Swans M200 Powered Speakers vs Standard Bookshelf Speakers

[insomniac]

It doesn't seem there are all that many people here that own or have heard the Swans M200 powered speakers, but I was thinking of moving from a pair of them to an amp plus bookshelf speakers set-up. Does anyone know how the Swans compare to some popular budget bookshelf speakers like the Paradigm Atoms, or slightly more expensive offerings from Axiom, NHT, PSB, et al?

 

[tennisets]

You live in New York. New York is hifi central. I'll bet you can find any piece of equipment you're even remotely interested in. What does all this mean?

Go out and listen! It's the only way.

 

[insomniac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tennisets You live in New York. New York is hifi central. I'll bet you can find any piece of equipment you're even remotely interested in. What does all this mean? Go out and listen! It's the only way.

True, true. I would like to do that and I should do that. But nevertheless, I still end up being a research, then online order type of person most of the time. I try, then return or flip it if I don't like it. And hence I like to start with some guidance first.

 

[episiarch]

I have M200's on my desk and recently installed Axiom M3Ti's at my in-laws' place. That didn't afford a real apples-to-apples comparison, but here are my impressions.

The M200's are great for near-field listening (you already know this, I'm sure). What they don't have is a big sense of power, especially in the bass. They're a little weak for listening at a distance.

The M3Ti's are substantially physically larger than the M200's, have a big ol' port on the back, and in my installation were powered by a consumer-grade but decent Yamaha receiver. They certainly had a lot more punch than the M200's, and were well suited to listening at a distance. I liked the sound, but I felt it needed some equalization to sound correct to me. With the receiver's tone controls I reduced both bass and treble by 4db, and then they just sounded sweet. I had them placed almost in a corner, not far from the wall, so I wasn't surprised that bass needed to be cut, but it was a little surprising that they were too bright for me (detail-lovin' Ety 4S user). Anyhow, though I found them to be a little off, it wasn't anything that an ordinary receiver's tone controls couldn't cure, and they were really quite good after that.

For near-field listening I would stick with the Swans, which sound good to me from roughly arm's-length away. For greater impact (than I like) or putting them further away, something with more oomph than the Swans probably will serve better.

 

[Unclewai]

Buy used from audiogon, I've seen so many amazing deals in A-gon which the seller is in NY area.

You've invested quite a lot in the headphone rig, I think you should spend a little more for some decent bookshelf. You can temporarily use a sonic impact t-amp to drive the speakers.
If you buy some budget speakers, it's very hard to resell them when you decide to upgrade.

 

[insomniac]

episiarch, thanks for your thoughts. Yes, the listening at a distance was one of the motivators for my decisions. The Swans, while great 2 feet away, lose a lot of everything as you move away.

Unclewai, I was thinking of the Paradigm Atoms or Titans which should be fairly easy to resell. Otherwise, the NHT SB-2's have caught my eye. Regardless of what I decide on, I do intend to purchase used. The Sonic T Amp is a good idea and I may go for that provided I can still find one at a good price.

 

[episiarch]

FWIW, insomniac, those Axioms come in a choice of finishes, have a really good return policy (I think it's 30 days no questions), and are sold with shipping costs included. So they're pretty easy to say "yes" to if you're a buy-online-and-hope-for-the-best kind of person, which is one reason I got them for the in-laws based on other peoples' reviews though I'd never actually heard them myself.

 

[bigben7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by insomniac I was thinking of the Paradigm Atoms or Titans which should be fairly easy to resell. Otherwise, the NHT SB-2's have caught my eye. Regardless of what I decide on, I do intend to purchase used. The Sonic T Amp is a good idea and I may go for that provided I can still find one at a good price.

I am using Titans with T-amp right now and they sound good with my low profile creative sound card. However I am having problems running Titans with Emu 0404. I still don't know what the problem is though. Hopefully someone will tell me how to solve the problem.

 

[vrao81]

I used to own the Swan m200s....
They are very good for the price and compare very well against $200 bookshelf speakers. They are superior to the Paradigm Atom imo. The overall sound is smooth and warm with nice sweet highs thanks to the soft dome tweeters. They are really designed for near field listening, the imaging falls apart when you sit too far back.
Something like the Monitor Audio Bronze B2 or NHT Sb2 (I've owned both) would be a noticeable improvement over the swans. Besides the imaging you will get improvments in dynamics, detail, speed, bass and treble extension, and resolution.

 

[insomniac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by episiarch FWIW, insomniac, those Axioms come in a choice of finishes, have a really good return policy (I think it's 30 days no questions), and are sold with shipping costs included. So they're pretty easy to say "yes" to if you're a buy-online-and-hope-for-the-best kind of person, which is one reason I got them for the in-laws based on other peoples' reviews though I'd never actually heard them myself.

episiarch, Axioms were at the top of my list, but I'm actually starting to lean away from them now as I've heard they are a bit on the brighter side.

vrao81, I'm surprised to hear that you think the Swans are superior to the Atoms. Never heard them myself, but I've read that the Atoms more than hold their own against the SB-2's and Bronze B2's of the world.

 

[episiarch]

Another way to think about my experience with the Axioms is recessed midrange. Now that I'm thinking back on it, I didn't actually mind the brightness so much, the problem was that the singer was too far back in the mix until I cut the bass and treble (no midrange-boost on this receiver). Once I pulled her back to where I thought she should be, everything was very smooth and nicely balanced.

I do understand that the Axioms are far from the only good speakers out there, though. I hope you'll post your experiences with whatever choice you make.

 

[taymat]

If you want a sweet midrange don't get the Monitor Audio Bronze B2s. They are tight and accurate but with budget equipment they may sound a bit aggressive and bright.

 

[screwdriver]

what is your budget insomniac?

 

[insomniac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by screwdriver what is your budget insomniac?

I don't really have a strict budget. I would LIKE to keep it as small as possible. The Paradigm Atoms can be found for about $150. But I'd be willing to pay up to $400 if I find something I really like. And I will try to buy it used.

 

[screwdriver]

the excellent speakers / monitors start about $600 used .

look for spendor , green mountain audio europa , silverline .