5.0 out of 5 stars Great value speakers. Excellent sound quality

A.C. · 29 October 2024

(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } Bought these book shelf size speakers to play my music. Excellent sound quality and siund for the price.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good sound

J.C. · 1 May 2025

Good and clear sound especially human voices/dialogues, value for money.

Clearly one of the best "budget speakers"

J. · 31 October 2022

(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } I got tired of reading endless forums about the "best budget desktop speakers" so I decided to purchase the following and compare them in real life against each other: Neumi BS5P | Micca PB42X | Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX | Edifier R1280T | Bose Companion 2 Series III | Edifier G2000.I am not an audiophile, I am not technical. I have played instruments my whole life and run sound in some amateur settings, so I'm guessing I have a slightly more critical ear than the average listener, but definitely not of those truly dedicated to hi fidelity listening. I don't know proper terms. I took these notes kind of haphazardly, but they are listed in order of best to worst after personal testing. I intend to play games and listen to music with a slight preference towards gaming as I have another speaker system for music that I can use for music.High level takeaway: the true battle is between the Neumi BS5P and the Micca PB42X. Between those 2 speakers, either would be the right choice of all these options depending on your intended use. I ended up choosing the Neumi because I am going to be playing games quite a bit, and they provided much better low end to fill out a lot of the sound effects. If I were choosing a speaker just for music listening, I would have gone with the Miccas as they have superior mid/high/vocal clarity. The Miccas have a good enough sub that I wouldn't be missing the low end on most music, but if I wanted to, I could just add a sub to fill out the lows on the Miccas (for edm type music)._______________________________________________________________________________________________Neumi BS5P 75-Watt $139.99 - My personal winnerPro:- Sounds full and satisfying right away- Great bass (almost as good as the dedicated sub on the Klipsch, definitely better than all other options without a dedicated sub. I've got adjacent neighbors so I won't ever go sub heavy anyways, so don't need a dedicated sub with the power these pull)- Decently clear mids/highs, though this is less defined than the Miccas. These get better after doing the firmware update, and get it much closer to the Micca's clarity, but still not quite as good- Bluetooth pairing quality stays really high (doesn't make a difference for me)Cons- Mids/highs/vocals still just not as good/clear/crisp as the Micca- Much larger than the other options (might be a pro if you're looking to fill a room with more volume - I'm not looking for that)- Need to update the firmware to get better mids/highs than out of the box (minor inconvenience but might scare some away)Micca PB42X $109.99Pro:- Really nice, crisp/clean mid/highs (better than everything else) The vocals are bright and shiny, unrivaled by any other of these options- Doesn't seem to add much coloration (but this also leads to it feeling slightly emptier than the 1280T, could be good or bad)- Pretty good bass for what it is (far better than the G2000 and Bose, worse than the others)- It comes with a 2 part dc cable that's longer than others, and a longer mp3 cable than others (doesn't really matter, but it's nice)- Fairly flat (might be a good or bad thing for usage)Con:- Getting really nit picky just to find differences, but the connection cable on the back is a twisty, rather than a poke as the Edifiers have. Twistys just seem less stable/more exposed- Mids/lows start to sound more tinny in comparison to the mids/lows of the neumi, leaving a somewhat less satisfying feeling- Ultimately this feels a bit emptier than others with better subs, but is also definitely crisper/clearerKlipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX Certified $144.99Pro:- Great sound out of the box- Great bass (only one with a dedicated sub, so that should be obvious)Con:- Decent mid/highs, but still not as crisp/clear as the MiccasEdifier R1280T $129.32Pro:- Beautiful aesthetic- Good sound out of the box , there's not the obvious tinny sound of budget speaker- Volume, bass, and treble knobs- I'm satisfied with the sound immediately (I grew less satisfied with the sound the more I A/B compared to the Bose due to the coloration. I then adjusted the tilt of the speakers and it seemed to fix this coloration issue and bring more clarity to the mids/highs)- It's really minor, but the power plug is a plug and not a brick like all the othersCon:- No sub out option- Definitely colors the sound to fill in the space more (which could be a pro for some people too). Ends up adding a layer of mud to the overall sound- The mids/highs are really just muddy due to the colorationBose Companion 2 Series III $149.00Pro:- The mids/highs are nice and bright and clear- Really compact if you don't have a lot of desk space00- I'm satisfied with this sound out of the box- Seems not to color the sound (certainly not nearly like the R1280T), feels more accurate- Has an upward tilt so it seems to naturally position for the sweet spotCon:- Only a volume knob so no automatic control over bass/treble (I assume there's eq software that would fix this?)- Bass is a bit lacking (probably would be satisfied with the amount of bass if I weren't comparing against the others)- Something feels emptier about these speakers against the 1280T and MiccaEdifier G2000 $109.99Pro:- Decent bass and presence- The LED light is kind of niceCon:- Stupid startup car sound is absolutely childish and obnoxious- The LED light stays on (I think you can turn it off but who's going to go through the hassle of turning it off and on if you have to hear the stupid car sound at every startup)- Still clearly sounds like a budget speaker with a constant of tin/noise- Bass can wash out pretty easily at medium volumes- It crackles at other certain sounds like my incoming email ping- Not satisfied with this sound out of the box

Great quality for great price

J. · 25 April 2021

its a good choice for a base level studio.

Great sound for the price

D. · 6 January 2023

Excellent value for the money.

Great buy, excellent speakers.

M.T. · 21 May 2021

I'll use my pictures to guide anyone through this review. A picture is worth a thousand words. I'll be making several references to the last $77 pair of passive bookshelf speakers I bought from Bolo as well, the Singing Wood T25. Let's go! Pic 1. Box is nice and well detailed, see the photos 2. Product features are highlighted and pictured 3. Good for Micca to put a 'new product' seal (merely a piece of paper) on the box. Makes it slightly.... less tamper-proof. Reminded me of my last review (one star) I gave to a center speaker I ordered (Monoprice) that arrived all gunked up as it was opened before and used. 4. Speakers were indeed brand new, even individually bagged. Excellent so far. 5. They don't come attached with rubber feet, you need to put them on yourself. I think it's so you can use those acoustic isolation pads or whatever, if you choose, and the feet won't get in the way. I'm not going to as them sponges gather dust, 'nuff said. 6. Rear of the speakers, binding posts/banana inlets aren't as quality as my Singing Woods. Plastic here feels cheaper tho not that brittle. Disappointing. I know this is a budget speaker but if you want to be king of budget you'll have to pay attention to these things... 7/8. Wah. Build quality is def a little lower than my SWs. There is a vinyl wrap that looks and feels quite ok, but I wonder how it will hold up over time. Considering it will be situated near a window, I'm just crossing my fingers. For my SWs, DVDthe lovely beech wood grain wrap looks quality and can fool you as being actual wood. The magnet front grilles also are a little loose, and not quality either. I guess most ppl will remove them but I need them to ward off the dust and kids.... 9. This is where all the negatives end. I hooked them up to both an av receiver and a small tube amplifier. I would say the small tube amp kicked the Pioneer receiver to the curb.... Sound quality was amazing with this speaker! I even did a direct A/B comparison with my SW T25s, the Micca Mb42x, which costed $40 more at $118, truly sounds that much better and even more so! Treble: Good, yet not harsh, unlike the Singing Woods, when cranked up loud. Mids: As good as the SW. Bass: Without a proper crossover, the SW's bass response really gets very unfocused and complicated bass passages just blend into each other. It just comes across as if the woofer can't keep up. But the MB42x, with a properly designed crossover, nailed fast and complicated bass passages excellently. Literally you can hear every note; it's actually like the bassist was playing better, on the same recording! A truly astounding difference! I listened to Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory 20th Anniversary album, comparing both speakers. In conclusion, you get what you pay for, more ex than the Singing Wood and sound is proportionally and also exponentially better. You can't ask for more than that. I'm pretty sure speakers of this caliber would have costed much more years ago. Only con is the crappy build quality. Oh yeah, no speaker wires, unlike the T25, which came with 2x 2.5m 18awg wires, nicely soldered at the tips! Micca could learn a thing or 5 from Singing Wood!! I hope the vinyl wrap won't start peeling off after a few years....

5 Stars Out of the Box and Keeps Getting Better!

I.E. · 4 August 2018

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.