Bowers and Wilkins MM-1 Computer Speakers Review
Value for money? Forget about it.
Bang for the buck? Sheesh.
Absolutely incredible, gorgeous, thumping, rich, crystal clear sound that will reverberate throughout your room and remain stuck in your ears for days on end? Yes! This is what the Bowers & Wilkins MM-1 model is all about.
No, not for this speaker model the low pickings of a $50 Logitech pair or the puny sound from an Altec Lansing.
The B&W MM-1 is the Bentley of computer speakers.
While a Ford may get you from point A to point B, the Bentley does the same with emphatic style.
Same with the B&W - it'll play your Radiohead, your Death Cab for Cutie and (gasp!) even your Ke$ha like any other speaker, but it'll do it with so much style that you can't help but fall in love with it.
B&W - Bowers & Wilkins, like so many other amazing companies brought to life by the collaboration of two geniuses - think Harley Davidson, Ben & Jerry's, Rolls Royce, or Bang & Olfusen - has long staked the claim of being Britain's finest speaker manufacturer.
Audiophiles swear by B&W and rightfully so, for these are some of the best looking, best performing speakers you will ever find.
With the MM-1, B&W has taken a leap into uncharted territory: computer speakers.
Most B&W speakers are meant to be used with a home theater system.
The MM-1 bucks the trend and can be hooked up to your laptop/desktop with minimum fuss to deliver the same B&W quality that has won the loyalty of audiophiles the world over.
Bowers & Wilkins MM-1: The Positives Looks Take a look at the MM-1.
Stare deep into its handsome form, see the chrome band hugging it right in the center, and witness its lean, shapely contours.
What do you feel? An incredible outpouring of emotion? That is what we call love at first sight.
I know I'm beginning to sound a bit like the Old Spice Man, but hyperbole aside, the MM-1 has to be the best looking computer speaker on the market.
It's not outlandish, neither does it draw attention to itself.
It's sleek, elegant, and looks incredibly graceful.
There is just one word to describe its looks: classy.
I would've bought them just to stare at them for hours, even if they didn't produce the tiniest smidgen of sound.
Sound The sound is what you actually plop down your hard earned cash for.
Sure, the speakers could look like a million bucks, but unless they produce the thumping audio every time you turn up the volume, you're simply wasting your money.
Fortunately, this is the department Bowers & Wilkins specialize in.
In other words, the B&W MM-1 may look staid and classy, but in terms of performance, it is positively outlandishly awesome.
As a 2.
0 system, the MM-1 sits small.
Each speaker is just 6.
7 inches high and 3.
9 inches wide.
Each unit includes a 3 inch woofer and a 1-inch tweeter.
On the right speaker, you'll find four 18-watt Class D amplifiers - two for the right speaker, two for the left.
You can connect the B&W MM-1 to your computer via a USB cable.
To make the system "audiophile proof", the USB cable runs through a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) that increases the output of the woofers and smoothens out the sound.
B&W claims that you don't need a subwoofer with these speakers, which is partially true.
While you probably won't need a sub for regular music, if you really want to feel the punch of a bass heavy number, you might want to shell out for an additional subwoofer.
But then, B&W was aiming for compactness with this system, and incorporating a large subwoofer would probably make the speakers too cumbersome to be moved around easily.
Otherwise, the bass is deep, rich and clear, and you really won't have any complaints unless you turn up the volume to 100.
The speakers do a remarkable job with complex, layered music as in the Radiohead's "Kid-A", or even going all the way back to the Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon", rendering the variances in reverberation, vocals, drumlines and bass lines with great clarity.
The speakers ship with a remote for easy control.
Bowers & Wilkins MM-1: The Negatives First (and most obviously), the price.
These speakers will set you back by $499.
Half a thousand dollars is no mean amount.
But for $499, you get exactly what you would want: a top of the line, high quality speaker that will reproduce Pavarotti more accurately than even watching Pavarotti in concert.
Next, the sound does tend to feel flinty and hard edged at times.
While this may be great for rock and hip hop, if you are into more mellow, softer music, you might not be completely satiated with the results.
Plus, the absence of a subwoofer hurts the overall setup a great deal, especially in the punchier sections.
Bowers & Wilkins MM-1: Conclusion The B&W MM-1 is an amazing pair of 2.
0 speakers that will set your house on fire with their incredible performance.
Are there better speakers on the market? Perhaps.
Are there more affordable 2.
0 computer speakers in stores? Definitely.
But can any other speaker system perform as incredibly in such a small package? I doubt so.
It is expensive, but in my humble opinion, well worth the price.
Bang for the buck? Sheesh.
Absolutely incredible, gorgeous, thumping, rich, crystal clear sound that will reverberate throughout your room and remain stuck in your ears for days on end? Yes! This is what the Bowers & Wilkins MM-1 model is all about.
No, not for this speaker model the low pickings of a $50 Logitech pair or the puny sound from an Altec Lansing.
The B&W MM-1 is the Bentley of computer speakers.
While a Ford may get you from point A to point B, the Bentley does the same with emphatic style.
Same with the B&W - it'll play your Radiohead, your Death Cab for Cutie and (gasp!) even your Ke$ha like any other speaker, but it'll do it with so much style that you can't help but fall in love with it.
B&W - Bowers & Wilkins, like so many other amazing companies brought to life by the collaboration of two geniuses - think Harley Davidson, Ben & Jerry's, Rolls Royce, or Bang & Olfusen - has long staked the claim of being Britain's finest speaker manufacturer.
Audiophiles swear by B&W and rightfully so, for these are some of the best looking, best performing speakers you will ever find.
With the MM-1, B&W has taken a leap into uncharted territory: computer speakers.
Most B&W speakers are meant to be used with a home theater system.
The MM-1 bucks the trend and can be hooked up to your laptop/desktop with minimum fuss to deliver the same B&W quality that has won the loyalty of audiophiles the world over.
Bowers & Wilkins MM-1: The Positives Looks Take a look at the MM-1.
Stare deep into its handsome form, see the chrome band hugging it right in the center, and witness its lean, shapely contours.
What do you feel? An incredible outpouring of emotion? That is what we call love at first sight.
I know I'm beginning to sound a bit like the Old Spice Man, but hyperbole aside, the MM-1 has to be the best looking computer speaker on the market.
It's not outlandish, neither does it draw attention to itself.
It's sleek, elegant, and looks incredibly graceful.
There is just one word to describe its looks: classy.
I would've bought them just to stare at them for hours, even if they didn't produce the tiniest smidgen of sound.
Sound The sound is what you actually plop down your hard earned cash for.
Sure, the speakers could look like a million bucks, but unless they produce the thumping audio every time you turn up the volume, you're simply wasting your money.
Fortunately, this is the department Bowers & Wilkins specialize in.
In other words, the B&W MM-1 may look staid and classy, but in terms of performance, it is positively outlandishly awesome.
As a 2.
0 system, the MM-1 sits small.
Each speaker is just 6.
7 inches high and 3.
9 inches wide.
Each unit includes a 3 inch woofer and a 1-inch tweeter.
On the right speaker, you'll find four 18-watt Class D amplifiers - two for the right speaker, two for the left.
You can connect the B&W MM-1 to your computer via a USB cable.
To make the system "audiophile proof", the USB cable runs through a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) that increases the output of the woofers and smoothens out the sound.
B&W claims that you don't need a subwoofer with these speakers, which is partially true.
While you probably won't need a sub for regular music, if you really want to feel the punch of a bass heavy number, you might want to shell out for an additional subwoofer.
But then, B&W was aiming for compactness with this system, and incorporating a large subwoofer would probably make the speakers too cumbersome to be moved around easily.
Otherwise, the bass is deep, rich and clear, and you really won't have any complaints unless you turn up the volume to 100.
The speakers do a remarkable job with complex, layered music as in the Radiohead's "Kid-A", or even going all the way back to the Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon", rendering the variances in reverberation, vocals, drumlines and bass lines with great clarity.
The speakers ship with a remote for easy control.
Bowers & Wilkins MM-1: The Negatives First (and most obviously), the price.
These speakers will set you back by $499.
Half a thousand dollars is no mean amount.
But for $499, you get exactly what you would want: a top of the line, high quality speaker that will reproduce Pavarotti more accurately than even watching Pavarotti in concert.
Next, the sound does tend to feel flinty and hard edged at times.
While this may be great for rock and hip hop, if you are into more mellow, softer music, you might not be completely satiated with the results.
Plus, the absence of a subwoofer hurts the overall setup a great deal, especially in the punchier sections.
Bowers & Wilkins MM-1: Conclusion The B&W MM-1 is an amazing pair of 2.
0 speakers that will set your house on fire with their incredible performance.
Are there better speakers on the market? Perhaps.
Are there more affordable 2.
0 computer speakers in stores? Definitely.
But can any other speaker system perform as incredibly in such a small package? I doubt so.
It is expensive, but in my humble opinion, well worth the price.
