esaleris
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Sep 27, 2011
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I was at the Apple Store asking about the Audyssey LEF. Nobody really had experience with it, much less compared to the similarly-sized B&W MM-1. I asked the Apple guy if it was okay to take both home and just return one. He said fine, and even Googled the models for me and agreed there wasn't much data on that.
So I created this review to share my findings. Note that I am in the 30s, so my hearing effectively tops off at around 14kHz, so YMMV re: these findings. So here goes:
Desktop Speaker Shootout
Situation / Use Case:
- I needed a small-footprint solution to use in my small study, without taking up substantial desk space (there is no space for an amp, lots of wires, etc.).
- The "multimedia" solution should satisfy casual listening (not monitoring and critical listening) at medium to low volumes and be relatively attractive. You know, next to my beat-up 6 year-old Macbook.
Contenders. The candidate systems were chosen for their size, because they are powered to take up desk space, and that they were reasonably attractive:
- Bower & Wilkins MM-1 (MSRP $500)
- Audyssey Lower East Side Media Speakers (MSRP $200)
- AudioEngine A2 (MSRP $200) + Stands (MSRP $30)
Source. I specifically did not use a CD source or lossless because it's not the typical use pattern for me at my study desk.
- Spotify on a Macbook driving a NuForce uDAC-2 (volume kept at same volume)
- Included selections from indie pop, acoustic, classical, rock, classic rock, dance-pop, hip-hop, and vocal pop. No techno representation.
- I purposefully selected decents mastering (April Smith and the Great Picture Show, Los Lonely Boys, Itzhak Perlman, among others) as well as horrid mastering (Beyonce - Sweet Dreams).
Benchmarks. Sound signatures I consider my benchmarks in general are my:
- Denon AH-D2000 Headphones (unmodded)
- JVC HA-FXT900 In-Ear Monitors
- Bowers & Wilkins CM7 Speakers driven by Rotel RSP-1069 Pre-Amp + Rotel RMB-1075 Amp
Methodology. I was not able to do true blind A-B testing, but performed the following tests:
- Active Listening. I listened to specific passages from songs.
- Passive Listening. While doing other tasks, I let songs play and captured overall feel after a few songs.
- I used the 3.5mm input on all the speakers.
Bowers & Wilkins MM-1
- Details: A-. Percussion and treble details excellent.
- Vocals: A. Both male and female vocals were excellent.
- Midrange: B-. Electric guitars sounded a little muffled.
- Midbass/Bass: C. Reached further down than the AudioEngine A2s, but boomy and not with quality. Did not sound natural.
- Soundstage: B-. Soundstage felt anchored to the speakers, yet oddly enough, best off-axis sound of all 3.
- Low-Volume Listening: B+. Treble and bass scaled well at very low volumes.
Note: Heavy, absolutely gorgeous unit. Much smaller than the other units. Proprietary connector between speakers. Nice remote (didn't play with it much).
Audyssey Lower East Side
- Details: B+. Good sonic details (sliding on guitars) from instruments.
- Vocals: B+. Male vocals pretty good / female vocals were decent; neither as detailed as MM-1.
- Midrange: A-. Electric guitars and violins sounded clean.
- Mid-bass/Bass: B-. Reached deeper and cleaner relative to other two; still not excellent, but most natural.
- Soundstage: A-. Sounds very open, most natural of all 3.
- Low-Volume Listening: A. Excellent ability to play at low volumes and retain details and lower notes.
Notes: These speakers sounded the most natural. At high-volume, they strain very easily (I think the bass radiator in the rear starts getting overextended). Somewhat unconventional look. Lots of comments online about the annoying auto-shutoff.
AudioEngine A2
- Details. A-. Great treble details.
- Vocals: A-. Female vocals were excellent, male a little less crisp.
- Midrange: B. Electric guitars and acoustic instruments were good.
- Midbass/Bass: D. Very boomy at lower volumes, but completely smooths out a volumes that strain near-field listening - mid-field volumes sound much better. Was not able to reproduce lowest notes of bass guitars.
- Low-Volume Listening: D+. Midbass/Bass drops off completely at lower volumes.
Note: Excellent build-quality, but utilitarian feel. The left speaker went completely out during testing. Volume button in the back.
Results.
I chose the Audyssey Lower East Side as the winner. While this is essentially an exercise in minimizing downsides, the LES sounded the most natural and provided the best experience for me.
The Bowers & Wilkins MM-1s are decent, and beautiful - but certainly not worth a half-grand. I respect the brand and have many of their products, but this particular product was not for me.
I don't think the Audioengine A2s were bad, but in my tests, they could not elegantly perform in low-volume situations - mid-bass and bass simply disappear. They really sound much better louder than a quiet near-field listening environment. If you are willing to turn them up, they will sound pretty good.
Update on Speaker Placement.
I spent some additional time with the Audyssey Lower East Side and the B&W MM-1 in another room, and realized one more additional point. Placement is more sensitive on the Audyssey Lower East Side - the passive bass radiator in the back needs some room to shine and will sound pretty boomy against the wall. The MM-1 is not as sensitive in general.
So I created this review to share my findings. Note that I am in the 30s, so my hearing effectively tops off at around 14kHz, so YMMV re: these findings. So here goes:
Desktop Speaker Shootout
Situation / Use Case:
- I needed a small-footprint solution to use in my small study, without taking up substantial desk space (there is no space for an amp, lots of wires, etc.).
- The "multimedia" solution should satisfy casual listening (not monitoring and critical listening) at medium to low volumes and be relatively attractive. You know, next to my beat-up 6 year-old Macbook.
Contenders. The candidate systems were chosen for their size, because they are powered to take up desk space, and that they were reasonably attractive:
- Bower & Wilkins MM-1 (MSRP $500)
- Audyssey Lower East Side Media Speakers (MSRP $200)
- AudioEngine A2 (MSRP $200) + Stands (MSRP $30)
Source. I specifically did not use a CD source or lossless because it's not the typical use pattern for me at my study desk.
- Spotify on a Macbook driving a NuForce uDAC-2 (volume kept at same volume)
- Included selections from indie pop, acoustic, classical, rock, classic rock, dance-pop, hip-hop, and vocal pop. No techno representation.
- I purposefully selected decents mastering (April Smith and the Great Picture Show, Los Lonely Boys, Itzhak Perlman, among others) as well as horrid mastering (Beyonce - Sweet Dreams).
Benchmarks. Sound signatures I consider my benchmarks in general are my:
- Denon AH-D2000 Headphones (unmodded)
- JVC HA-FXT900 In-Ear Monitors
- Bowers & Wilkins CM7 Speakers driven by Rotel RSP-1069 Pre-Amp + Rotel RMB-1075 Amp
Methodology. I was not able to do true blind A-B testing, but performed the following tests:
- Active Listening. I listened to specific passages from songs.
- Passive Listening. While doing other tasks, I let songs play and captured overall feel after a few songs.
- I used the 3.5mm input on all the speakers.
Bowers & Wilkins MM-1
- Details: A-. Percussion and treble details excellent.
- Vocals: A. Both male and female vocals were excellent.
- Midrange: B-. Electric guitars sounded a little muffled.
- Midbass/Bass: C. Reached further down than the AudioEngine A2s, but boomy and not with quality. Did not sound natural.
- Soundstage: B-. Soundstage felt anchored to the speakers, yet oddly enough, best off-axis sound of all 3.
- Low-Volume Listening: B+. Treble and bass scaled well at very low volumes.
Note: Heavy, absolutely gorgeous unit. Much smaller than the other units. Proprietary connector between speakers. Nice remote (didn't play with it much).
Audyssey Lower East Side
- Details: B+. Good sonic details (sliding on guitars) from instruments.
- Vocals: B+. Male vocals pretty good / female vocals were decent; neither as detailed as MM-1.
- Midrange: A-. Electric guitars and violins sounded clean.
- Mid-bass/Bass: B-. Reached deeper and cleaner relative to other two; still not excellent, but most natural.
- Soundstage: A-. Sounds very open, most natural of all 3.
- Low-Volume Listening: A. Excellent ability to play at low volumes and retain details and lower notes.
Notes: These speakers sounded the most natural. At high-volume, they strain very easily (I think the bass radiator in the rear starts getting overextended). Somewhat unconventional look. Lots of comments online about the annoying auto-shutoff.
AudioEngine A2
- Details. A-. Great treble details.
- Vocals: A-. Female vocals were excellent, male a little less crisp.
- Midrange: B. Electric guitars and acoustic instruments were good.
- Midbass/Bass: D. Very boomy at lower volumes, but completely smooths out a volumes that strain near-field listening - mid-field volumes sound much better. Was not able to reproduce lowest notes of bass guitars.
- Low-Volume Listening: D+. Midbass/Bass drops off completely at lower volumes.
Note: Excellent build-quality, but utilitarian feel. The left speaker went completely out during testing. Volume button in the back.
Results.
I chose the Audyssey Lower East Side as the winner. While this is essentially an exercise in minimizing downsides, the LES sounded the most natural and provided the best experience for me.
The Bowers & Wilkins MM-1s are decent, and beautiful - but certainly not worth a half-grand. I respect the brand and have many of their products, but this particular product was not for me.
I don't think the Audioengine A2s were bad, but in my tests, they could not elegantly perform in low-volume situations - mid-bass and bass simply disappear. They really sound much better louder than a quiet near-field listening environment. If you are willing to turn them up, they will sound pretty good.
Update on Speaker Placement.
I spent some additional time with the Audyssey Lower East Side and the B&W MM-1 in another room, and realized one more additional point. Placement is more sensitive on the Audyssey Lower East Side - the passive bass radiator in the back needs some room to shine and will sound pretty boomy against the wall. The MM-1 is not as sensitive in general.
