B&W Computer Speakers (MM1)

I have had a Sony Sound System with separate Bass for years and was always pleased with it. Finally though, the amplifier quite and it is not fixable. So, i went off to find a new system that would work well with my MAC 5K. I looked and tried many systems, but was not happy with what I saw. Finally, I asked at Apple and they recommended this unit, of course at full retail. So, I instead went to Amazon and ordered it there. Here is what i found:1. The system looks nice and is easy to setup. The only thing I did not like about the looks is the power brick! Where do you hid the darn thing?2. The speaker cord that connects the two speakers together could stand to be a bit longer for a desktop installation. It allows about 5 feet, but if you are working with a newer desk design, that can be a little on the short side.3. The USB cord is good and you can always get extensions or longer cables if you need it. An example would be if your desk is against a wall and you want to put the speakers up on shelves. In that case, the included USB might not be long enough, but again, it is easily extended.4. Fit and Finish of the unit is superb!! The cables all enter the speakers on the bottom and there is a slot cut into the speaker for the cable to enter. The connectors are all on the bottom and hidden from view. The result is a very clean line!!5. Great, now what about sound? Be prepared for an exceptional experience!!!!!! That being said, I would first caution you to find your equalizer on iTunes (if you are using a MAC) and make adjustments there for pre-amp and for acoustics that you like. Once you have done that, these speakers will be amazing! While configured to perform best a few feet in front of the speakers, they will also fill a very large room with incredible sound!!!! If you do not adjust the equalizer, you may not be pleased because you probably have the bass turned up high to compensate for the MAC speakers and that will give you very muddied sound.6. The included remote is well designed and ergonomic for holding. I have read the complaints about the remote no a desktop, but it was NOT designed to be operated while it is on the desktop! It was designed to be held in your hand and used! As such the buttons are well placed and the unit is very comfortable.7. The remote will advance the tracks on your play list, pause the music, restart the music, mute the sound, adjust sound levels, and turn the unit on or off. If you use the USB connection and then go in to your System Preferences and Select the MM-1 units, it will then use the MM-1 unit when it is powered on and the internal speakers when it is not powered on!!8. Registering is accomplished by going online and entering in your serial number! So, use your phone to take a picture of the bottom of the main unit where the serial number and other information is at. That way you will always have it and do not need to pick-up the speaker to get the information. Also, if you cannot read the fine print, taking a picture allows you to easily expand the picture to be able to read it with ease!!9. Buying from Amazon Warehouse is an incredible deal!! Getting more than $100 off is a VERY nice touch!! I purchased the unit that stated the box will be damaged and no other listing of problems. The units were perfect in every way and the damage to the box was the fact that it had been opened!I am VERY pleased with my purchase and would highly recommend it if you want incredible sound from your computer!!!!

I had originally listened to these speakers at a big box electronics store, and was perhaps a little disappointed by my first impressions. I own many of B&W's hi-fi speakers - all of my stereo set-up, in addition to my entire 5.1 movie set-up - as well as the P7and C5 headphones and other wireless powered speakers like the Zeppelin Air.I have been a lifelong fan of the brand for the quality of their products, the clarity of the sound they produce, as well as the fidelity to the recorded sound. My first introduction to the brand was by way of CD liner notes mentioning each recording was monitored using B&W speakers. That was over 20 years ago, and no, I am not 40 yet.So - having been so enamored with B&W products for so long - I was slightly taken aback by these speakers upon first auditioning them. Nevertheless, I purchased them through Amazon in order to give them a second chance. I'm very happy I did.I realized once I had set them up on my desk that - as B&W themselves advertise them as - they are designed for near field listening. They are connected to my iMac (via USB - which thankfully overrides the onboard sound card), from which I generally sit about 2-3 ft away. And this is exactly what these speakers were designed for.There's an ideal distance from any speaker from which to obtain the best listening position. For these speakers, it's within 3ft. Bass is clear and realistic - you definitely do not need an additional subwoofer with these speakers if listening within the designed listening range - and as with all B&W speakers, sound quality is exceptional.These speakers may be a bit pricey for "computer speakers", however, I should mention that they do have their own on-board DAC (Digital to Analogue Converter). For those who are not familiar, all sound passed through and coming out of any speaker is analogue. It has to be because that's the way sound waves work - they're all analogue. Computers, A/V receivers, &c. all need to convert digital sound - which is most of what is produced and commercialized today - into analogue sound (hence the DAC). Some do this better than others, and many DACs - such as inexpensive ones found on a Mac, say, are simply that: inexpensive. The quality of sound they produce, as such, is really not very good.So, the B&W MM-1s have their own onboard DAC. The speakers plug into an available USB port on your computer and handle/convert all of the sound output from your computer (or iPhone or other AUX connected device through two stereo minijack connectors - like the ones in a car - at the rear of the main speaker).Once they're connected, simply sit at your desk and enjoy!Because you'll supposedly be sitting within the perfect listening range, they will most definitely sound as good as far more expensive speakers connected to an amplifier in your stereo listening area. I recommend upping your player's output volume to maximum, and adjusting the speaker volume from your computer, or indeed the speakers themselves, which have a power, volume +/- buttons, as well as a small remote control which will also allow you to control music playback.Could these speakers fill a room? Sure. In a relatively small room, such as a students' dorm room or a studio apartment, they can work very nicely. Would you obtain the optimal sound quality listening to these more than 3 or so ft away? Not in my opinion, but I suppose they could do the job better than most less well designed speakers. Again, these speakers are designed to be siting on a desk, connected to one's laptop or desktop. If used as such, they are near perfect and the sound is beautiful. For listening from farther away, I would recommend the Zeppelin Air or A5/A7 wireless speakers.When used as intended, these really are an excellent pair of speakers.