Swan M50W or Beresford TC-7520 DAC + speakers

I

Iching

[H]ard|Gawd
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Nov 29, 2008
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As stated above. I need a new set of speakers. My priories are movies, music and occasional gaming. I will be using Creative H-FI Titanium HD. I may consider Swan M1 to go with the amp but that would set me back $1000 (still did not convince my wife).;):rolleyes: I am not a pro when it comes to specifications etc. I am looking for something decent that will not kill my wallet. Currently I am using Swans M10 which are really nice.

Swan M50W
http://www.theaudioinsider.com/product_info.php?p=swan-m50w&products_id=167


Swans/HiVi D1080MkII Speakers + Beresford DAC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtTPAZT1aVE
 
The Audio Insider's prices have been climbing...

I wouldn't bother with the DAC.
 
I should have the M50Ws by Monday or Tuesday. I'll let you know how they sound.

M50wsystem800.jpg
 
Iching said:
I am sorry but they just look like Creative. I would not even bother. Most likely I will get another set of Swans M10.
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Why another set of m10s? What happened to the first set?
 
Iching said:
I am sorry but they just look like Creative. I would not even bother. Most likely I will get another set of Swans M10.
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Erm, what are you trying to say here? If you don't like the looks as much, fine. I can see how the swans are more stylish. If, on the other hand, you are implying that the product can't be any good because it looks like Creative products, that doesn't make any sense. At this point in time I trust Corsair more on pretty much anything hardware over Creative. They've been making good picks with what they put in their RAM, they've made good picks with what went into their PSUs, and if they say they made good picks with what went into their speakers, I trust it.

Then again, I don't own them or Creative. I don't have a wife to limit my speaker budget ;)

Oh yeah, and don't spend on a DAC. I've personally found sound only to improve with how much quality power I can get into the speakers and the speakers themselves. Spending on a DAC just doesn't seem justified if you're not the man that owns everything.
 
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The corsairs are fine but for nearly the same money the Swan M50W will be noticeably better in every aspect. Sorry but the quality of the swans components are simply a step up. The Corsair is a decent setup, just should be $150 not $250.

The Corsair will have more bass impact. Must mention that. It will not be clean or as musical as the Swans but it will hit harder.
 
PhantmShado said:
Erm, what are you trying to say here? If you don't like the looks as much, fine. I can see how the swans are more stylish. If, on the other hand, you are implying that the product can't be any good because it looks like Creative products, that doesn't make any sense. At this point in time I trust Corsair more on pretty much anything hardware over Creative. They've been making good picks with what they put in their RAM, they've made good picks with what went into their PSUs, and if they say they made good picks with what went into their speakers, I trust it.

Then again, I don't own them or Creative. I don't have a wife to limit my speaker budget ;)

Oh yeah, and don't spend on a DAC. I've personally found sound only to improve with how much quality power I can get into the speakers and the speakers themselves. Spending on a DAC just doesn't seem justified if you're not the man that owns everything.
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Thank you for your input but I think Corsair should stick to PSU, RAM etc. stuff. They look plastic and boomy. I do not have a problem paying premium for Swans since they are in a different league. I am not implying anything about Corsair, I am saying they inferior in my view. I like HiFi's styling and high quality design, on the other hand.

Cheers!
 
spaceman said:
The corsairs are fine but for nearly the same money the Swan M50W will be noticeably better in every aspect. Sorry but the quality of the swans components are simply a step up. The Corsair is a decent setup, just should be $150 not $250.

The Corsair will have more bass impact. Must mention that. It will not be clean or as musical as the Swans but it will hit harder.
Click to expand...

You can say it again. I am not looking for "boom in da room" effect but for clean and gentle sound. I wwould like to make sure it is going to be a step up from Swans M10 which are also great for they are.:)
 
I'll just copy the novice review I did on overclock.net.

I got a surprise delivery yesterday by Fedex. All is forgiven ;) I'm having a hard time shutting down the tunes and writing this up but I'll give some quick impression over the first 24 hours. Please excuse the mess, I haven't tidied everything up yet.

Some quick pics:

IMG_5710.jpg


IMG_5709.jpg


IMG_5707.jpg


IMG_5705.jpg


IMG_5704.jpg


IMG_5703.jpg


First off: Packaging was excellent. Double boxed with beefy Styrofoam inserts. Speakers were in white cloth bags with the usual Swan white gloves.

Accessories were all present and the quality was okay. I initially disappointed when I saw the speaker wire. It was terminated with an RCA plug. What?

Take a look at the back of the sub. Those RCA jacks aren't inputs like I was hoping. That's the speaker output. Input is a single 1/8 inch mini-plug.

I had to run out to Radio Shack to get a stereo RCA to mini-plug to run the speakers off the Xonar Essence Card. There is an included male mini to male mini cable for use with the usual onboard sound or cards that output via miniplug.

Setup was a breeze after that. The speakers have spring loaded gates that really grab the speaker wire (which was nicely stripped and split just enough).

I should have measured the wires for you guys but there seems to be enough length for just about any configuration.

The attached volume wheel (nice touch) works fine. It's solid with just a touch of play in the two halves. I have a volume rocker on my keyboard that seems more convenient for me but the wheel would be super useful when using the speakers with just an Ipod or DAP.

The speakers and sub have a surprising amount of heft to them. The Fedex guy even remarked on the weight of the box. Very solid build to everything.

The wood veneer is extremely good looking (to me). It's a nice matte finish with glossy black piano lacquer plates on the top and bottom. My dad was over and immediately commented on their appearance.

It's almost a shame that the sub is so pretty. It will more than likely just end up under most people's desk. It's big. You would need a huge desk if you wanted it up top with the speakers (I tried).

How they sound: In a word, fantastic. Right out of the box I knew these were nice. Bass is low, tight, and textured. The sub goes plenty low for every kind of music I listen to. Would it do pipe organ? Probably not, but it sounds great during Avishai Cohen's standup bass runs.

Each note is roughly equal volume (some of that is positioning; corner loading the sub was too much). The initial pluck is felt and heard. I haven't run sweeps with my dB meter or anything but I feel that the advertised range of 38Hz is accurate.

Electronic bass like Shpongle, Bluetech sounds amazing. It's definitely not a one-note sub.

I listen to mostly jazz and ambient/ psybient stuff. The soundstage these beauties throw was unexpected. Very wide with a surprising amount of height. The metallic dome tweeters are just tiny bit tizzy sounding but the detail and resolution they produce make up for it. It's a minor quibble. Unless you've heard some really high-end two channel rigs you probably won't know the difference.

The speakers are pretty forward in the highs but have not been fatiguing at all. It's quite a trick they've pulled off here with these.

My dad likes blues so I put on Joe Bonamassa Blues Deluxe. Whoa. Excellent detail in the guitar. Snare hits were a touch recessed but that's to be expected with the size of the drivers. Bass was articulate.

Threw in some Bella Sonus Enamoured. Oh yes. Soundstage is ridiculous at this point. With my eyes closed I'm really having a hard time believing these are 8 inch tall cabinets.

Beck's Sea Change. Again, phenomenal. The acoustic guitar was very lifelike. Huge soundstage.

Patricia Barber's Nightclub. Virtually holographic soundstage with my eyes closed. It had width, height, and a degree of depth that was I not expecting. I got real relaxed, closed my eyes, and dimmed the room. Very immersive experience. I could not get over the realism of the depth.

I was blown away by any female vocals. If I had to say what these little babies were born to do, it would be to reproduce female vocals.

Diana Krall's Case of You on Live in Paris. Hairs standing up. Very forward lifelike vocals. You can hear her lips part before she sings. Every nuance is there.

I made my wife sit down in the sweet spot and listen. Her eyes got wide pretty quick. She plays piano herself and was blown away by the details in that simple song. It's an amazing recording and the speakers do it justice.

I was equally floored by Patricia Barber's stuff with these. I swear I'm hearing stuff from her percussionist that I've never heard before.

I picked these over the M200MkII's because I also watch movies on my computer. I figured the 2.1 system would be more fun.

So far, so good. Even in 2-channel mode the dialogue is clear and realistic. It doesn't have that slight hollowness that a phantom center often does.

I've watched parts of Band of Brothers, Sin City, Unstoppable, and the Showtime series Shameless. Panning effects are really nice. There are some environmental effects in Get Low (crickets, birds, leaves crunching) that are just represented so well by these.

The term High Definition has been overused so much its almost meaningless but it's an appropriate description. There is an incredible amount of detail and resolution here. As of now, I'm considering the price of 290 dollars a bargain. I would recommend these to anybody wanting a versatile 2.1 system that really (REALLY) excels with music.

Okay, back to listening. Feel free to hit me up with any questions. I'm not the best writer and wish I could really convey how impressed I am with these.

Quick addendum: I keep going back and forth with some ath m-50s, Grado 325is, and the Swans...these speakers pretty much keep up with the resolution of my 'phones. Nuff said.
 
How does the Swan M50W compare to the BX5a in terms of mids and highs? I might ditch the BX5a if the Swan M50W satellites are noticeably better.
 
I'm already familiar with blue jean, monoprice, partsexpress, etc but thanks....I was in a hurry, it was Saturday afternoon. I'm actually fine with the cable from ratshack. It's a suitable gauge, insulation is thick and the run is pretty short. It's not one of the uber-flimsy, cheapo RCA deals you can get at Walmart.

I can't compare these to the M-Audio's because I've never heard them. I have heard the Audioengine A5 but it was in a "Guitar Center" type store. Plus, unless I'm just quickly A/B'ing them I don't have much an auditory memory (who does?). I remember liking the A5s.

I'm more of a traditional 2 channel and headphone guy. I know, in general, what decent sound is. These produce decent sound, better than what I was expecting on many tracks. The 'stage is big with a nice depth (depending on recording). I just got done listening to some Smashing Pumpkins Gish sessions and was really pleased at the snap of the snare hits.
 
Must resist...

I've been a ProMedia 2.1 user for years, still enjoy them daily but... This M50W set is very tempting. You say you're getting a true 38hz? I definitely like the look, and Swan is well known for accurate sound too.

The lack of a hollow phantom center is intriguing as I can't hear above a certain frequency, often this is "covered up" by boosting the high end. Usually, setups like that sound even more hollow to me as the cover up goes above my hearing range.
 
Eh...I'm guessing at the 38Hz....but it's an educated guess. I spent weeks running test tones through 3 home theaters, playing with subwoofer placement and EQ. I have a "corrected" Radio Shack dB meter. I'm no pro but I got pretty familiar with 20Hz to 80Hz tones.

Based on some of the music I listen too (especially Bella Sonus: Enamoured) I have little doubt that this sub will do 38Hz pretty linearly. Much of the bass in that album is high 20s to 30Hz.

The M50w reproduced it really well, definitely not in the sheer output of my HT subs, but it was completely appropriate considering the form-factor.

In fact, I really needed to keep moving the little sub away from the corner and wall to decrease output. It was just too much to be sitting right there on top of it.
 
I'm looking for a 2.1 system for my bedroom computer desk for under $300 and currently I was looking at the KRK RP5 monitors.

I am borrowing a pair right now and they definitely sound nice, but I decided that I still want a subwoofer. I was looking at this sub:
http://www.6ave.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=PRDPDR8V4SL

Because I have the 10" model in my home theater and it's been excellent.

The only problem is there is no way to connect it with the KRK-RP5 monitors.

I was going to get the KRK RP5's from Guitar center for $100 each plus the $100 sub and it would have been exactly $300 if only i could connect them.

I was looking for alternatives and I came across the Audioengine A5, which are supposed to perform like the KRK RP5s, but they have a subwoofer output connection. The only problem is the cheapest I can find those for is $325, so it would cost me $125 more, at $425 total.

Do you think I would be satisfied with this system instead? I see that I can get it for $250 online. I'm not worried about the performance of the small subwoofer after your review.

I am however worried about the small 3.5" woofers in the speakers when I was originally looking at 5" woofers in both the KRK and A5s.

What do you think about the 3.5" woofers and filling the area around my computer desk used for near-field listening and not really blasting or anything.

These are really 90% for music.

As a side note, my current setup is headphones. Sennheiser HD600 with a dedicated DAC/ Headphone amp.
 
With the Swan M50's, do you need to do the wiring yourself? Or does each module have wiring either already in it or a wire that's provided?
 
I apologize for the late bump but I couldn't find a better thread online to discuss my situation.

I am definitely torn between the M200MKIIs and the M50W. I plan to mostly use my speakers for 60% music, 30% games and 10% for movies.

Should I possibly wait for the H4 or H5 as well? I have a strict $300 budget and I am more than certain these speakers may cost more.
 
I think you should go for the M50W's due to the addition of the subwoofer.
 
I still did not get the speakers. I think I am going to have to skip M50W. I spent too much on my road/mountain bikes.;)
 
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