Swan M10 vs Swan D1080MkII08

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Short Question: Could I get a comparison of these two speakers from anyone who has experience with both? What are the pros and cons of each? (excluding size and cost)

Long Question: My mom is interested in getting some new speakers and the task of choosing which ones to get naturally fell upon me since she's technically challenged. I hadn't researched speakers since I bought my Z-5500s 4 years back so I was pretty clueless myself (my first thoughts were Logitech Z-2300 and Klipsch ProMedia 2.1, but those fell from my top 3 before too long).

I'll admit that I had never heard of Swan until today, but after a couple hours of researching and comparing they're at the top of my list. I'd really appreciate some feedback from anyone who has experience with the M10 and the D1080MKII 08. The obvious difference is that the M10 is 2.1 while the one with the obnoxiously long name is 2.0. Beyond that, I'm not really knowledgeable enough to make judgments based on the specs, although my impression is that the D1080MKII 08 seems to be the superior product. How noticeable is it's lack of a subwoofer, though?

Some details on what she's looking for -

Her price limit is $200 and she wants the speakers for music, but since they'll be going in the living room anyway and she doesn't have a desk in there I figure I'll set them up around the TV so she can use them with movies as well. Size and the extra space needed for 2.1 aren't really issues since the speakers won't be on a desk. My mom doesn't listen to much bass-heavy music so she could probably get by without a subwoofer. She won't be directly in front of the speakers while listening to them. I'm not too sure on the dimensions of her living room... maybe around 15' x 12'. She'll also be playing music while in the kitchen, which is connected to the living room with no wall between.

Lastly, would the quality of these speakers noticeably suffer if they were just connected to the integrated sound of my mom's laptop (Compaq Presario cq62-225nr)? She's no audiophile so doesn't have to sound perfect, but I could talk her into getting a USB sound card if there are any decent ones for under $50. (It'd have to be USB to be compatible with her computer.)

Thanks in advance for any help!
 
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Definitely the D1080 if she doesnt care about a sub. If she wants a sub, she can always add one later on. The drivers and enclosure is much bigger on the D1080 which is needed especially if she wont be sitting directly in front of the speakers... The M10 will be too weak for a living room. You can even set them up on stands made for studio monitors if you want them paired with a TV.
 
Used receiver plus bookshelf, floor standing, or in wall speakers.
 
I had a pair of the M10 speakers, they sounded good for the month that they lasted before the electronics in the amp died.
Will not fill a room with sound unless the room is on the small size.
I would not recommend them, based on the short lived built in amplifier.
 
I've got the D1080MKII and they are very good. The D1080MKII08 is a newer version and probably even better. They are bigger than the M10 and as suggested, if you wanted more bass, you can get a subwoofer added later. But given the technically challenged audience, its unlikely she is going to discern lack of this or lack of that.

Yes, they work fine coming off the onboard audio, because they have an internal amp. And they come with speaker A to B wire, and the A to computer has the mini plug that goes right into your speaker port. No extra cables or anything to buy.

If I had to choose between M10 and D1080 for my mom... I would buy based on her available desk space.

Like you, I had not heard of Swans until I found [H] forum, but now I'm a convert... audioinsider.com has D1080MKII08 for $148 + shipping.
 
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The sub on the M10's is the midrange driver on the D1080's

The 1080's will drive a bit louder and project better. the M10's will be a bit crisper on the highs & mids due to having tweeters and 3" mid's in the 'speakers', the sole 5" in the woofer won't really hit the lows as well but for short-range (desktop) use, it will get the job done.

The 1080's have tweeters and 5" mid/woofers and since they have more room to breathe and there are two of them, they'll hit better. I certainly haven't found my 1080's lacking...

To the points about the subs though, just to stress: NEITHER setup has a 'real' subwoofer (8"+ woofer that focuses on tones under 250 Hz)
 
Didn't the audioinsider used to sell the M200's for $189? I would get those above either of those 2.
 
I've had my swans m10's for 2+ years and never had any problems whatsoever. I never heard the 1080s, but i'm very happy with the m10s and its sound quality. Makes my music sound great. However, they due lack in bass. The bass is still there, just not thumping, ground shaking bass. Its still enough punch for me to enjoy FPS games and music though. Nothing is muddy sounding.
 
Stick with active speakers. Moms tend to not like all the buttons that come with a receiver. Just plug in a play is the easiest route.
 
Swan M10 is significantly lower priced then the D1080MKII 08. It's pretty safe to say D1080MKII 08 is better in almost every way. If price is a factor, M10 is the way to go, but also consider the D1010MKII 08. It's a smaller version of the D1080MKII 08, but shares a lot of the acoustic properties. We have Audioengine A2 set up next to the Swan D1010MKII 08 in the demo room. Even when disregarding price (A2-$200 and D1010MKII-$150) the D1010MKII 08 always gets the win from the judges.

However, there's really nothing at the low $100's price-point that can compete with the Swan M10. The Swan M10 with the glossy black face is ONLY available from Lockware.

Paul
Lockware Systems
 
We are the newest USA authorized dealer for Swan, Swan just hasn't updated the site yet. You can verify with Hugh, who can be reached at:
[email protected]

Lockware Systems is a legitimate business registered in the state of NY as of July 2010. We are Authorize.net verified, Paypal verified, Google Shopping verified, and soon to be Google Checkout verified as soon as the code is implemented into the site, which should be sometime in April. We are not a drop-shipper so the package will be arriving very quickly.

Don't hesitate to ask anything else. Don't forget to check for other Lockware exclusive Swan Speakers under featured products on the homepage.

Paul
Lockware Systems
 
Swan has updated their site. Lockware Systems is listed as an Authorized USA Dealer for Swan Speakers.

Paul
Lockware Systems
 
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