AudioNoob
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Micca, awesome in listening to feedback and updating their products accordingly, just updated their popular MB42X with new cabinets that allow a better finish.
They had sent me a pair earlier this year to review, on which I had provided feedback on the finish and how the cables were routed on the inside. Lo and behold, they contacted me again with an update and sent me a new copy for review purposes.
[Here are the pictures](https://imgur.com/a/nPbyB)
The cabinets now have the flat, seamless backs of the PB42x, making for a much cleaner fit and finish. I was also told that the internal cable routing was improved to avoid the bass port pushing on the tweeter cables.
The corners and edges wrap much better now and should make for a longer lasting finish as they will be less likely to catch on things while cleaning and such. See pictures to see what I mean. More obviously, the seamless back should also last longer without all the edges and the crevices, and is less of a dust trap.
The hardware remains the same, but looking at it, the baffle on the tweeter seems to be made from a higher grade plastic when put side by side with the older make.The new pair uses better screws and a better made grill as well, but I was told that manufacturing variation could account for those and that I should not note them as permanent improvements.
Also to note, the the little logo on the grill has been upgraded with a better spaced, better resolved logo (see the triangle in the sun to the left).
I will post a review regarding their sound/function later, but the gist of it is, as has been put by many others before, that they are really a gem at this price especially if you are limited in terms of space (they are smaller than the pioneers and the other few peers). They excel and punch well above their weight in near field setups (when comparing them to much more expensive speakers such as the Dali Zensors) but I was able to enjoy them without complaint in a living room setup, especially when I separated them a bit and sat somewhere in-axis.
With Micca foam stands on my work desk, angled up a bit towards my ears, is where they performed their best. The direct line of sight helped overcome room harmonics and the limitations of the 4" woofer, and the natural channel separation of speakers positioned to either side of the head worked harmoniously with the detailed reproduction they offer. Placed on the other side of a room closer to a wall, as one would in a TV setup, boosted the ported bass considerably, but at the cost of precision. This of course is the price one pays with smaller bookshelves, yet I was surprised to find the Micca's gliding through playlists with foot tapping rythm, only giving me pause at more cacophonous sections like the first movement of Holst's Planets, string sections playing with the wood of their bows combined with the Timpani leading to a bit of confusion best left to heftier speakers.
All this is not to say that there is no reason to buy more expensive speakers, but most will find these more than adequate for their needs and desires, especially if you mainly use headphones and just need a low cost speaker setup with little compromise. In comparing to other companies producing speakers within this price range, I was pleasantly surprised by the Micca customer support, and the fact that they kept improving their products based on customer feedback. (Note that they knew that I was reviewing the product, but it seems that others who purchased it independently had similar experience)
If you are looking to get powered monitors, there are also the swan d1010s on closeout at several retailers these days, but those have a larger footprint with tone controls and a class a/b amp compared to the smaller class d pb42x. I had some bad luck with swans before so I try to avoid complicating the electronics side.
[non-referral amazon link](https://smile.amazon.com/Micca-MB42X-Bookshelf-Speakers-Tweeter/dp/B00E7H8GG2/)
They had sent me a pair earlier this year to review, on which I had provided feedback on the finish and how the cables were routed on the inside. Lo and behold, they contacted me again with an update and sent me a new copy for review purposes.
[Here are the pictures](https://imgur.com/a/nPbyB)
The cabinets now have the flat, seamless backs of the PB42x, making for a much cleaner fit and finish. I was also told that the internal cable routing was improved to avoid the bass port pushing on the tweeter cables.
The corners and edges wrap much better now and should make for a longer lasting finish as they will be less likely to catch on things while cleaning and such. See pictures to see what I mean. More obviously, the seamless back should also last longer without all the edges and the crevices, and is less of a dust trap.
The hardware remains the same, but looking at it, the baffle on the tweeter seems to be made from a higher grade plastic when put side by side with the older make.The new pair uses better screws and a better made grill as well, but I was told that manufacturing variation could account for those and that I should not note them as permanent improvements.
Also to note, the the little logo on the grill has been upgraded with a better spaced, better resolved logo (see the triangle in the sun to the left).
I will post a review regarding their sound/function later, but the gist of it is, as has been put by many others before, that they are really a gem at this price especially if you are limited in terms of space (they are smaller than the pioneers and the other few peers). They excel and punch well above their weight in near field setups (when comparing them to much more expensive speakers such as the Dali Zensors) but I was able to enjoy them without complaint in a living room setup, especially when I separated them a bit and sat somewhere in-axis.
With Micca foam stands on my work desk, angled up a bit towards my ears, is where they performed their best. The direct line of sight helped overcome room harmonics and the limitations of the 4" woofer, and the natural channel separation of speakers positioned to either side of the head worked harmoniously with the detailed reproduction they offer. Placed on the other side of a room closer to a wall, as one would in a TV setup, boosted the ported bass considerably, but at the cost of precision. This of course is the price one pays with smaller bookshelves, yet I was surprised to find the Micca's gliding through playlists with foot tapping rythm, only giving me pause at more cacophonous sections like the first movement of Holst's Planets, string sections playing with the wood of their bows combined with the Timpani leading to a bit of confusion best left to heftier speakers.
All this is not to say that there is no reason to buy more expensive speakers, but most will find these more than adequate for their needs and desires, especially if you mainly use headphones and just need a low cost speaker setup with little compromise. In comparing to other companies producing speakers within this price range, I was pleasantly surprised by the Micca customer support, and the fact that they kept improving their products based on customer feedback. (Note that they knew that I was reviewing the product, but it seems that others who purchased it independently had similar experience)
If you are looking to get powered monitors, there are also the swan d1010s on closeout at several retailers these days, but those have a larger footprint with tone controls and a class a/b amp compared to the smaller class d pb42x. I had some bad luck with swans before so I try to avoid complicating the electronics side.
[non-referral amazon link](https://smile.amazon.com/Micca-MB42X-Bookshelf-Speakers-Tweeter/dp/B00E7H8GG2/)
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