Alesis M1 Active 330 USB

Good for the amount of money they cost

Now, when I bought these, I didn't expect much quality. I looked at the price and made my assumptions. However, what I needed was something better than the tinny hissbox of my entertainment laptop in the kitchen. These are exactly au point for that use.

Would I use these as studio monitors? *giggles like a schoolgirl* Yeah, nope. No way.

There's a noticeable dropoff quite soon in the low frequencies (well of course there is, it's a 3-inch "woofer") and to my ear it sounds like the producer has tried to compensate this by boosting the frequencies at around 80 - 120 Hz. A lot. And, if you want to make it even worse, there's a "bass boost" switch in the back. Yay.

Well, no worries, I downloaded a very simple EQ software for my laptop, tweaked the low frequencies a bit, and now I can listen to music without pain while I'm cooking. All's good. Mission accomplished.

What's really good is the amount of connectivity. Balanced TRS, unbalanced RCA and something-in-between USB. Nice. Oh, and by the way, in case you're wondering, as I did myself, no, they do not work without an AC cable. The USB is just for transferring sound signal. Not a flaw, just thought to let you know.

What's really bad is the apparent lack of RF shielding. If you have your cell phone anywhere in the vicinity, you will hear cell phone interference from the speakers. Initially, I thought this was amusing, but it soon turned into an annoyance. I can not have my cell phone anywhere near the laptop or the speakers when the speakers are on. Either I have to put my cell phone a couple of metres away, or I need to turn off the speakers.

One thing I don't much like either is the lack of a separate on/off switch. The on/off switching is integrated into the volume knob in front of the main speaker. If you turn it all the way down, they switch off. But hey, as a manufacturer, you need to save money in something, and maybe a few cents per pair for not having a separate on/off switch is what makes them profitable. A small nuisance, I know, but bothers me a bit anyway.

Price / quality ratio is 1:1. You get exactly what you pay for. Good value for that little money.

Would I recommend?

Yes - for making your kitchen entertainment laptop, or something similar sound a little better.

No - not for studio monitoring. *schoolgirl giggling turns into The Adele Cackle*

They are a good!

They are suitable for listening/production/maybe mixing but maybe not for mastering, due to the lack of low frequencies, they are great but even better with a subwoofer.

These would be suitable for small room producers.

Alesis M1 Active 330USB

The units perform quite well however the construction for the price could be improved on