Monsoon speakers

[JML]

I wanted to mention great speakers that work wonderfully with portables or your computer; if you're on a budget (like a college student), this is something to consider. Monsoon makes a line of desktop/multimedia speakers that are simply amazing for the price. For a list of $125, there's the MH-502, and for a list of $150, there's the MM-702. You can get them for about $25 less on the web. The basis for their whole line is a mylar film bipolar radiator crossed over to a small subwoofer housing a bi- or tri-amped electronic module. The 500 series has a small tweeter using that driver format, a cone midrange, and then a sub. The 700 series uses the bipolar "full" range, crossed over to a larger sub and more powerful amp. Both have a desktop "puck" for volume and muting. Color: black. They also have a surround version of each, and a 1000 series. I have the 502 at work and the earlier 700 at home. Phenomenal sound; they remind me of tiny Magnepans, and the mids/highs are incredible. Plug the Monsoon miniplug into your soundcard and you're set, or plug it into a radio or a portable CD or minidisc player, and put aside the phones for a while. Anyone who has heard them has been stunned; I teach at a law school, and the students are open-mouthed when I play some music in the office; at home, my 12-year old starts dancing.

 

[MacDEF]

Uh-0h... not this again

 

[JML]

Eh, sorry, I had not seen the other thread. When I last looked at this section of the forums, last month, that extended thread wasn't yet there. I should have checked again...
Didn't meant to tempt any inveterate flamers.

But I have to say that for $125 delivered, the 700 series is an incredible value. And anyone considering some toys like this must try them at home, not in a huge noisy computer store where they're on a shelf with other speakers and crappy inputs. The desktop units are very, very directional, but when set up right, when your head is in the sweetspot, the imaging is fabulous, even with a monitor between them. (I even set up an analog input, from my Linn LP-12 and my preamp headphone jack, and could not believe how the deep was the soundstage and how it spread out beyond the speakers.) The sub is also very sensitive to room placement, proximity to walls, etc.

I had the earlier 500 series in my office until they were destroyed in a flood, and just got the new 500 series as replacements this week, hence today's posting. I like the 700s better than either, thoughl; plus I just got new feet for them, and they're adjustable in a wide range of horizontal angles, so you have even more control over the focus. And Monsoon's customer service is superb. My sub/amp unit was two months out of warranty, and they replaced it, totally free, when something like a ground loop hum developed this fall.

 

[chych]

So how much did they pay you

 

[JohnnyLightOn]

I have the 500 series Monsoon - they're great! Cost me between $50 and $75. If you're looking for computer speakers in this price range, you can't go wrong with these. Note that your head should be between the satellite units (tweeter/midrange) for the best sound.

On the headphone front...I got my KSC35's today. They sound very good, didn't blow me away but still very nice for the price; I wanted to get a pair before they were all gone, despite the $36 cost (delivered) from Headroom. I couldn't find any at Circuit City for half that amount.

AND...I ordered my first "real" cans...the Ety 4P. Should get here in two days!

Johnny

 

[JML]

I wish they paid me, even at the present currency conversion rates... I was very surprised that Monsoon shipped me the new amp/sub for free; no, make that stunned. Most big outfits will tell you "tough luck, buy a new unit or pay even more to get it fixed." And they were PLEASANT to deal with, intelligent, and polite. Great customer service. And the 700 is nice to look at, too. The 500s are too metallic, visually, not aurally.