Micca MB42

After reading various reviews on Amazon, and comparing prices with other brands, I recently purchased a set of these speakers (Micca MB42) to replace an ailing set of "Universal" speakers (that's the brand - seriously!) I use on my computer. Most of my music listening is done on my computer, and it is important to me that whatever speakers I purchased sounded good and worked well with my sub (from an old Cambridge Soundworks 2.1 system).Make no mistake, these speakers are it!A bit larger than my old speakers, the ebony laminated wood grain cabinets really complement my computer system nonetheless. The laminate is attached on all sides; even the back edges of the cabinets are silky smooth (many low-cost speakers leave the rear edges rough). The front covers are held in place via friction fitted metal pegs (not plastic pegs like some speakers). The silk dome tweeter and carbon fiber woofer of these speakers give them a classic, yet sexy high-tech appearance that says "expensive", even though they cost less than a dinner for two at a mid-range restaurant! I haven't looked inside the cabinets yet to see if there is any poly-fill; for such a low-cost speaker, I wouldn't expect it - but these have already surprised me. Maybe they will again when I get around to looking!The sound? Gorgeous. When I unboxed these, I noted that they felt decent and solid - I was confident that there wouldn't be any rattling when playing at higher volumes. I can't say that I have pushed them yet, but at the volumes I have played them, they performed flawlessly. While the bass from these aren't bone rattling (which I would never expect from speakers this small), low-end reproduction was there. Where these speakers really shine are in the mid-range and high sections; both areas are clear and bright. I have no doubt that these would make for excellent use as front and rear surround speakers on a 5.1 or better home theater system. The range of both seem incredible to my aging ears, and they matched up perfectly with my small sub. I wasn't able to perceive any "holes" in the range nor in the crossover with the sub - but then again, I am not an audiophile, just an ordinary listener of my music.Other notes on this system: It came packed very well. You had your normal Amazon packaging with filler air-bags, and inside the outer box is the Micca box holding the speakers. The speakers are wrapped in plastic bags, and place between two foam (not styrofoam, btw) cushions that protect the corners; the Micca cardboard box is made of fairly thick material. Short of extremely rough handling, they are packed very well for the trip. Mine arrived with not a single scratch.The manual that comes with the speakers is very basic - but after all, these are speakers; if you are buying them, you likely know how to hook them up properly. I did like the fact that they mentioned proper gauges of wire for the length of the wire run, which is an important thing to know so that attenuation is kept to a minimum. My speakers use the amp in my subwoofer, and are a scant few feet distant, so I use fairly small gauge solid-core wire - nothing fancy (and certainly not "oxygen free" as far as I know!). The 5-way binding posts allow for easy connection, though I did find that having adequate lighting was necessary to align and fit the bare ends of my wire into the side hole (after which tightening down the post secured them). Connections would likely be far easier with bullet connectors or spade lugs, but my old speakers used spring connectors, so all I had were bare ends to work with. If you are using multi-stranded wire, be sure to tightly twist the ends to ease insertion (if you decide to use bare ends as well); you might even tin the twisted end with solder to make a solid end for easier insertion.Finally - make sure you check to see if you can get your set via Amazon's "refurbished" option - that's what I did. If perfection is your need, then go with "brand new" - but if you don't mind possible imperfections and/or missing parts, then refurbished will save you even more money on an already low-priced speaker system. All mine were missing (according to the manual) were the "feet". Since I was placing these speakers on a desktop, I wanted to make sure they were "decoupled" from the surface, so I ended up picking up some 1/2" dark felt "dots" from the hardware store and putting them in place.Again, I am very pleased with this purchase. These speakers are top-of-the-line for the bookshelf or desktop, with a bargain price that you shouldn't pass up.

Great satellite and surround speakers for the price!OK. The MB42. Overall this is a great speaker for the price and is better than anything I found for a pair of speakers priced at 60 bucks. There are certain things about it that make it stand out for the quality of sound that you will be getting. First, it has a Kevlar woofer and that is why you can get 100 watt max power out of them. Kevlar makes the woofer extremely durable to take the wattage and the neoprene surround is better quality than foam. Second, the tweeter is a silk dome element, which is better than fabric, polypropylene or Mylar, so it gives a better smoother high range. So, the sound is better and more realistic. These type of drivers are more prevalent in higher priced speakers. And it is tune ported for better bass response. It also excepts banana plugs for a more solid connection with speaker wires and have gold plated connectors for even better connectivity. 16 gauge is recommended in the manual. The cabinets are 3/8 inch MDF board for rigidity and high density to keep the internal resonance of the cabinet down so the sound doesn’t get colored by the vibration of the cabinet and helps to keep the standing waves inside the cabinet from leaking out which can cancel out bass response. The baffle (front wall is ½”) so, they knew what the where doing. Again resonance dampening Now the cons for this speaker. (The frequency range really means “range.” Even though it’s specified to get down to 60 cycles per second, it doesn’t mean that the low point will be just as loud as let’s say 90. (I tested them.) The speaker comes into full volume at around 125. So, do not expect them to go as low as you might think. I mean flat response. If you turn the bass up by bass control or equalizer, they will definitely come alive in those areas, I mean real good!. Most acoustic music is alright as is, but I would recommend subwoofer. Also, the tweeter is ¾” and not 1 1/8 inch like most silk dome tweeters, so they are not as smooth as the larger, but to me they are smooth enough for me.) Also, the crossover which governs where the woofer begins to die off in the high range and where the tweeter takes over is only governed by a single capacitor. The transition isn’t as good as a crossover network, but is adequate if you are not stingy as far as how consistent the volume is over the entire frequency range. As far as quality, I just got them, so I don’t know. (IF you want them to last, don’t drive them beyond their endurance! Who knows what will happen. But if you have a reasonable volume… they do fine and easy… Yet, the way they are designed, it is easier to replace the drivers since the woofers and tweeters are all surface hung. This gives wider options of replacement drivers for them. (I like to upgrade speakers.) FYI IMPORTANT: At the Miccastore site, you can change them from MB42’s to MB42x’s for they sell the better crossover networks separately for that very purpose so you can upgrade them. (IF you need help on changing the crossover, just contact me…) or, solid red is + for the woofer, and solid green is + for the tweeter… the others…well there is no other connection. The crossover comes with an hex wrench, so no tools are needed. Just undo everything and put it back the way it goes. The crossover is 2nd order. It basically means that as the woofer dies out in the upper ranges of the middle frequencies and it falls rapidly. Then the tweeter rapidly takes over. So, in the middle frequencies, you get a better tighter transition which improves frequencies that are in the vocal ranges so the midrange sound more real and the volume over the entire range is consistent. ($29 and free shipping.) Again something found in more expensive speakers. I replaced the crossovers and they now sound so sweet. Also, I used acoustic insulation. The walls are only 3/8, so they do have mid gain in that area. Just add some fiberglass insulation, or acoustic insulation, or even batting material for quilts or something… and fill it lightly so the air pressure can easily escape the port. So, over all, for the price, they make great surround and satellite speakers if you use a subwoofer (Or turn up the bass on your stereo…) And compared to other speakers at the same price range which are usually, paper or poly con woofers, Mylar tweeters, particle board cabinets and cheap wire connectors, these speakers definitely stand out for the money…