Clearly you’ll need deep pockets to even consider
them, but if you’re after a PC speaker set that
delivers truly exceptional audio quality and looks
fantastic too, there simply isn’t anything better.
What’s perhaps most striking is just how small
they are considering their audiophile aspirations
and high asking price: they’re just under 17cm tall
and 10cm square. Yet what perfectly formed
speakers they are. Covered all round in speaker
fabric broken only by an aluminium strip running
round the middle and down the back, and an
aluminium plate on top, they simply ooze class.
They sound classy too. Astonishingly deep and
powerful bass is joined by a rich and detailed
mid-range and a top-end that simply sparkles, plus
they sound great at both high and low volumes,
without the need to tweak any EQ. Add the lovely
little wireless remote, headphone jack, 3.5mm jack
input and a USB input that uses the
MM-1’s own high-quality DAC, and you
have the perfect PC audio package.1
BOWERS & WILKINS MM-1
http://www.bowers-wilkins.com £399
By far the most expensive speakers in this round-up, the
Bowers & Wilkins MM-1 are proper high-end hi-fi audio squeezed
into desktop form. The question is, can they possibly justify the
price? Short answer: yes.90 %
12
The impressively petite sub delivers just the sort of
rumble that can bring explosions in games and films
to life while also delivering the thud that certain
genres of music require. You also get Bluetooth
connectivity that’s easily set up via the wired
remote, which also houses the power and volume
control and power indicator. It’s a useful addition
but so lightweight you’ll need to stick it down to stop
it being dragged around by its own cable.
This is clearly a fairly cheap 2.1 speaker set – in
fact, it’s more of a sub-£40 set in terms of pure
speaker quality. It’s the Bluetooth that raises the
price. As such the build quality is basic. It all feels a
little flimsy and none of the cables are removable.
The overall sound quality is let down by a lack of
clarity from the satellite speakers, there’s a
noticeable mid-range gap between the relatively
weedy satellites and the sub-woofer, and you can’t
adjust bass level. All told, a perfectly
adequate entry level 2.1 option, but one
with definite limitations.CREATIVE T3250
The Creative T3250 is a perfect 2.1-vs-2.0 counter to the
company’s own T20 speakers. Although a little cheaper, they’re
in the same ball park, and while the latter offers clarity and
mid-range, the T3250 is all about that bass.70 %
3Speakers
GROUP TEST
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