That's good. The depth of the midwoofer seems rather excessive, but it's about sound, not looks.
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Swan M10 Unboxing & Review (Updated)
- Thread starter thegoldenmackid
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That's good. The depth of the midwoofer seems rather excessive, but it's about sound, not looks.
Will the Swans work with an Airport Express?
If so, what type of cable do I need from Express to speakers?
Thanks in advance!
If so, what type of cable do I need from Express to speakers?
Thanks in advance!
They will. They connect to any standard 1/8th inch jack. No cable is need as they include a cable (RCA to 1/8th) to connect the back of the amp to the device. I highly recommend determining where the midwoofer will go as its placement is vital in regards to the sound.
Thanks for the quick reply! Just one other question, sorry for my stupidity. So the cable tht is supplied will connect directly into the Airport Express? (I do not plan on using a receiver with the speakers)
Thanks again!
Nice pictures and a great reveiw thegoldenmackid!
I just emailed the webstore here in Norway thats selling Sawn, hes gettin some Swan M10 in the store tomorrow
so im going to buy one in 2 - 3 months! its perfect with my room style!
I just emailed the webstore here in Norway thats selling Sawn, hes gettin some Swan M10 in the store tomorrow
so im going to buy one in 2 - 3 months! its perfect with my room style!
Few Questions Concerning the Swan M10s
Hey thegoldenmackid, I've read your great review of the Swan M10 and the threads in this post and I am more than interested in these beautiful speakers. But I have a few questions before I pawn off my old monitors and buy these bad boys.
1. Do these speakers have some kind of Treble/Mid/Bass toggle knobs? Actually, I'd prefer they didn't since I have my own small home studio, and need recordings to be as pure and non-skewed as possible, especially when hearing the sound projected to myself and others.
2. Do these speakers have an input for headphones? I couldn't find one in the pictures and was curious to know if they are in back of the monitors or if I should purchase an external headphone/volume dongle?
3. How would these measure up to my previous monitors? Link is below:
Roland DM-10
Are the Swan M10s louder or quieter? Will they be more efficient to use as home studio monitors in terms of sound quality?
I like my Roland DM-10s, but these are so much prettier and look like my dream speakers!
Thanks for all your help!
-Bri
Hey thegoldenmackid, I've read your great review of the Swan M10 and the threads in this post and I am more than interested in these beautiful speakers. But I have a few questions before I pawn off my old monitors and buy these bad boys.
1. Do these speakers have some kind of Treble/Mid/Bass toggle knobs? Actually, I'd prefer they didn't since I have my own small home studio, and need recordings to be as pure and non-skewed as possible, especially when hearing the sound projected to myself and others.
2. Do these speakers have an input for headphones? I couldn't find one in the pictures and was curious to know if they are in back of the monitors or if I should purchase an external headphone/volume dongle?
3. How would these measure up to my previous monitors? Link is below:
Roland DM-10
Are the Swan M10s louder or quieter? Will they be more efficient to use as home studio monitors in terms of sound quality?
I like my Roland DM-10s, but these are so much prettier and look like my dream speakers!
Thanks for all your help!
-Bri
M10 or M12???
I hear really good things about the m10's but i read a review on the m12's that said how the m12's made an improvement on low end.
that being said, i hate the look of these new m12's. it looks like a 20 dollar walmart special. but if the sound quality is indeed better than the m10's then i'll bite.
have you heard anything on the m12's and what's your opinion?
I hear really good things about the m10's but i read a review on the m12's that said how the m12's made an improvement on low end.
that being said, i hate the look of these new m12's. it looks like a 20 dollar walmart special. but if the sound quality is indeed better than the m10's then i'll bite.
have you heard anything on the m12's and what's your opinion?
They have a general volume button that controls the overall volume and a bass knob in the back. If you are doing recordings, you probably should stick to your "old monitors" These are going to be more accurate then most computer speakers, but with that said they are much different then most computer speakers. Gone is the overpowering low, something inherent to most computer speakers.
There is no additional input. I use a cheap external controller.
Never heard those, but I'd say probably want to stick to the monitors.
I can't speak in comparison, however, I have gotten them fairly loud without distortion, enough for monitoring levels.
Once again, I have never heard the Roland's. If there is any advantage the Swan's would have blindly, it would be the bass. I highly doubt the Roland's have a low-end that would be comparable to the Swan's.
Good choice.
Yes, they are more accurate and clean then the Klipsch Pro Media 2.1's. The sound is not a deep as the M10s, if you look around you can find my further thoughts on them.
theaudioinsider.com
thegoldenmackid reply
Thanks for the input "thegoldenmackid". a few more questions and i'll have my mind made up. haha sorry. it's people like you that keep me from making hundreds of dollars of mistakes. I appreciate it
1. It's my understanding from reading countless reviews and threads that the 10's have a more DEAP/RICH Bass that's more acoustical and that the M12's have a more PUNCHY, window rattling bass that handles heavy hits very well
2. It's also my understanding that to get the full potential quality from the 10's is to ALWAYS have the midwoofer about eye level, as it is "directional"
3. That being said(2), i do most of my listening away from my desk, will i still hear the Full Rich tones of the midwoofer from across the room of would the M12 suit me better? and will the M10's get loud enough to listen somewhat loudly (and clearly) from across a medium sized room?
4. Do you think that a big deciding factor should be the type of music being played? For example: hip-hop, rock, and alternative on the 12's VS. say classical, and more relaxing soft rock types on the 10's? or does it even matter?
5. Would i still get deep, clear hits out of the midwoofer on a hip hop song as i would a subwoofer? and visa versa, would i get rich low tone out of "John Schmidt" or "les mis" on the Sub on the M12 system. sorry, the whole "MIDwoofer" idea is new to me.
6. Any last words/recomendations/links.
Thanks SO MUCH 
Thanks for the input "thegoldenmackid". a few more questions and i'll have my mind made up. haha sorry. it's people like you that keep me from making hundreds of dollars of mistakes. I appreciate it
1. It's my understanding from reading countless reviews and threads that the 10's have a more DEAP/RICH Bass that's more acoustical and that the M12's have a more PUNCHY, window rattling bass that handles heavy hits very well
2. It's also my understanding that to get the full potential quality from the 10's is to ALWAYS have the midwoofer about eye level, as it is "directional"
3. That being said(2), i do most of my listening away from my desk, will i still hear the Full Rich tones of the midwoofer from across the room of would the M12 suit me better? and will the M10's get loud enough to listen somewhat loudly (and clearly) from across a medium sized room?
4. Do you think that a big deciding factor should be the type of music being played? For example: hip-hop, rock, and alternative on the 12's VS. say classical, and more relaxing soft rock types on the 10's? or does it even matter?
5. Would i still get deep, clear hits out of the midwoofer on a hip hop song as i would a subwoofer? and visa versa, would i get rich low tone out of "John Schmidt" or "les mis" on the Sub on the M12 system. sorry, the whole "MIDwoofer" idea is new to me.
6. Any last words/recomendations/links.
Thanks SO MUCH
Yes. They are probably equally as deep, however, the power that the M12 feature drowns out much of the accuracy that is left in the more pure M10.
Yes, sticking the midwoofer on the floor would produce disappointing results for most.
Yeah, at high volumes it's got quite a punch.
I listen to everything, the larger concern would be movies/video games versus music. The bass that most computer speakers have in a subwoofer set-up drowns out the highs/mids, regardless of what is being played.
I prefer the accurate and audible punches versus the overwhelming subwoofer no matter how accurate or what music.5. Would i still get deep, clear hits out of the midwoofer on a hip hop song as i would a subwoofer? and visa versa, would i get rich low tone out of "John Schmidt" or "les mis" on the Sub on the M12 system. sorry, the whole "MIDwoofer" idea is new to me.
After reading your thread and your reviews, I am now interested in purchasing these speakers in the future. But my question is, I have a desk that does not have a shelf to put the sub on. Where would be a valid area to put the sub?
I've been searching for some solid speakers at a great deal for my new iMac, so if you have answered this before, my apologizes for being a redundant topic.
I've been searching for some solid speakers at a great deal for my new iMac, so if you have answered this before, my apologizes for being a redundant topic.
To answer your other question, you don't need one, they work fine hooked up to a standard audio out from your Mac. If you are wondering the cheap controller I'm referring to is an old Alesis USB Multimix - probably way overkill for your situation.But...but...they're so pretty!
Sticking it on the floor is not going to kill anyone. I would recommend looking into something like the D1080s mkII.
I really hate to crosspost, but...
I ordered my M10s on oct 14th. I just got off the phone with Jon at audioinsider and he said the delivery got in a few days ago and that it is clearing customs now. He also said that they may be able to start shipping as early as tomorrow.
For anyone else reading this with an order on backorder, I think it's safe to say that if you ordered around the time I did and have already paid, that yours will ship in this allotment.
I ordered my M10s on oct 14th. I just got off the phone with Jon at audioinsider and he said the delivery got in a few days ago and that it is clearing customs now. He also said that they may be able to start shipping as early as tomorrow.
For anyone else reading this with an order on backorder, I think it's safe to say that if you ordered around the time I did and have already paid, that yours will ship in this allotment.
I do. They have a better low-end in quality and range, however less of a presence because they don't have a dedicated subwoofer. Mid and highs are very similar with the M10s and the speakers are overall louder.
Hmm, hopefully I get a set from this allotment because I just placed my order for the M10's. I cannot wait.
Not sure why there is so much praise about these Swans. Perhaps because they look cool, and the price is right?
I had mine, and returned them. Here's why..
Cons..
- Yes, they are loud, but as an audiophile like myself, they aren't clear.
- The bass is muddy. The volume knob on the sub is way out of place
- Most importantly for me, there isn't a headphone jack.
- As for input, RCA inputs? What popular sound cards have RCA outputs? That is ridiculous.
- The sub only goes down to 42hz at -3db.
- They are lightweight. Lightweight=crappy quality.
- VERY low wattage rating. I believe 5 watts for satellites and 20 watts for sub??
- In my hands, they just feel "cheap".
Pros..
- They look good.
- They are inexpensive.
As you can see, the negatives far outweigh the positives.
After returning them, I purchased the Bose Companion 3 series. I was immediately blown away. Crisp highs, great mid's, and tight bass. They are heavy, and they just feel like quality pieces. Not the mention they take up less desk space, they look awesome, they have a headphone jack, and the volume "puck" is a great design. People automatically disregard them because they are Bose and are costly. Yes, these are costly, but in my opinion, they blow the Swans away.
I had mine, and returned them. Here's why..
Cons..
- Yes, they are loud, but as an audiophile like myself, they aren't clear.
- The bass is muddy. The volume knob on the sub is way out of place
- Most importantly for me, there isn't a headphone jack.
- As for input, RCA inputs? What popular sound cards have RCA outputs? That is ridiculous.
- The sub only goes down to 42hz at -3db.
- They are lightweight. Lightweight=crappy quality.
- VERY low wattage rating. I believe 5 watts for satellites and 20 watts for sub??
- In my hands, they just feel "cheap".
Pros..
- They look good.
- They are inexpensive.
As you can see, the negatives far outweigh the positives.
After returning them, I purchased the Bose Companion 3 series. I was immediately blown away. Crisp highs, great mid's, and tight bass. They are heavy, and they just feel like quality pieces. Not the mention they take up less desk space, they look awesome, they have a headphone jack, and the volume "puck" is a great design. People automatically disregard them because they are Bose and are costly. Yes, these are costly, but in my opinion, they blow the Swans away.
I'm glad you are happy.
They also sound fairly decent, but that's secondary.
They aren't very loud actually, compared to most 2.1 systems they aren't loud at all. If you were an audiophile you probably wouldn't be using the Bose either. Your comments below about RCA cables would also lead me to believe there are some problems, but keep going. I'm not an audiophile btw.
Couldn't be further from the case
True.
As an audiophile, you should know that most DAC's use an RCA connection, furthermore you would never use a computer soundcard. What inputs would you like, I can't think of a single computer speaker that uses something closer to analog. They include a RCA to 1/8th inch cable, which is what most computers have. There would be no point in using the computer 5.1/7.1 system as they have no need for the additional channels. I suppose they could use a TOS link cable, but an RCA allows hook-up to other electronic devices.
Correct, if you want the overpowering sub, look somewhere else.
Bose headphones way three times what a pair of Shure's do. This isn't really a good argument.
Once again, this has nothing to do with sound quality or loudness. My father's Fender Tube amp with Jensen 12's has less then 50 watts, it's louder then any other speaker in his house.
Maybe you should use the gloves
They cost three times the cost of the Swan's and they don't perform three times better. The biggest complaint about the Swan's, besides shipping related, has to be the sub - but that's the reason why I got the Swans. No where in my "Swan love" have I ever tried to hide that the subwoofer isn't really a subwoofer and the bass it reproduces isn't what you would expect. If you are looking for a traditional computer speaker with a huge subwoofer that crowds out the sub-par mids, this is not the system. With that being said: I would have gotten a Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 system over the Bose, even regardless of the price - although the Bose do look much better.
I was going to ask the same thing. I bought mine on 10/16 and it's been saying "processed" since Tuesday. For those who have ordered from the site, where do they ship from and do they update your order info?
So are these speakers good? After nyguy4u, recently returned his set...I question if I have made the right purchase for my new iMac. It does come down to how you enjoy the sound right? Assure me friends.
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