Alesis M1Active 320 USB Studio Monitor Pair
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Product Description
The Alesis M1Active 320 USB-audio speaker system is the new world-class standard for USB audio playback and capture. Alesis brings pro-grade USB speaker performance to the computer desktop. M1Active 320 USB speakers enable you to play audio from you…… More >>
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Alesis M1Active 320 USB Studio Monitor Pair
Pro: Lots of connections. You could hook up 2 (musical) keyboards and a CD/MP3 player to this unit. Moreover, with a built-in USB port, the monitors can also be used as computer speakers.
Con: Just doesn’t have enough bass sound for me!
I was attracted to these speakers as soon as I saw them online. With all the available connections, I figured these monitors would be all I needed for my 88-key digital piano as well as my computer. Bought the unit, tried it out, and realized that it just didn’t have enough bass sound. As computer speakers, these Alesis speakers don’t sound as good as my Monsoon speaker set (which has a subwoofer). These Alesis speakers sound ok when connected to my Roland digital piano, but, again, there’s not enough bass sound even with the bass boost on. High-pitch notes sound decent. However, low-pitch notes (e.g., the lowest 2 octaves) sound like a Casio piano. I could amplify the low frequencies, which does improve the bass sound a bit, but I think it would be better for me to get some bigger speakers (I hate bulky speakers, but don’t want to compromise the sound quality).
Rating: 3 / 5
I was using an Altec Lansing computer speaker setup (subwoofer + 2 satellites) as my studio monitor. They sounded good with plenty of volume, but I feared my mixes were being “colored” by speakers with bass & treble controls designed to make “already processed” music sound good. I wanted something with a “flat” response, but didn’t have a lot of money to spend. So, I bought the Alesis M1 Active 320 USB to see how “studio monitor” sound would differ from “computer speaker” sound. Since the Alesis had no subwoofer & puny woofers, I didn’t expect much bass. I was wrong. The M1 doesn’t have as much bass as the Altecs with subwoofer, but what bass they do have is plenty adequate & much tighter. The whole sound is less muddy and more well defined from top to bottom, and I think that’s the whole point. I know one could spend hundreds more for better monitors, but I’m no pro. For the price & for my needs, these work very well.
Rating: 5 / 5
The Alesis M1Active 320USB model offers an easy connection to the PC: you can choose between typical RCA connectors and an USB port that, when connected to the PC, appears like an audio device (sound card).
- It has a pretty good sound (you get what you pay. If you pay 6000$, you will get something better).
- There might be some spurious noise, which must come from power lines or other devices. You will not hear it unless you put on your headphones, plug them into the connector at the front of the main unit, stop the music and put the volume control to “Max”.
- It works fine with Linux, at least with the Fedora 10 distribution. The box just speaks about Windows XP/Vista and Mac, which are officialy supported.
- Sound at the headphones seems to be a bit “naive”, it lacks something, worse than at the main loudspeakers, but it might be so because I’m trying the USB connection. I promise I will write something more later, after checking the loudspeakers with an M-Audio sound card.
- I suggest you to put them on some kind of base that allows the loudspeakers to “watch intently to your face” and not to your hands. Your hands do not have ears. 10 to 15 degrees seem to be enough. Keep in mind that the owner’s Manual counsels you to raise the loudspeakers so you get the centre of the woofer gets aligned with your ears.
- Keep in mind: the more you use the volume knob, the shorter live it will have. Damaged volume controls are a source of noise. Use the volume control of the sound card.
Rating: 5 / 5
As long as you aren’t paying too much to have these shipped, it is a good buy overall. You won’t get the volume that you might expect from a similarly priced stereo, but the sound quality is very good for listening to music, doing amateur recording, or just watching movies. They feel solid and take up very little room. The recording interface is a nice bonus and having a direct USB connection makes them extremely easy to set up on both PC and Macintosh. They are far from perfect, but for the price, I am not complaining.
Rating: 4 / 5