If you’re looking for a set of bargain speakers to use with your budget-minded computer, you might as well start looking elsewhere. The price tag on the M-Audio Studiophile AV 40 Desktop Speaker System is not for the faint of heart. Carrying an MSRP of $200, the AV40 system is far from being the cheapest on the block, but you also have to consider what kind of market M-Audio is targeting with this product. The AV 40 carries the company’s “Studiophile” moniker, meaning that they feel right at home within the confines of a music studio where they are ”favored by top producers, recording engineers and musicians around the world.” After spending a few days with these speakers, I can definitely see where the AV40’s get their pedigree.

About the M-Audio Studiophile AV 40 Desktop Speaker System

There’s a reason why these speakers look so familiar. The AV40 speaker system is the bigger brother to the M-Audio Studiophile AV20 Portable Desktop Speaker System that I reviewed last month. As their names imply, the AV20 came with a pair of 10-watt speakers for a total output of 20 watts, whereas the AV 40 comes with a pair of 20-watt speakers for a total output of — you guessed it — 40 watts. There is also the Studiophile AV 30. You can probably guess where that fits into the picture.

Although the M-Audio Studiophile AV 40 is perfectly compatible with your computer or portable audio player, the stereo
mini jack, RCA and TRS inputs make them work with just about any audio situation assuming you don’t need surround sound. These are a stereo (2-channel) audio system, not a 5.1 or 7.1. They’re definitely built for two channel audio purists or that budding DJ friend with his mixer and turntables.

On the official feature sheet, you’ll find the following:

• 4” polypropylene-coated woofers: tight, accurate bass
• 3/4” ferrofluid-cooled silk dome tweeters: clear, smooth highs
• OptImage III tweeter wave guides: precision imaging for balanced stereo field
• 20-watt-per-channel amplifier with Class A/B architecture: professional design and fidelity
• magnetic shielding: perfect for multimedia and video work

Just like the Studiophile AV20, each speaker in the Studiophile AV40 comes with two separate drivers. The large 4-inch woofer handles all of your low-end sound, whereas the 3/4-inch tweeter handles the high-end. The net result is, pardon the pun, music to your ears.