# HiVI Swans M10 2.1 Speakers



## nomdeplume (Oct 15, 2016)

Reaaaaaaalllly late to this party but these caught my eye again on Massdrop this weekend.  Currently have a set of Logitech Z130 that are finally nearing the end of useful life after being dropped one too many times and dislodging a speaker.  They are not great speakers but man were they great speakers.  Initial burn in running just below distortion volume in my woods for hours at a time while I worked really opened them up beyond their normal capability.  I truly used their portability in a great variety of situations where it was somehow possible to run power.  My current situation doesn't allow for such personal freedom but I don't want to deal with a separate amp and speakers I can't just grab and set up elsewhere with ease.

Vast majority of use is going to be nearfield listening in front of a computer.  Mostly classical music and some online video watching.  Can anyone who owns these comment on construction quality or suggest a similarly priced alternative with bass that trends towards polite musicality.  Just enough to lend some impact to lower frequencies actual instruments are capable of making.


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## nomdeplume (Oct 24, 2016)

Bought em.  Will probably update after they show up.


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## FR@NK (Oct 24, 2016)

Didnt realize that was a sub...thought it was a center channel. 

Then again my center has its own sub. So yea, do you want to come over? We can watch the matrix. Only the first one though.


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## RejZoR (Oct 24, 2016)

They look nice, but the power output is not convincing me. With satellites of such format it should be pumping out a bit more watts.


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## nomdeplume (Oct 25, 2016)

Efficiency is overrated. 

Seriously though, it is less sub than mid-woofer.  Unless I'm playing cannon shots and bugles pre-dawn the neighbors should be undisturbed.  More worried about the lack of ability to burn them in at 88% volume than a lack of wattage.

Cannot say a German dubbed version of the matrix is anything less than intriguing.  Especially if said trip involved going around a famous track in a fast car.


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## erocker (Oct 25, 2016)

A 5" ported driver isn't going to be a slouch right in front of you by your desk. First I've heard of these and people seem to like them. For a hundred bucks I'll give them a try.


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## AsRock (Oct 25, 2016)

nomdeplume said:


> Efficiency is overrated.
> 
> Seriously though, it is less sub than mid-woofer.  Unless I'm playing cannon shots and bugles pre-dawn the neighbors should be undisturbed.  More worried about the lack of ability to burn them in at 88% volume than a lack of wattage.
> 
> Cannot say a German dubbed version of the matrix is anything less than intriguing.  Especially if said trip involved going around a famous track in a fast car.



Should not turn any amp over 75% as the chances of distortion is much greater.  Break in period will just be longer at lower volumes unless your talking real low volumes were it might take forever, not as it really matter for 8w.

Be better of buying a real amp as a pretty decent one you can get for 20-40$, maybe $60 if you require HDMI.  As for speakers you can get some real good old ones for the same kinda money, even some low end SONY speakers be better than that or some little Mini Advents. You can always pick a sub up at a later time.




erocker said:


> A 5" ported driver isn't going to be a slouch right in front of you by your desk. First I've heard of these and people seem to like them. For a hundred bucks I'll give them a try.



Well people do like boomy bass which i find very common some Logitech,

Personally they not worth the 100$, but i guess it is for those who want 0 effort and make do.


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## nomdeplume (Oct 26, 2016)

I gave it some thought and decided to try another set of powered computer speakers before going down that road.  Three speakers 18" from your head doesn't require 100 watts a channel and enough bass to separate your pupils.  For a HTPC passive speakers make a lot more sense than for chilling in front of the computer a couple hours with music playing at a comfortable level.  

Making excuses because I know you are effectively right.  Apartment living sucks compared having a house and nobody to tell you to stop making noise.  Speakers slowly relax at low volume but they really open up when you can crank the volume and walk away for 8 hours with your music library on shuffle.


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## AsRock (Oct 26, 2016)

not about the wattage it's about the quality, although there are some good speakers out there even ones classed as computer speakers like the klipsch 2.1's.

Were about to get new neighbors too here , so fun times a head but as long as they don't make issue's after 10PM , that said there is shit they or you can do here until that time anyways here but nice if you can get some reasonable agreement which we had with our old neighbors , time will tell.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000062VUO/?tag=tec06d-20

http://www.klipsch.com/search/results?q=pro+media


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## WhiteNoise (Oct 26, 2016)

Watts doesn't matter as much as efficiency. If the speakers are very efficient then the amp can be low power and the speakers will sing.

My bookshelf speakers are not awesome efficient but at 92dB they get plenty loud off of the 12 watts per channel from my tube amp.


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## nomdeplume (Oct 27, 2016)

The real draw with these is they actual sell in Asia unlike the [insert brand here] made in Asia speakers that nobody over there would buy.  No awful cabled satellite volume control was a huge mark in their favor for me too.  Getting anxious for them to finish taking the slow boat over here so I can try them. 

Now to find a DAC  :hmm


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## WhiteNoise (Oct 27, 2016)

These are pretty sexy looking but I really dislike the LED lights around that knob. 

There are plenty of good DACs out there. Enjoy the search.


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## nomdeplume (Oct 28, 2016)

A full frontal attack is planned on that blue LED.  The hope is something nondestructive like latex paint will suffice.


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## WhiteNoise (Oct 29, 2016)

Good move. If not for that I'd consider them for my wife's station as she just runs som 2.1 logitech jobbies. I do think they are sexy...the one you bought. A little pricey but if they sound good then worth it just for the clean looks.


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## WhiteNoise (Nov 3, 2016)

@nomdeplume  Did you get them yet? I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts.


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## nomdeplume (Nov 3, 2016)

I take it you aren't familiar with Massdrop.  Last chance to order was the 25th with an estimated ship date of tomorrow.  Tuesday I got a nondescript email vaguely detailing an unspecified delay with promise of an update on the 7th.  I expect at least one more blandly cheery letter apologizing for nothing while providing no information on the one subject you are increasingly interested in.  If you are lucky enough to get up to a four week delay the verbage and innocuous phrasing bestows a credit unto the institutions of learning their lawyer attended.  Most things go smoothly enough but you never lose sight of "You pay now, it show up eventually sucka."

Actually hoped these would show up soon.  Once they are in hand I'll be able to judge what DAC will make a good match.  Given the delay I listed my SFF business desktop on CL and should have a better tower about the time the speakers show up.  I'll be sure to make some observations once they show up and after changes slow considerably.  Supposedly they sound exactly like they spent 2 months muddling in a seabound shipping container with souring potatoes and heavy metal laden childrens toys until about 40 hours of use.  After they remember how to breathe it's all good.


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## WhiteNoise (Nov 3, 2016)

haha. Good luck!!


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## nomdeplume (Nov 4, 2016)

Isn't that always the way.  As soon as you bite off a few tongue in cheek words about something it works out just fine.  Got a tracking number today showing it shipped yesterday.  Was just a little worried about it getting here by Christmas.


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## nomdeplume (Nov 11, 2016)

The M10 speakers showed up tonight.

Very happy I went with black instead of iCrack white.  Studio shots had an imbalanced color effect that made the speaker cones appear to clash with the cabinet.  Until I typed this and really focused on that shinier gold to hotel uniform 'nothing else is this color' tone they blended in well with the wood furniture.  The satellite front covers come off, not sure about amp/woofer, which should make fitting cloth covers easy.  I sliced up bottle corks into 8 pieces (satellites) and recruited a doubled over chunk of rubberized foam for holding a rug in place (woofer) as vibration dampening.    

The (mid)woofer unit is all the bigger I'd want sitting on a desk.  Right now it's behind my monitor which also neatly blocks the blue volume control light.  The 1/4" round power light on the side of my monitor is more powerful and the type of LED blue that normally comes to mind.  The volume surround is obviously larger but paler and weaker.  I have some ideas to make it predominantly opaque with any exposed portions dampened to night vision preserving levels.

Sound.  Well, I've been listening to a set of Logitech Z130 with the left speaker channel @85% powered + shook until emitting sound mostly out of the hole it once occupied.  Directly out of the box the M10 were bound to be an improvement.  After an hour of warming them up at lower volume using very high quality classical files with exactly pitched notes the initial audio adjustments are done.  Initial impression is good for apartment db nearfield listening.  When the M10 have something soundwise worth remarking on I'll update again.


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## nomdeplume (Nov 12, 2016)

@WhiteNoise   Jumping the gun here a bit.  Before letting it run all day I played a few minutes of BASS DADDY, watched this trailer, and then a few minutes of an Archer DVD for voice reproduction.  Each requiring a lower level of bass on cabinet dial for balanced sound.  First noteworthy consideration if space constraints would restrict access to the back panel.  Maybe I shouldn't have been so impressed with their HTPC capability.  Digital sound effects and highly manipulated voice work play differently than a straight music recording.  This had none of the wearying theatre in a box from Best Buy effect resplendent in multi use living room systems.  Better than Bose isn't saying much though.  Projecting a well mannered genial energy are rare enough qualities to bear mention here.  If you meant office by "wife's station" these could be great.  Wouldn't be out of place temporarily mounted on a projector cart for meetings.  Or back on a desk lending a pleasing amount of lower mid-range to music without disturbing adjacent offices.

After 10+ hours I've uncovered their personality but not how much better they are going to get.  The key thing to keep in mind is nearfield listening.  Satellites arms width apart or closer is all the separation you want.  They are less picky about getting stuffed into tight spaces than the woofer but need frontal distance to expand sonically.  Front and rear ports on woofer box are a good signal it wants uninterrupted breathing space as well as having to sit nearly dead center between the other two.  So the second, and largest, issue is staggering the satellites behind the woofer without displacing your monitor or having bass in your face.  I think this is the reason for two ports.  Space allowing, HTPC use, you get the best sound and otherwise this arrangement lessens your losses if you have to choose one side to block.  Having all three on the same level plane is the final important criteria.

On final construction/usage note.  The 'feet' are lightly textured stickers and nothing more.  Absurdly easy to remedy yet completely necessary for vibration dampening on any hard surface.


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## nomdeplume (Nov 14, 2016)

40 hours of playing time is up.  The M10 aren't as good as speakers costing X times more.  Nor are they less capable than X at this/that/the other thing.  They are what $100 speakers should be.  What inclusive, industry agreed on, marketing features and big box store supply contracts robbed the majority of long ago.  Theoretically one could spend half as much building something comparable at expense of months gaining niche skills and personally importing small batches of material.  One could also spend 10 times as much at retail and get nothing but promises to accompany nothing but problems.  Here every major issue relating to audio has been dealt with.  The brilliant qualities attained only scarcely in upscale product aside.

Your phone sucks, the music will still suck.  No way around it.  Your kids will poke holes in the undefended speaker cones, ha.  Ha.  These belong on the top shelf in most homes with adults living within them.  Just good enough to inspire better cooking or mentally stimulating relaxation far from a focus on Veblen goods.  Just cheap enough you should put them out of harms way somewhere they fit into the scenery all but forgotten.  Only destruction free computer desks need apply.

Using the stock cables directly lined into a music device yields perfectly acceptable results.  Honestly beyond noting the merit of unaffected gimmick free sound it's devoid of interesting qualities.  Simply refreshing.


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## WhiteNoise (Nov 26, 2016)

haha glad you like them!


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## nomdeplume (Sep 3, 2017)

Accidentally googled my review here so figured I would do a small update.  Let's get this rolling with a video.










See those speaker cones jumping off the screen.  I'd never seen my sub move so much as a millimeter so imagine my incredubility  at those mid-range pulsing away.  This was after 8 months of heavy use in an apartment where I never got the volume or bass controls above halfway.  Ever, daily use was about 3 dots up on the volume dial.

So one day I popped in a bass tester cd and tempted pissing off the neighbors.  All of a sudden something popped loose in there and I had more bass than I could rein in.  Good accurate musical bass.  That went well so I went to work on the midrange and tweeter frequencies which inspired me to correctly position all three speakers at the same height (sub was 1' lower on a shelf) and depth on the desk.  Suddenly the separation between bass and everything else disappeared.  

My biggest two fears with these came true.  Never being able to expose them to enough duress they'd break in properly.  They might not be aimed at gamers/hip/hop/rap/metal/techno, but they are still computer speakers and thus need to be abused a little at high volume.  Second that blue ******* light on the front is some form of binary star that defies all attempts at non-structural destruction of the two pinpricks of light it emits. 

Speaking of destruction; A part of me really wants to take apart the satellites and replace the full length speaker wire to RCA with a well shielded wire between the speakers a good quality female rca socket.  If I got really brave I could try peeling off the face plate on the sub and dig into replacing caps and the power supply along with a few other little tweaks.


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