sonigistix Monsoon MM-1000 flat panel speakers are my second foray into a 2.1 speaker system for any of the computers system that I've owned, now or in the past. They currently serve our main desktop computer at home and, to date, have provided superb stereo performance through two generations of soundcards on this Dell. Though there's the mild temptation these days to step into the realm of full 5.1 surround sound that our SoundBlaster Audigy Platinum eX soundcard is capable of, the ample sonic performance Monsoon MM-1000s make a strong case for the old adage of leaving well enough alone.
How I came about choosing them was actually one of the first instances where I relied solely on the reviews and advice found on the internet. Unable to find a local retailer who stocked the MM-1000s, let alone having floor demos available for auditioning, I found an audiophile's web site (while researching semi-professional soundcards made by a company called m-audio) that cited his minimum requirements for 'a good audio system' for the PC, which the MM-1000s played a key role in. Since this fellow's opinions were highly regarded in the internet hi-fi newsgroups (quite the colorful, if raunchy, place), I somewhat surprisingly (in hindsight)found myself trusting his opinion.
I was in the market for a new set of speakers to replace a year-old set of Microsoft's Natural Sound System 80 2.1 speakers, a reasonably decent-sounding system which I had bought relatively cheap from Costco. However, unknown to me at the time was a problem with built-in amplifier of the Philips-designed-and-built System 80; they had a greater-than-expected tendency to fail. Since MSFT isn't in the hardware-repair business (they're too busy being in the software-repair business to be able to do anything else, but I digress), their solution was to issue a refund for the unit, as long as the boxed system could be shipped down to the San Jose, CA refund center within a year of the original purchase, copy of the sales receipt in tow.
Talk about bad karma; MY System 80 failed ON the one-year ANNIVERSARY DATE of the purchase. It took nearly a week waiting on correspondence with Microsoft Tech Support to find out about the refund program, and another two or three days of digging to find the receipt. Great; now I'm really too late. Since Philips didn't support the hardware (it's officially a Microsoft product), there was no outlet to take them to in order to repair them because replacement parts were impossible to come by without an 'official' source (for that matter, there would be no guarantee that this wouldn't happen in a year's time yet again anyways). I suppose I could've pushed it with MSFT on the refund, but I figured for the cost of shipping the things down there and the possibility of not getting anything in return, I'd be better off to walk away from their poor excuse of a speaker system, which was exactly the course of action chosen. But now I was forcibly flung into the market for new speakers.
At the time, the list price for the MM-1000s was quoted around $225 at various locations around the web (some sites quoted an even higher list); I found them at buy.com for around $150, and since I was unable to find one lower at that time, I ordered the set through them, also conveniently taking advantage of one of their reduced shipping promotions. In a week they showed up; now I'd get a chance to see just how wise it was to trust the opinion of a total stranger I'd never even conversed with.
Setup of Sonigistix speakers is fairly easy; unlike the System 80's analog/digital design, the Monsoons are a straightforward analog system that only requires that adequate real estate be around the computer, and that a power outlet be available for the subwoofer and speakers. There's no extra software or drivers to install; they just plug into the appropriate stereo mini jack in the back of the soundcard. Like virtually all 2.1 designs, the Monsoons consists of the left and right channel satellites, and a subwoofer containing the amplifier. Connect the remainder of the cables (from the flat panel satellites and the power supply) into the correct locations in the subwoofer housing, turn on the power on the top of the subwoofer case, and the Monsoons are up and running.
Features of the Monsoons are spare but useful; there's an inline volume wheel/on-off wired switch (or 'puck', as Sonigistix refers to it as) that controls the system's operation. As stated above, the Monsoons master power switch is on the subwoofer enclosure, along with the sub on/off switch and a sub level control knob. Both of these two switches' operational status are indicated by an LED adjacent to the corresponding control. That's all there is for the user controls. However, the setup isn't complete; the next phase of the process, the speaker placement and aiming, requires even more attention.
If I recall correctly, the entire line of Monsoon PC speaker designs typically consists of planar magnetic ribbon drivers for their full-range flat panel components; there are no traditional 'mechanical' speaker cones firing aside that of the subwoofer. Speaking from prior home audio experience, ribbon driver speakers have a distinct flaw inherent in their design, notably that they have a highly directional listening area, with a specific set firing zone in which their optimal sound performance is available. They also tend to rely on the cone woofer or sub for emitting most if not all of the low frequency information.
What's that mean? It means that the location and the aiming of the speakers is critical to the listener getting the best sound (in this case, the person who's sitting at the computer). Twist one of the satellites to face slightly askew to the listener; the once-excellent imaging is suddenly all wrong, and the speakers' sound basically 'sucks'. First hand, it's the infamous 'sweet spot' in operation. This also means that if the computer is used as a general audio listening device when someone is NOT on the computer, the audio that the listener would hear may not be the best sound achievable because the directional aiming characteristic of electrostatic drivers, something that's far less an issue with coned driver speakers. Fortunately, the MM-1000's satellites are simple, lightweight affairs that can be quickly re-aimed by the listener to optimize the imaging of the audio. But as convenient as this is, it's also a drawback; it's just as easy for someone who's cleaning around the computer to inadvertently throw the placement and aiming OUT of adjustment as well.
Placement of the sub should probably be somewhere centrally located between the two satellites; in our setup the unit is offset towards the left channel, and though bass is supposed to be non-directional, the overall balance of the sound does seem to lean towards the left for our Dell. Also note that the MM-1000s aren't really designed with high listening volumes in mind, likely due to the amplification that's supplied; they're much more comfortable operating at moderate and lower volume levels.
The performance of the MM-1000s, assuming that they're aimed correctly (the satellites generally pointing towards the listener), is quite excellent, though keeping in mind that we're are talking about a PC environment here. The sound is reasonably full and precise, and the depth and imaging of the sound is certainly the best I've experienced from a 2.1 setup on a PC. Details are reasonably accurate in their reproduction; as PC speakers go, there's not an excessive amount of colorization in the tonal qualities of the music. The subwoofer though, actually fires with more information than lower bass frequencies normally associated with a straight sub (it operates more as a woofer than a true sub); in operation with the flat panels, the combination gives a complete, listener-friendly performance.
After fifteen months of use, I've come across other flaws with the speakers, chiefly related to the cabling and connection points. While the satellites connect to the sub's amplifier via traditional bare-wire speaker terminals, the cable coming in from the soundcard is simple, lightweight mini-plug affair that introduces weaknesses into the system. On the subwoofer/amplifier end, the mini-plug input jack has proven to be highly susceptible to dust 'infections', where occasional blasts of compressed, canned air are needed to keep the port clean and free from 'crackling' static whenever the cable is inadvertently moved (or kicked by the computer user, as our case may be). Also, all of the terminals and jacks found on the sub housing seem to me to be on the cheesy side; there's considerable play and 'wiggle' to their mounting.
All told, the Sonigistix Monsoon MM-1000s make for a more than satisfying listening experience. They were extremely good with our old SBLive! soundcard; they're bloody well superb with the new Audigy, even if the Audigy itself hasn't been in other regards. Keep the speakers aimed right, and who needs 5.1 surround sound when stereo sounds THIS GOOD? (though I have seen that Sonigistix now has a 5.1 system available...hmmm...)
For people who appreciate great stereo sound and want it for their PC: a crystal clear 'RECOMMENDED'.
UPDATE (A eulogy *sob*):
As the years have passed, one thing I've discovered about the MM-1000s is that this design is a rather fragile one. Many have reported problems cropping up with the power supply, as well as issues with deterioration of the terminal ports on the subwoofer assembly and with the wiring of the control puck. One particularly nasty problem is the gradual failure of the magnetic driver surfaces within the satellite speakers, which is the malady that now infects the left channel of my MM-1000s. The result is that in the midrage frequencies an irritating crackle in the audio dominates the sound output whenever the speakers are asked to handle increasing volume levels.
I've found a posting or two on the internet that describes a temporary fix, but it seems that with continued usage and the ravages of time this is a problem that won't go away. Considering that Monsoon as a company (or subsidiary) doesn't seem to exist anymore, new-old-stock replacement parts are impossible to find and even used parts are tough to locate, aside from scavaging dead or comatose sets one sometimes finds in PC recycle centers or for sale on eBay.
Level 9 was, at one point, Monsoon's parent when Sonogistix was bought out by some sort of Taiwanese entity (I believed it was called Eastech, which either owned Level 9 or handled its marketing and distribution) a few years back. But Level 9 itself has faded from the consumer marketplace, leaving fans of the early Monsoon products to fend for themselves (Eastech's current speakers use more conventional driver designs rather than the Monsoon's planar technology).
The REAL pain is that over the past seveal years I've yet to find a replacement set that's as sonically good as the Monsoons. I've listened to the some high end European brands, sampled a variety of Klipsch sets, laughed at Bose and JBL products, turned up my nose at pedestrian Logitech and Creative systems...I've always come back to the Monsoons, whether it's a 2.1 like my MM-1000s, or a multichannel like my good buddy's MM-2000s (he continues to thank me for turning him on to Sonogistix, even though he's dreading some sort of pending failure that may befall his set as it has mine).
But now that the defect is getting worse, it's really become time to replace the Monsoons; the search for a computer-friendly replacement has been the most trying and unsatisfying quest I've had in a LONG time. And it's still ongoing...(sigh).
They're living on borrowed time and still hooked up to and wheezing on my latest computer/media sound rig, and I'm already missing them. It's tough to say goodbye to a cherished friend...it's a shame Magnepan doesn't do multimedia and Eminent Technologies discontinued their planar LFT11 computer speakers...expensive ($600/set I think was the last price I recall) but I read some fairly glowing reviews on them.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
monoblocks
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Location: PacNW
Reviews written: 36
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