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.
Setting Them Up and Ease of Use
Getting the M-Audio Studiophile AV 40 speaker system set up with my computer was an identical process to the smaller AV20 system except for a couple of small differences. Pulling the speakers out of the box, I immediately noticed that they definitely have some weight to them. They’re also a fair bit larger than the AV 20 system, so if you’re strapped for desk space, these might not be a good fit. They’re not huge, but they’re pretty heavy. You can probably thank the solid MDF construction for that.
To set them up, I connected the audio cable — stereo mini plug on one end, RCA plugs on the other end — to my computer. This plugged into the back of the left speaker. Running from the left speaker to the right speaker was some standard speaker wire and it was also from the left speaker that I connected the provided power cable. The included wire is pretty thin so you’ll probably want to pick up a few feet of some heavier gauge cable for a quick DIY upgrade. Also on the back of the left speaker was a set of TRS inputs, but I didn’t have an opportunity to take advantage of those. These connectors definitely show that the AV40’s mean business. The back of the right speaker is decidedly more bare than the left.
To add to the versatility, you’ll find two small audio jacks on the front of the left speaker. One is to output the sound into a set of headphones, whereas the other is an aux-in port. When you have input coming from both this port and the RCA ports in the back, the speakers output both sound streams simultaneously. I found this to be a little odd, because I expected one of the inputs to take precedence over the other or simply mute. Karaoke anyone?
Two other switches that I need to mention are the power switch and the bass boost switch. I’m not a fan of the former, because with the smaller AV20, the volume knob also functioned as a power switch when you turned the volume all the way down. With the AV40, you have to turn it off with the switch in the back. I prefer the AV20 for this reason. In regards to bass boost, the difference in thump is definitely noticeable and given my musical preferences, the bass boost is always on. The bass is strong enough that they may rattle. Luckily, M-Audio included some foam pads that you can stick to the bases to reduce the vibrations.
These are only a few millimeters thick and I ended up not using them. They’re not really that necessary unless you’re particularly picky about the sound output. Then again, if you’re even considering the Studiophile AV40, you’re probably a pretty big audiophile to begin with and there are much better sound isolation devices out there.
Sound Quality
The bass notes were deep and rich and I could crank the volume all the way to the max without getting too much distortion. This is a definite improvement over the smaller Studiophile AV20 system. I wasn’t quite as pleased with the performance of the tweeter as higher notes could get quite shrill, depending on the music that I was listening to. This may be partly because of the output from my computer, but as Studiophile Monitors, they are likely just revealing the flaws of the source material that I was using, which is what monitors tend to do. So in this respect, I guess they are doing what they are designed for.
Final Thoughts and Conclusion
For the average computer user or even someone looking to play some video games on their television, the M-Audio Studiophile AV40 Desktop Speaker System is high quality, compact, and totally overkill. They’re definitely built well with a good amount of weight that will surprise a lot of people used to the flimsy things that seem packaged with most computers.
However, because of their relatively compact nature, they are a good choice for travelling musicians that need a compact set of powered monitors while on the road. Even home musicians will benefit from the high sound quality and ability to reveal flaws in source material. This is both a blessing and a curse because it can make bad sounding sources sound worse, especially poorly ripped MP3’s.
There is no denying versatility of this speaker system and you know that you’re getting studio-quality equipment here. The MDF construction is seriously solid and the matte black appearance (and weight) remind you that these are not toys. The Studiophile AV40 speakers were a pleasure to use, but the average consumer may need some convincing to drop $200 on these “studio monitors”. However, budding musicians and even upcoming “Spielbergs” will enjoy having these attached to their audio and video editing systems. In fact, compared to some studio monitor setups, the AV40’s are a downright bargain.
Pros
- Added versatility with inclusion of audio-in jack, RCA inputs, and TRS inputs.
- Very solid construction, professional appearance
- Good sound quality, deep bass notes
- Ridiculously easy to set up and use
Cons
- Too heavy and large for some desks
- Might be a bit too revealing with low quality sources
- Volume knob doesn’t turn speakers off
- Power cable is a little short
Overall Rating: 8.5 / 10.0
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