Premium Two-Channel PC Speaker Roundup

M-Audio Studiophile AV 40

M-Audio might not be an instantly-recognizable brand for consumers, but audio and video producers should be familiar with its parent company, Avid. The M-Audio brand is directed at audio professionals and prosumers, but products like the Studiophile AV 40 can be appealing to consumers, too. The speakers cost $179.99 at newegg.com and come with a one-year warranty.

The Studiophile AV 40's style is traditional and businesslike, which makes sense when you consider the target market. The enclosures are large compared to the other models we’re testing today, and at 7 lbs. each, they’re slightly more than twice the weight of the next heaviest competitor in the roundup.

Each enclosure has a single 1” shielded silk dome tweeter in addition to a 4” shielded and curved cone speaker. The Studiophile AV 40 is one of two models in this roundup that features a driver that’s larger than three inches.

This product comes with a 5’ long 1/8” mini-jack input cable and a 5’ long stereo mini-to-RCA splitter cable. There is also a power cable and 6’ speaker wire to attach the left satellite to the right speaker. This is the only product that uses speaker wires without jacks, connected to traditional spring-loaded terminals.

Where M-Audio goes beyond the call of duty is its documentation, composed of an 11-page manual and a 14-page guide to studio monitors. The guide is really very good, an exceptional source of information regarding room acoustics, acoustical treatment, and proper monitor placement for an optimal flat frequency response.

The serious nature of these speakers becomes more evident when you look at the back. There is no 1/8” mini-jack input, only stereo RCA and stereo TRW inputs. The TRW inputs could be used in professional and prosumer environments.

The Studiophile AV 40 also has an auxiliary 1/8” input on the front of the speaker, along with a headphone jack. This is exactly where we prefer those connector to be for ease of access.

Volume is controlled with a large knob that feels quite robust. Bass and treble controls would have been nice, but probably aren’t ideal for professional reference monitors like the AV 40s. There is a bass boost switch on the back of the speakers for folks who’d like to accentuate the deeper end of the audio spectrum.