MiccaMB42 Bookshelf Speakers for Home Theater Surround Sound, Stereo, and Passive Near Field Monitor, 2-Way (Black, Pair)

After much dithering, I decided to get these instead of Dayton Audio B652 6-1/2-Inch 2-Way Bookshelf Speaker Pair, because (1) Amazon's price on the Daytons is still over $50 (although one person reported that another web vendor still has them for $40), (2) they're a bit smaller (that was useful to me), and (3) various comments and reviews just gave me the impression that build quality might be a bit better (binding post connectors rather than the Dayton's spring-loaded wire terminals, for example).First, the "bad": one has no right to expect powerful or deep bass at this size or price, and, indeed, they don't go down very low. But the bass is fairly solid and clean right down to where they started to lose steam (around 80-100Hz in my estimation - they really don't go down to the 60Hz specified, in my opinion). I won't concentrate heavily on specs in this discussion, because most people don't have measurement equipment, and, interestingly, most people perceive 80-100Hz as "deep bass" (they also perceive 12KHz as "very high treble"). But where you can tell is with music containing quality bass content (electric bass guitar, string quartets with bass fiddle, organ music, etc.). These speakers didn't do a bad job, but they sure don't give you the physical pounding that you get from speakers with top-class bass response (Klipschorns, or 18" sound reinforcement systems used in concerts, etc.). Room placement is key, here (this is mentioned prominently in the manufacturer's literature, in fact). I placed them along the short wall of a 15'x24' rectangular room, about 6" from the wall and 4' from the corners, and they produced shockingly pleasing sound. Again, not powerful bass, but entirely pleasant and adequate.The only other area where I felt that my high-end speakers were audibly superior was what I would call a slight "softness" in the midrange and upper midrange. This most noticeably affects female vocals, and was, for example, noticeable on Sara K's "Hobo" album, and, to a similar extent, on stuff by Bonnie Raitt and Emmylou Harris.To their credit, these speakers behaved very well at amazingly loud (for their price and size) levels, even though their published sensitivity is 85dBm. This relatively low number means that they need, say, 10 times as much power as a 95dBm speaker to produce the same level, and that translates to a boatload of power going into them in order to sound loud. They're rated at 75W, but I'm certain that if you actually ran them at 75W continuous, they'd be quite well cooked in a minute or so (as would your ears). So I was probably driving about 4W average into them and they sounded quite impressive.The clean sound and overall balance is really wonderful (that almost insignificant midrange softness mentioned above doesn't really detract). They're just so pleasant to listen to, you really could mistake them for speakers costing 20 times more. So far, I've AB'ed them with Sonus Faber Concertinos. Admittedly not every uber-audiophile will rate those at the absolute top of the small-speaker spectrum, but they're quite respectable (and around $1000/pr). The differences with the MB42s were audible, but not severe. As I said, you would never guess that you were listening to $50 speakers, and to be able to compare them with the Concertinos in the same paragraph is nothing short of astounding.Build quality was as hoped for: decent binding posts, excellent fit and finish (of relatively light 3/8" vinyl-covered particle board). They probably weigh 1/4 as much as the Concertinos, and while one might want something sturdier, at $50 you are simply not going to find that.A thought about that modest bass response: a lot of folks will be tempted to add a subwoofer to make up for missing bass. I've found, sadly, that most affordable subwoofers do a really poor job of augmenting bass response. They insert a huge bump somewhere between 60Hz and 100Hz, but the result isn't natural-sounding bass, just an impressive thump-and-boom. I understand that's what a lot of people want, but that's just not going to make these speakers sound fabulous. You'd have to consider spending $500 to $1000 or more on a serious powered subwoofer system to get a combined system worth listening to, and let's face it, there's just no way it could be worth adding a $1000 subwoofer to a $50 pair of main speakers. I mean, you *could* do it and it would sound very good, but if you've got the money, you should first look at spending more on the main speakers and probably forget the subwoofer altogether.I next hope to compare these to Bose Acoustimass 5 Speaker System - Black, a system that I've never really enjoyed listening to, but which, at $399, should, in principle, outperform the Micca MB42.One last point: considering that you could combine these with an excellent quality inexpensive amp like LP-2020A+ Lepai Tripath Class-T Hi-Fi Audio Mini Amplifier with Power Supply or FiiO A1 Mini 2x14W Class-D Digital Audio Amplifier or Topping TP20-MK2 MKII TA2020 Class T-AMP Digital Stereo Amplifier, you'd have a killer system for around $100 that could hold its own (respectably!) against systems costing way over $1000.So am I satisfied with my purchase? Definitely! Are they worth the money? Absolutely!UPDATE (2 days later)I've had a chance to listen to a lot more music, and have discovered a moderately unpleasant narrow resonance peak in the midrange (haven't measured - seems like it might be around 600Hz). This was surprisingly and annoyingly audible on a performance of The Nutcracker, "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy". To be sure I wasn't imagining it, I played the same segment on the Sonus Faber Concertinos and they performed admirably - no resonant peak, just beautiful, clean sound. Having heard that CD through many other speakers, I was pretty sure it was the Miccas, but there's no doubt about it. Pretty annoying.Interestingly, the peak is narrow enough to not be audible on most material, but wow, when you hear it, it really sings (and not in a good way). OK, we're still talking about $50/pr speakers, here, so it's something I can overlook, but I sure won't be playing The Nutcracker on these speakers again.UPDATE 5/27/2013:If you happen to read recent reviews of the Dayton Audio B652 6-1/2-Inch 2-Way Bookshelf Speaker Pair, it seems that they've "updated" that speaker with an inferior product that buyers are quite unhappy with. So it looks like, in this price/size range, the Micca speakers are the one to buy - if you can get them.

Right out of the box, connected to 20-watt Leppy amp, these are great sounding speakers. Not amazing, but very good indeed. Great bass, crystal clear highs. They have about 8 hours of break-in time as of this review. I understand they need about 40 before they truly become amazing. I connected my old 100-watt receiver and these really came alive! If you're on a budget, a $20 Leppy amp sounds great. If you have something more powerful, these will have your neighbors dancing. As surprising as the bass is for a 4-inch woofer, the tweeters are where these REALLY shine! The woven carbon fiber and tuned port give deep, punchy, room-filling bass, without being boomy or artificial. The sound is very natural. My old ears are terrible, so I shouldn't comment on the high-frequency response. But I can hearEVERYTHING like I haven't heard in years! I used to be a Bose fan, but more recently I've been listening to JBL. Klipsch is known for their horn tweeter. I'd be foolish to compare inexpensive Micca to Klipsch. So call me an old fool. These are hands down the best sounding speakers I've ever purchased... and they're not even broken in yet! I'm using these as a second little stereo in my office. They'd be great in a garage, workshop, bedroom, dorm, apartment, anywhere you want small speakers. They do sound good enough to be your primary living room speakers.***UPDATE*** Everyone here says these need about 40 hours to break in. I played them about 16 hours Saturday and Sunday. That's 32 hours. Add in a few hours each Thursday and Friday and I've hit that number. I can now retract the power statement. My vintage amp needs service. The pots are bad and it sounds like a summer thunderstorm. Until my contact cleaner and fader lube get here, I reconnected the Lepy Amp. The speakers are just as alive. Perhaps the receiver woke them up. A friend of mine does an Internet Radio Show every Saturday and Sunday at noon. Even with the little Lepy amp I could crank up the volume and hear these throughout the house! The bass is strong enough to resonate the walls. The highs are so bright and crisp, even muted in another room it was still very listenable. Sound that big from such a small speaker is nothing short of amazing. Add into the equation the fact that I'm driving these with a $20, 20 watt x2 amp and it's unbelievable. I'm not an audiophile, but I used to be. Don't let the Lepy amp fool you. The original TA2020 chip, while very low power by today's standards, was classified as an audiophile chip. The Lepy amp is using the same circuit as designed by Tripath and includes Texas Instrument's improved version of the TA2020 chip. The Lepy is very small, very low power, and very inexpensive. But it is an audiophile quality Class-T amp. It will drive these Micca speakers without breaking a sweat. I did replace the power supply with a 6 amp supply though. A worthy $11 upgrade. An audiophile-quality system that sips the tiniest bit of power and costs less than $100? Yes, it IS possible. These Micca speakers are at the heart of it! The last piece of the puzzle is the audio source. An old iPhone connected to wi-fi for streaming is a great start. The DAC in the iPhone is not audiophile quality, but it is very good. A $99 Dragonfly USB DAC makes a wonderful upgrade. I use an old laptop. I installed Linux Mint XFCE and use it only for streaming Spotify, Pandora, Slacker, other Internet Radio Stations, and my own CD collection ripped to high-quality AAC files. It sounds great with it's built-in DAC, but the Dragonfly is on my list.Update: Forget the Dragonfly - Overpriced. Instead, I found this: Signstek HIFI USB to Coaxial S/PDIF Converter Convert Digital to Analogue Signal Mini USB DAC PCM $22.99! The same DAC can be found under the names Muse, Q5, and others. These incorporate a renowned DAC chip, with decent supporting circuitry. It is a fairly simple process to upgrade the capacitors, but I have not found it necessary.There is an old computer term, GIGO, Garbage In Garbage Out. This applies to audio as well. With the DAC in place, even my old restored vintage receiver sounds good. You may not notice the subtle flaws in the sound, but once they're amplified, these speakers will faithfully reproduce them. With pristine audio feeding the system, you get pristine sound out. My restored receiver was ready for recycling. I'm glad I gave it one more shot with the DAC in place. If your Miccas do not sound amazing, you better check the source material. These speakers are so clean and clear you will notice the limitations in the source.Update: I've had these for 2 years now, and they play streaming music all day, every day. The slight bump in the upper bass range has turned into a full-blown resonate response around 125-150 Hz. They do, or will, require equalization. I use a software EQ and pull that nearly all the way down. That being said, many people say these require a sub. While a sub would do the same thing, and provide even more bass, these will surprise you. They are rated down to 60 Hz. I can bump up the 50 Hz band and these little guys kick! Going down to 35 Hz they'll begin to distort. That's just too low for a 4-inch driver. Still, a little bump at 50 and you can actually feel it, AMAZING! They like power too. If you using a decent receiver or amp, you should be good. Many, myself included, are powering them with a Lepy 2020A. 20 amps may not sound like much, but back in the day, most receivers were 15 amps. They had huge power supplies and plenty of reserves. They could power large speakers and shake the walls. The Tripath chip, at 20 watts, was a little monster. Using the Signstek DAC, they just didn't play as loud as my big receiver. I have a Fosi Audio DAC Q4 that I was using on another system as a headphone amp. This little couple came together and were married recently. The result is audiophile bliss. I have the power back to be heard throughout the whole house. The Lepy can really show what's it's capable of, and the Micca's reproduce it from deep bass to highs my ears can barely hear. In case you're wondering about the vintage receiver the Fader cleaned the pots and restored the audio to its original glory, but leaking capacitors could be allowing DC voltage on the output. This would burn out the voice coils in the speakers and headphones. Recapping it is not a job I'm ready to undertake at this time and the Lepy's portability gives me more options.To X or not to X? That is the question. I did 2 things to correct that 125-150 Hz resonance. I'm pleased to report it worked! One, I ordered the crossover kit direct from Micca. $29.99 which converts the MB42 into the MB42X. Does it make a difference? Yes. Is it a massive change? No. The change is subtle, but they actually DO increase the high frequency output and improve the clarity. Is that what flattened the upper bass bump? I'm not sure. To install the kit you must remove the drivers. Not that big a deal, 4 screws each. When reassembling, Micca's instructions say to make the screws snug but to not over-tighten. I'm not sure how much this will help in the long run, but I applied thread lock to each screw. I figured with the vibration of these little woofers and the lack out torqued down screws I might be asking for trouble. This I believe has helped the most. Ensuring the woofers are securely attached to the box with no room for vibration. Are the crossovers a recommended upgrade? At ~$30 for the pair, yes. Would you be sorry you saved that much on the 42 vs, 42X? No. I also prefer the wood grain of the 42 over the flat black 42X. You can always upgrade later. How difficult is the kit to install? Do you have to solder the connections? If you can plug in a lamp, you can install the kit. No soldering required, plug and play.