TheProfessor1987
Broken In
Hello Friends! I am sharing my impressions regarding the recently launched HiVi Swans M200A Multimedia Speakers. I think that I am among the first few people in India who’ve had a chance to review this model. In a way, I consider myself to be fortunate but there’s also a certain sense of responsibility to get this right. I hope that fellow music enthusiasts will be able to draw value from my observations and opinions.
Based out of California, the Swans brand is quite popular among audiophiles and it is rapidly gaining mainstream recognition. They have a reasonable fan-following even in a country like India, where most people don’t look beyond the highly overrated trio of JBL, Bose and Creative!
The M200A features Bluetooth connectivity & is slotted just above the M200MKII, which is arguably the best speaker within its price range. The M200MKII also won the Innovations awards for Design & Engineering at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in 2009. However, it was getting a little long in the tooth and hence Swans came up with this new successor.
Design & Construction
Visually, they look pretty similar to the MKII, which is a good thing as the MKII is one of the most bad-ass looking speakers that I’ve ever seen. They have so much more aesthetic appeal and personality than my Audio Engine A5+. This distinctiveness in terms of styling is present in all Swans Speakers. Even their base offering, the highly acclaimed M10, is a fabulous looking unit.
The grill of the M200A is pear shaped with a bespoke golden Swan at the bottom. The speaker stands proudly on four round gold-finished legs. The top slopes forwards and the side panels are made up of real wood. The construction is not boxy, it almost feels as if the unit is reclining on a wooden throne. This stance lends the M200A an air of stately elegance. According to Swans, the dimensional irregularity prevents resonance and enhances sound quality. The all black front fascia is punctuated by a 5.25 inch driver and 0.8” tweeter.
Performance
The speakers that I received were brand new and I spent about 75-80 hours burning them in. After that they had ‘opened up’ completely and I was astounded by how good they sound. I am trying to remain objective here but I have to admit that these speakers made me switch off my ‘reviewer’ mode and turned me into a fan. The sound is very well rounded and punchy – it is engaging and draws you into the song. I found my sweet spot by keeping the bass at about 11 ‘o clock (12 ‘o clock being the mid point) and the treble at 1 o clock. I played different kinds of musical genres – ranging from contemporary pop to classic rock, fusion, bollywood, jazz, blues, rap, death metal etc. etc. The M200A handled even complex tunes with exemplary composure. I especially enjoyed listening to Joe Cocker’s version of Unchain My Heart (Live) on Youtube. I kept playing the saxophone bits over and over. This irritated my family quite a bit but I still have a roof over my head so things are under control.
The sources that I used were an HP Envy laptop with i5 procesor, iBasso DX 80 player and a Moto G3 mobile phone. The M200A is a versatile speaker – it caters to a variety of tastes. I brought in a couple of my friends to have a listen and even used them during a small house party. The M200A packs more than enough grunt to fill a 12 x 10 room with loud, entertaining sound. Many guests seemed interested by the uncommon design and admired the soft-touch wood. I think that Swans sold a couple of M200As that day. In comparison, my Audio Engine A5+ failed to attract much attention even though they are white, which is the favorite color of our country – be it for cars, mobile phones, speakers or skin
I could extract the most out of these speakers only by placing them to form an isosceles triangle. The music sounded completely different when I stepped out of the ‘V’. While this is true for all speakers, I noticed that the effect is very pronounced in the case of the M200A.
Bluetooth Performance
I was delaying testing out the Bluetooth as much as possible. The reason for this is that in the past, I have had a couple of nightmarish experiences with respect to BT. Some devices have a system of flashing lights in various colours. When the lights flash in a particular color and a particular sequence, it means that the BT has been paired successfully. So you have to bring out the manual and learn what that the lights, flashes and their colours actually mean!
Much to my delight, pairing the M200A with an android smartphone was ludicrously easy! There is no special switch or light for enabling BT. It remains on all the time. I just enabled BT on the phone, clicked on the gear (settings) and the speaker was visible on the list of available devices. I selected it and it paired almost instantaneously – the M200A emanated a ‘clicking sound’ in conformation. Now I could listen to music through my speakers while lying down on the bed with my smartphone – which is my most beloved activity!
Accessories included in box
Nothing out of the ordinary here. The box included a power cable, a 4 pronged XLR cable and an RCA to 3.5 mm cable. All wires are detachable. The XlR cable is almost 7 feet long. I checked online and it’s not easily available in India. I contacted the distributor and they said that they stock spare cables so I guess that relacement shouldn’t be a problem.
Final Verdict:
At this point, it must be fairly obvious to you that I am in love with this speaker. I thought long and hard and couldn’t find another model in the same price bracket that offers more bang for your buck. I don’t feel like giving it back. I can’t think of another multimedia speaker that would be more suitable for homes and desktops. Pair it with a half-decent source and the M200A will handle everything you throw at it with sublime grace.
My review probably looks less like a review and more like a sales pitch. But then, I AM truly sold on this product. I do have a complaint though: the black bits of the M200A pick up fingerprints very easily and it really takes some wiping to get them off. Nah….just nitpicking!
I really suggest that you give this speaker a try!
Based out of California, the Swans brand is quite popular among audiophiles and it is rapidly gaining mainstream recognition. They have a reasonable fan-following even in a country like India, where most people don’t look beyond the highly overrated trio of JBL, Bose and Creative!
The M200A features Bluetooth connectivity & is slotted just above the M200MKII, which is arguably the best speaker within its price range. The M200MKII also won the Innovations awards for Design & Engineering at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in 2009. However, it was getting a little long in the tooth and hence Swans came up with this new successor.
Design & Construction
Visually, they look pretty similar to the MKII, which is a good thing as the MKII is one of the most bad-ass looking speakers that I’ve ever seen. They have so much more aesthetic appeal and personality than my Audio Engine A5+. This distinctiveness in terms of styling is present in all Swans Speakers. Even their base offering, the highly acclaimed M10, is a fabulous looking unit.
The grill of the M200A is pear shaped with a bespoke golden Swan at the bottom. The speaker stands proudly on four round gold-finished legs. The top slopes forwards and the side panels are made up of real wood. The construction is not boxy, it almost feels as if the unit is reclining on a wooden throne. This stance lends the M200A an air of stately elegance. According to Swans, the dimensional irregularity prevents resonance and enhances sound quality. The all black front fascia is punctuated by a 5.25 inch driver and 0.8” tweeter.
Performance
The speakers that I received were brand new and I spent about 75-80 hours burning them in. After that they had ‘opened up’ completely and I was astounded by how good they sound. I am trying to remain objective here but I have to admit that these speakers made me switch off my ‘reviewer’ mode and turned me into a fan. The sound is very well rounded and punchy – it is engaging and draws you into the song. I found my sweet spot by keeping the bass at about 11 ‘o clock (12 ‘o clock being the mid point) and the treble at 1 o clock. I played different kinds of musical genres – ranging from contemporary pop to classic rock, fusion, bollywood, jazz, blues, rap, death metal etc. etc. The M200A handled even complex tunes with exemplary composure. I especially enjoyed listening to Joe Cocker’s version of Unchain My Heart (Live) on Youtube. I kept playing the saxophone bits over and over. This irritated my family quite a bit but I still have a roof over my head so things are under control.
The sources that I used were an HP Envy laptop with i5 procesor, iBasso DX 80 player and a Moto G3 mobile phone. The M200A is a versatile speaker – it caters to a variety of tastes. I brought in a couple of my friends to have a listen and even used them during a small house party. The M200A packs more than enough grunt to fill a 12 x 10 room with loud, entertaining sound. Many guests seemed interested by the uncommon design and admired the soft-touch wood. I think that Swans sold a couple of M200As that day. In comparison, my Audio Engine A5+ failed to attract much attention even though they are white, which is the favorite color of our country – be it for cars, mobile phones, speakers or skin
I could extract the most out of these speakers only by placing them to form an isosceles triangle. The music sounded completely different when I stepped out of the ‘V’. While this is true for all speakers, I noticed that the effect is very pronounced in the case of the M200A.
Bluetooth Performance
I was delaying testing out the Bluetooth as much as possible. The reason for this is that in the past, I have had a couple of nightmarish experiences with respect to BT. Some devices have a system of flashing lights in various colours. When the lights flash in a particular color and a particular sequence, it means that the BT has been paired successfully. So you have to bring out the manual and learn what that the lights, flashes and their colours actually mean!
Much to my delight, pairing the M200A with an android smartphone was ludicrously easy! There is no special switch or light for enabling BT. It remains on all the time. I just enabled BT on the phone, clicked on the gear (settings) and the speaker was visible on the list of available devices. I selected it and it paired almost instantaneously – the M200A emanated a ‘clicking sound’ in conformation. Now I could listen to music through my speakers while lying down on the bed with my smartphone – which is my most beloved activity!
Accessories included in box
Nothing out of the ordinary here. The box included a power cable, a 4 pronged XLR cable and an RCA to 3.5 mm cable. All wires are detachable. The XlR cable is almost 7 feet long. I checked online and it’s not easily available in India. I contacted the distributor and they said that they stock spare cables so I guess that relacement shouldn’t be a problem.
Final Verdict:
At this point, it must be fairly obvious to you that I am in love with this speaker. I thought long and hard and couldn’t find another model in the same price bracket that offers more bang for your buck. I don’t feel like giving it back. I can’t think of another multimedia speaker that would be more suitable for homes and desktops. Pair it with a half-decent source and the M200A will handle everything you throw at it with sublime grace.
My review probably looks less like a review and more like a sales pitch. But then, I AM truly sold on this product. I do have a complaint though: the black bits of the M200A pick up fingerprints very easily and it really takes some wiping to get them off. Nah….just nitpicking!
I really suggest that you give this speaker a try!
