[dlamin517]

So i just got my m-audios and let me tell you.. these things suck

I currently use bose companion 5s and they sound waaaayyy better than the m-audios.

I connected them to my macbook and switched between them with a simple switch.

The m-audios sound like they are in a tin can compared to the bose. for those of you who say that bose sucks, the bose were better in this case.

 

[Alai]

You... connected through the macbook? What's the DAC?

 

[dlamin517]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alai /img/forum/go_quote.gif You... connected through the macbook? What's the DAC?

I dont have one. The speakers were plugged into the headphone jack of the laptop

 

[i_don't_know]

Burn them in and amp them.

 

[dlamin517]

Quote:

Originally Posted by i_don't_know /img/forum/go_quote.gif Burn them in and amp them.

nah, there is no way burning them in can match the quality of the bose ones. it was ALOT worse. plus the bass on the bose sounds soo much better.

 

[ph0rk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by i_don't_know /img/forum/go_quote.gif Burn them in and amp them.

The av40's are self powered.


The OP compared a ~$125 2.0 speaker system targeted at the low end prosumer music market to a $399 2.1 speaker system targeted at the buy it and forget it music listening market. I'm not really sure what they were expecting.

 

[dlamin517]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ph0rk /img/forum/go_quote.gif The av40's are self powered. The OP compared a ~$125 2.0 speaker system targeted at the low end prosumer music market to a $399 2.1 speaker system targeted at the buy it and forget it music listening market. I'm not really sure what they were expecting.

im just trying to point out that bose doesnt flat out suck. when i get my audioengines ill compare those. im expecting those to be a lot better but ill report when i get them

btw companion 5s are 5.1, not 2.1

 

[Eagle_Driver]

The problem is that you're expecting a bit too much from something that has no "subwoofer" (bass module). No 2.0 powered speaker system the size of the AV-40 can produce bass that's both loud and deep at the same time.

As for the Bose Companion 5's, I've heard better powered consumer/computer loudspeakers at one-third the price. The trouble with most if not all multi-piece powered speaker systems with a "subwoofer" is that they are very weak in the upper bass and lower midrange. And without enough upper bass and lower midrange, voices/vocals will sound very hollow. That particular Bose is all too typical of its type, IMHO. And their thin plastic cabinets (particularly the satellites') resonate all too easily, with the buzzing type of distortion nobody likes at all. And no Bose multi-piece speaker system has a tweeter at all - only a single "full-range" speaker cone which is too bulky to reproduce treble accurately (the treble on those Boses sounded very harsh and shrill to my ears).

 

[ph0rk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dlamin517 /img/forum/go_quote.gif im just trying to point out that bose doesnt flat out suck. when i get my audioengines ill compare those. im expecting those to be a lot better but ill report when i get them btw companion 5s are 5.1, not 2.1

No, they aren't. There is some software virtualization for pretend-surround, but there are two (2) satellites and one (1) subwoofer, hence 2.1. The drivers can't make speakers appear that aren't in the box.

Regardless, if the first thing you compare when placing a 2.0 and 2.1 system side by side is low bass quantity, you are not really doing it right.

I haven't listened to these particular m-audios so I have no personal stake in this, but whether or not the bose speakers sound better, the av40's aren't even supposed to get the same job done as the bose companion 5 - i.e. sound vaguely nice with enough boomy bass to make you think you have bigger speakers than you do. Rather, the av40's are, (in theory) attempts at more accurate reproduction, which at that price point often means a less "fun" listen. The av40 is targeted as an entry level monitor speaker.

I thought logitech's mediocre 2.1 systems were on par with the bose 2.1 computer systems I've heard, for peanuts. For $400 you could get real nearfield monitors, anyway.

If you want to compare the companion 5 to something, you should probably compare it to something in its pricerange - no one hands out awards for sounding better than something that costs 1/3 as much.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ph0rk /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you want to compare the companion 5 to something, you should probably compare it to something in its pricerange - no one hands out awards for sounding better than something that costs 1/3 as much.

While I normally agree with this, I honestly found the Companion 5's to be underachievers at its price point. Honestly, they sound no better than the Companion 3 Series II set which sells for $150 less - and even the Companion 3 Series II doesn't sound as good to my ears as some consumer computer speaker systems which cost half as much. And as you said, the Companion 5 satellites have multiple drivers aimed in different directions, but the set has only three pieces (a bass module and only two satellites). As such, it's not a true 5.1 system.

 

[Alai]

Oh yeah, Bose is not known to be a BAD audio equipment company, per se. Just a really overpriced one. So when you compare at same price points... wait, why would you do that again? (Not to mention 2.0 versus 2.1.)

 

[dlamin517]

You guys im not calling you out. I realize every single audiophile hates bose.

just from when i listened to both, the bose sounded better. there was more richer sound. i dont know if it was the bass or not but i wouldnt have been able to live with the m audios.

btw the bose satellite speakers have 2 speakers in each one. fyi

Quote:

Originally Posted by ph0rk /img/forum/go_quote.gif No, they aren't. There is some software virtualization for pretend-surround, but there are two (2) satellites and one (1) subwoofer, hence 2.1. The drivers can't make speakers appear that aren't in the box. Regardless, if the first thing you compare when placing a 2.0 and 2.1 system side by side is low bass quantity, you are not really doing it right. I haven't listened to these particular m-audios so I have no personal stake in this, but whether or not the bose speakers sound better, the av40's aren't even supposed to get the same job done as the bose companion 5 - i.e. sound vaguely nice with enough boomy bass to make you think you have bigger speakers than you do. Rather, the av40's are, (in theory) attempts at more accurate reproduction, which at that price point often means a less "fun" listen. The av40 is targeted as an entry level monitor speaker. I thought logitech's mediocre 2.1 systems were on par with the bose 2.1 computer systems I've heard, for peanuts. For $400 you could get real nearfield monitors, anyway. If you want to compare the companion 5 to something, you should probably compare it to something in its pricerange - no one hands out awards for sounding better than something that costs 1/3 as much.

thats why im gonna order the audioengines. they have a good refund policy so we will see. i have heard nothing but good things about the audioengine 5s.