I’ve owned the Alesis M1 620s, and I agree that they’re pretty decent bang for buck sound-wise (I now use Mackies, which are about the same price and sound better to me). However, if you’re planning on buying them, I highly recommend you’re aware of the annoying design flaw they continue to have on the main amplifier PCB. If your speakers just stop working and the blue power LED is flashing, you’ve most likely encountered this.
Essentially, the electrolytic capacitor designated C1 on the PCB is only thermal-rated for about 60ºC, but it’s placed right next to a resistor that gets really hot, about 80ºC in extended use. Over time, the chances of that cap blowing due to overheating tends towards 100%. Happened to both my 620s, and also to another friend using the M1 520s.
It’s a fairly simple fix - replace it with a similar capacitor rated to 100ºC and you’re golden. You can also bend the leads so it sits further away from the problem resistor. However, I highly recommend that you fix it pre-emptively, since the blown cap leaks electrolytic gunk that can damage other components on the PCB, making it a much harder or more expensive fix.
Here’s a link to a YouTube video on how to replace the cap:
By all reports, all generations and models of the M1 Active range exhibit this design flaw. They haven’t fixed it yet in factory, even though it would be extremely easy for them to do so. Get what you pay for, I guess.
I have a pair of Roland/Edirol MA10As that I use both for music and gaming. Though honestly, I tend to do the majority of my music work with headphones anyway – I don’t have to worry about bothering my wife or the neighbors or vice versa, and I tend to write brainy music that’s really intended for headphones. Sometimes I’ll have a listen just to check, but not always.
Also there’s a running aquarium right behind me, and headphones with decent isolation help preserve my sanity and ability to hear certain frequency ranges.
$6 cables? You obviously don’t care at all about the sound of your music. Until you’re ready to get serious about sound, I think you should just stick with these:
Just FYI, stereo speakers are designed to sound good. Studio speakers are designed to sound accurate. Two entirely different goals, and these are intended as low end studio monitors.
If you’re looking to mix stuff in Garageband or make Youtube videos, these are probably a worthwhile investment. If you just want to listen to some good music, there’s better options.
Actually, if you’re producing you want an assortment of speakers from studio/lab monitors down to cheap boombox, to check that it’ll still sound decent after the buyers abuse it.
I honestly don’t believe that’s possible without specifying what kind of music you intend to play. As said earlier, any coloring that enhances one kind of music will detract from another. Yes, you can take it back out by equalizing to compensate, but if you’re going to re-equalize anyway you might as well start from the most perfect/neutral point you can get.
Yes, I’m aware this is a religious debate. That’s my creed as an occasional sound tech. You’re welcome to disagree; you’ll just be wrong. <grin size=“huge” mode=“self-deprecating”/>
This is exactly why I roll my eyes when I see Boingers talking about other people being privileged, and lump me in with the privilege. No. No, no no no no no no no. No! Hell, no. Studio monitors as computer speakers are neither “budget” nor are they “low-priced.” I had a huge debate with myself when I bought some $50 speakers several years ago, and I’m loathe to part with them for that reason because, hey, I spent $50 on computer speakers! They’re crap, yes, but they were in my budget at the time. I even wrung my hands because 20 years ago, I bought a set of Radio Shack “multimedia speakers” on clearance for $30, and the only things wrong with them are that they’re putty-colored, stained up and scratched, and needs a new power supply and pots…so I kept those and plug my phone into 'em when I’m outside. I might get a new PS and pots, and paint the things black someday. I’m not sure a pair of earbuds are in my budget these days.
I think you meant “budget studio monitors that I’m using as computer speakers”.
Well, studio monitors aside (since the “best” of those are ones that have the flattest response), most speakers are made in a way that somebody along the line thinks will enhance the sound. This is largely subjective, of course, but it lets the marketing guys use words like “warm” and “crisp” in a way that they can argue superiority to the competitor’s product.
Case in point: My buddy has a car stereo in which the speakers are clearly designed for the thumping bass from hiphop and house music. If you’re into that, I suppose they’re great. Personally, I think they sound like shit for anything I’d actually listen to- It’s all sub-bass mud. On the other hand, I’ve got an old set of Pioneer speakers which were pretty high end back in the mid-80’s- there’s a certain richness to them that I just don’t get from any other speakers without major EQ. I think it’s a bias around the 150-200k range, but Dark Side of the Moon sounds fantastic on them. Both of these speakers were pretty clearly intended for a certain (and very different) type of end user.
How much would ‘average people’ notice these pads?
It would really depend on what you put the speakers on. If they’re on something really solid that’s on top of a carpeted floor, not much. If they’re on something that reverberates, like a filing cabinet, bookcase, or desktop, then you’ll probably notice a whole lot of difference.
Again, if you’re just listening to music, you don’t need this level of speaker at all, let alone the $300 gold-tipped Monster Cables.
On the other hand, if you’re mixing and mastering your own, you’ll want the pads as well as some room treatment, because there are specific things you’ll be listening for which can be camoflauged by something as simple as sound bouncing off a window behind you.
I think you’re ignoring the fact that the computer is the main sound system in many houses these days. $177 to boost a laptop or whatever to the status of kick ass stereo is a small price to pay, especially by the standards of the 1980’s era multi unit sound systems, which you reference.
Ta for that. I’ve had a pair of the 520s for about a year now, without issue (but they’re not powered up all the time). I’m very happy with them and your note suggests they’re easy to maintain. I now wonder if the higher rated cap fix, if mentioned in eBay, might give them a higher resale value?
As nox mentioned, it depends on what you have the speakers on. If they’re sitting on a bookshelf, or cheap speaker stands, the difference is enormous. I’d say that the difference is enough to be worth it even if you’re just listening, not mixing.
I don’t really know much about 5 point sound. People like it for their home theaters, but for listening to music, I’d say it’s likely to sound worse than stereo in practice.
For unpowered speakers, any sufficiently thick cable is as good as any other, because the signal is already amplified when it goes through the cable. You could just get normal insulated power cable in bulk from home depot and it would work great. For a powered speaker, the signal goes through the cable at a low level before it gets amplified, so any noise picked up along the way gets amplified too. This means that you want to at least use a shielded cable, and may need to use a balanced cable. (assuming you’ve got a balanced setup) In that case, you’re probably looking at at least a $10 or so cable on Amazon to get one well enough made that the shielding works and is durable. For microphones, noise problems are amplified even further and you don’t have the option of a balanced cable. (The cable may be a balanced xlr, but it won’t be functioning as balanced) Mic cables also are typically subject to more movement and use than cables that are part of a stationary setup. It is thus sometimes worthwhile to shell out a significant amount of money for a good mic cable.
Unexpected bonus, thank you! I recently helped a musician friend tear down after a party and was wondering why he was so protective of the mic cables.
This matches my experience. Even then, most movies don’t really make good use of it. Also, only recently have I encountered video games (bioshock) that really leverage the 5 point setup. Not sure if a fluke or sign of things to come.
Yep. I had a pair of M Audios that are the decent powered monitors, a pair of lovely Cerwin Vega 12 inches for Hi Fi and a pair of nasty little 4.5" whizzer-coned Sonys for checking it. It can be really shocking the differences and it’s really hard to learn not to over-equalize it…
