Alesis M1 Active 320 USB Monitor Speakers

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16-Bit / 44.1-48 kHz recording and playback
Pro-grade 1/4" plugs and standard RCA jacks
TRS Headphone output
Stereo RCA inputs

Cleverly designed Alesis Speakers for PC or laptop connectivity

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These are some of the best near-field monitors I've heard that can connect directly to your PC or laptop,...

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Description

Alesis M1 Active 320 USB Monitor Speakers

Alesis presents the M1 Active 320 USB monitors for computer music production enthusiasts. The new Alesis 320 USB-audio speaker system delivers a new opportunity for USB audio playback and capture — the speakers double as an audio interface.

Simply use a USB cable to plug the speakers directly into your computer, and you’re ready to record or playback. Alesis claims that no special drivers are required. The audio inputs consist of a 1/8″ stereo mini plug, two 1/4″ connectors and RCA.

Although the speakers appear to be entry-level, only produce 10 watts per channel and have yesteday’s USB 1.1 connectivity, the concept behind the M1 320’s is unique. The M1 Active 320 USB speakers enable you to play audio from your computer, and record audio coming into the speaker to your computer....

There are many features and connectivity options presented by Alesis on the 320 USB model, here are some of the main benefits :-

USB 1.1 audio interface
• 16-Bit / 44.1-48 kHz recording and playback
• 1/4” plugs and standard RCA jacks
• TRS Headphone output
• Two 1/4” phone jacks inputs
• Stereo 1/8” TRS mini-jack input
• Stereo RCA inputs
• 1/8” TS output to passive speaker
• Switchable power supply
• Magnetically shielded
• Woofer: 3″ lightweight, magnetically-shielded
• Tweeter: 1″ silk dome
• Frequency Response:58 Hz – 25 kHz
• Power: 10W per channel RMS
• Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 88dB weighted
• Digital Conversion: 16 bit delta sigma, 44.1kHz or 48kHz sampling rate

by Gig Stig

These are some of the best near-field monitors I've heard that can connect directly to your PC or laptop, in general PC speakers aren't usually that great and even the surround sound 5.1 systems used by gamers aren't suitable for monitoring mixes due to the frequency colouring that is inherent in almost all cases.

The 320 USB speakers have been well insulated and magnetically shielded for placement near to a TV or Computer monitor screen and have an appropriately small footprint so that they will fit on most computer desktops.The concept behind these speakers is that they can be used to playback audio but it's also possible to record the audio that's played into them ... a novel idea from Alesis.

So how do they sound .... ? Well, we're back to the subjective opinions regarding sound which is a highly emotive and personal matter, what sounds good to one person may not sound so good to another and therefore I can onkly give my own personal opinion - but frankly that is all it is ...

To my ears these monitors sound good but not fabulous - however this opinion must also be balanced by the price of the speakers - somewhere around the eighty pounds mark. At the sub-£100 price point these speakers were never going to sound like Pro studio monitors but they will be perfectly suitable for someone putting together an entry-level PC or Laptop based recording set-up

My best advice would be to actually visit the Nevada Music Warehouse and listen to them with your very owm ears ...