M300MKII Bluetooth& WiFi Bookshelf Speakers, 360W RMS Studio Monitors 3 Way Audiophile Speakers, Hi-Res Sound 6.5" Woofer Home Speakers for Desktop PC/TV/Turntable

I’ve been a crazy audiophile since high school. For many years I struggled an air bearing turntable that necessitated an air compressor in my garage and with bi-amplified Infinity RS 4.5 loudspeakers with ribbon midrange/tweeters and push/pull woofers that were powered by Audio Research tubed electronics and solid state Bryston amplifiers. There were constant problems with tube failures, woofer repairs, cable disconnects and whatnot. Things have improved substantially since then. Digital music reproduction has improved markedly, and my new M3 Mac mini with a RISC processor sounds far more musical than my old 2018 Mac Mini. Speaker materials have improved, and small speakers have nearly eliminated the need for gigantic subwoofers. A new generation of accordian style ribbon/midrange drivers and efficient digital amplifiers is now commonplace. The new digital amplifiers are so efficient that they can be installed inside the loudspeaker housing, so as to eliminate the need for expensive external amplifier, cables, and crossovers, and match the amplifier to the speakers to optimize performance. These Swan M300MKII loudspeakers exemplify all these improvements. They include digital amplifiers and DACs so I can play my Mac Mini with these speakers via ethernet/LAN connection. I can play my TV with them via optical connection. I can play my vinyl collection via their analog accessory input, and they are plenty good enough to demonstrate the superiority of vinyl records compared to digital disks ripped onto my computer. They are capable of accepting bluetooth and wireless transmissions, though I haven’t needed that capability. I’d describe these loudspeakers as an impressive value for dollar, considering their combination of quality, versatility, included DAC and amplifier, and no need for speaker cables. They are positioned at a price point where spending more money will fall victim to the law of diminishing returns. You might find speakers that sound better, but they will cost a lot more. You are more likely to spend a lot of money only to wind up with speakers that sound “different."

Finally bought the M300 mkii. . . also have: Edifier S2000 mkiii, Swans D1090, D300 and M500. Seems excessive I know, but hopefully this is the end. The Edifier has lower power and smaller drivers than all the Swans. The M500 is insane, with 8” mid-bass and 510W. It’s in a class by itself, and can turn a very large room into a performance venue with sheer, accurate, SPL. That leaves the 6.5 inchers: D1090, D300, and this shiny new M300 mkii. My D1090 is starting to fail – occasionally either the tweeter or mid-bass cut out at the start of a track. A shame since it’s the best imaging of all these speakers, with the deepest soundstage. But compared to the D300, it’s less vivid, lacking some detail, resolution and a bit of power. The D300 ups the “refinement” in air and decay. But in my 220 sq/ft office, its imaging is more congested, with a sometimes detectable lack of continuity at the handoff from mid-bass to tweeter. If the M500 has any faults – and no, being “too powerful” is not a fault – it’s that the handoff from the mid-woofer to mid-tweeter can likewise sound a little scooped at times – with the mid-tweeter straining to keep pace with the 8”. The M300 mkii shares all the additional refinement of the M500, but the 6.5” mid-bass is a perfect complement to the mid-tweeter array. Their integration is utterly seamless, with the 2" driver providing more upper-mid range clarity and detail than any of the two-ways. This is the best, most complete sounding 6.5” system I’ve ever heard. It’s REAL HARD to imagine what I’d seek in an upgrade. . . Like the M500, the 2” mid driver runs a bit hot in the middle of its range, same with the planar-ribbon. A slight correction (Wiim Mini PEQ ) levels those out. My office scoops out 150 - 350 hrz, but it’s easy to dial in everything above that using a Blue Yeti, Spectroid, and a 20 - 20k sweep. Pictured are the corrected response measurements for the M300 mkii in my office, and M500 in a large living room. Yes, the M500 is strong at 30 freaking hrz. . . sub-bass territory. [Edit: Having lived with both the M500 & M300 mkii for a while now, it's clear that room size is the deciding factor on which I'd choose. The bass response the M500 is capable of is something I wouldn't exchange for the smaller speaker's better overall driver balance, especially in a larger room. In a smaller room, it's a tough call, the 500's are A LOT of speaker. . . the 300's may be the Goldilocks' pick.] That’s it. I think I’m done. Swans is going to have to find another customer. . . because my rooms are full, and couldn’t sound better.

The speakers aren't perfect, but they are tremendous for the price. Here's what's good about them: 1. They can play as loud as your ears can bear it, with almost no distortion. I've had these speakers turned up so loud that the pictures hanging on the walls were about fall off. You can literally feel the music through the floor and walls the speakers can play so loud. 2. Both the base and treble are good without being over the top. The treble and mids are warm and natural without the treble being too "tinny" that some other tweeters can sound. The bass is good at both low and high decibel levels without overpowering the rest of the audio frequencies. 3. The speakers look nice, and the cabinets are a dense material which I think helps with the overall sound quality because the cabinets don't interfere with the sound by being too flexible. Here's what could be better: 1. The power cable should be 2-3 times longer than what it is, I think it's only a 6-foot cable. I have these speakers on top of a bookshelf and needed an extension cord. 2. The slave speaker audio cable could longer as well. This cable is only about 10-feet long at the most, maybe less, which limits how far apart these speakers can be from one another. And these speakers are so good, that they shouldn't be limited in their versatility by the power or audio cables needed. 3. Despite that I said the speaker cabinets are dense (and the speakers are heavy), I believe they're made of a plastic so I imagine the synthetic wood cabinet veneer can scratch easily, likely to expose a white plastic through the nice-looking wood grain finish on the surface. Summary: I spend a lot of time in my home office working and wanted a good set of speakers to help me enjoy toiling away for hours and hours. I earnestly believe that I purchased the best speakers for the price point that I paid and have no regrets. The speakers sound extremely good with thumbs up from me for the sound quality. I don't write reviews, but am so happy with the purchase of these speakers that I felt compelled to write a positive review.

Great speakers that are easy to connect through WiFi, optical and other interfaces. Audio quality is really good, with the bass down to 38Hz. Now I am using them as the speakers of my 86-inch TV, connected through an optical cable. I don’t really need a 5.1 or 7.1 surrounding system because the speakers do provide pretty good space audio when I put them 5 meters away using an eight-meter audio cable. The only shortage is the included cable is too short. It would be great if it’s 5 meters or even longer.

While I think these were a great price, the sound didn't meet my expectations. Bass heavy and clear but missing that all around touch that I'd like. I'm going to try the passive version and see if I can tailor things via pre-amp/amp route. I'm just beginning my audio set up so I may have rushed but had these close to a month and used every day.