My thoughts on the M-Audio M3-8 active studio monitors

[Georgel]

My thoughts on the M-Audio M3-8 active studio monitors
BRIEF INTRODUCTION-
I bought studio monitors because I spend more time at my computer desk, than in front of my big stereo in the living room.
Before you even consider buying active studio monitors,please do some research on them.Active studio monitors are known to have a slight hiss that can be heard when you put your ear within inches of the speaker when in standby/pause.With the M-Audio M3-8`s you can hear this if you are closer than 4-6 inches,it does not get louder when I turn up the volume on my preamp,it is always the same level,and not noticeable at all from my listening position.Once the music starts it is easily forgotten,and never heard from again.
I think that if they had out board transformers,this would not be an issue.

Related thread- http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/threads/m-audio-m3-8-studio-monitor-s-compared-to-the-new-denon-dn-508sa-monitors-whats-the-difference.94441/

BUILD AND FUNCTIONALITY-
Features as listed in the owners manual -

• 
  
  
  • Real wood baffle; optimized internal bracing
  • Inline mid- & high-frequency drivers offer superior imaging
  • 8" woven Kevlar low-frequency driver
  • 5" woven Kevlar mid-frequency driver
  • 1" silk dome tweeter with integrated waveguide
  • Tri-amp Class A/B power, 200 Watts total
  • XLR and 1/4" balanced inputs; RCA unbalanced input
  • 3-band EQ with bypass; switchable low-cut filter
  • Rear-mounted volume and power control

Specifications as listed in the owners manual-

• 
  
  
  • Frequency response: 40 Hz - 20 kHz
  • Crossover frequency:
    • Low-Mid: 450 Hz
    • Mid-High: 3.9 kHz
  • Amplifier Power:
    • Low-frequency amplifier power: 150 W
    • Mid-frequency amplifier power: 30 W
    • High-frequency amplifier power: 20 W
  • LF cutoff switch: flat, 60 Hz, 80 Hz
  • Equalizer Controls:
    • LF: ± 6 dB boost/cut at 100 Hz
    • MF: ± 6 dB boost/cut at 1 kHz
    • HF: ± 6 dB boost/cut at 10 kHz
    • Bypass switch
  • Polarity: Positive signal at + input produces outward LF cone displacement
  • Input impedance: 20 k Ω balanced, 10 k Ω unbalanced
  • Input sensitivity: 85 mV pink noise input produces 90 dBA output SPL at 1 meter with volume control at maximum
  • Protection: Output current limiting; over-temperature; transient on/off protection to prevent speaker "pops"; subsonic filter; external mains fuse
  • Cabinet: Wood veneer front baffle with vinyl-laminated cabinet
  • Size (W x H x D): 10.6" x 17.1" x 11.2"; 268 mm x 434 mm x 285 mm
  • Weight: 28.2 lbs.; 12.8 kg

The M-Audio M3-8`s have a nice thick beautiful wood front baffle,and are very well built.They are big ,and heavy,to get them to the perfect height I recommend using stands that adjust higher than 36 inches.
The volume knobs on the rear of the cabinet give you accurate control,you can adjust them in notched increments,and they can also be set between the notches,this makes it easy to set both speakers to the same levels.
The heat sinks get warm to touch,but never hot,even after 16 hrs of playing.
My only complaint is that they do not automatically shut down when no audio is detected,they must be turned on and off manually using the switch on the back.

SOUND-
I have owned many studio monitors over the years,they are usually flat, and can be medicinally boring to some people, and considered an acquired taste.
Nobody could possibly describe the sound of the M3-8`s that way,they broke the mold.
I do not know how a person mixing in the studio would feel about working with these,they sound more like a full range near field hifi speaker.
I`m using an HP laptop,via USB to an Emotiva DC-1 DAC ,connected to the B&K MC-101 preamp (in the bypass mode),which is connected to the M3-8`s via XLR balanced cables.
The bass is the first thing you will notice with the M-Audio M3-8,it is uncommon for a studio monitor to have such deep tight yet accurate bass response.
I played test tones,and the bass was plentiful all the way down to 35Hz,where it starts to roll off,this blew my mind.I do not need my sub woofer at all,no joke.
The coaxial tweeter & mid drivers are the prize,words cannot describe how sweet these sound on the top end,and the mids are to die for.
M-Audio must use pretty decent amplifiers, because the quality of sound rivals my B&K ST-202 amplifier enough that it is not missed at all,and is no longer needed in my set up.
I played these an average of 16 hours a day for a week,just to be sure they are worthy of recommendation based on sound quality,power,and endurance.
I threw everything at these,they have such a beautiful smooth sound ,you would not expect them to be able to pack such a big punch at the same time.
It might not seem fair to compare these with any 2-way monitors,but I will say this,I will never go back after hearing these.
I can listen to these all day experiencing no hearing fatigue at all,and I find the detail to be very addicting.
The M3-8`s sound better than some much more expensive studio monitors I have heard,and blows away all those big name ,overpriced single box stereo (oxymoron) speaker systems out there, at half the cost.

MY FINAL THOUGHTS- If you can get past the barely audible standby/pause hiss in your mind,you will love these speakers as much as I do.If you set them up, and position them properly the sound stage is phenomenal.
I strongly suggest using a high-end preamp with balanced outputs,if you want to get the best sound possible out of the M-Audio M3-8`s.
If you spend a lot of time at a desk or on a computer,these are a must have,I highly recommend the M-Audio M3-8`s.If you have any questions ,feel free to ask...Thank you

 

[GIEGAR]

Thanks for the review George! Good quality active speakers are too often overlooked as an option, IMO.

I'd be interested in your thoughts on how the M3-8's would perform as LCR's in a compact HT situation. (Say up to medium sized room, XLR hookup to a pre/pro.) M3-6's as surrounds?

What do you think?

 

[KEW]

A lot of the monitors with larger woofers like this one are labeled as mid-field. I am surprised this was not one of them!

DTS Labs chose Focal Twin6 Be's for their HT demonstration room!
I'd call it a medium-large room.

I guess the room above is intended for the listener to stay in their place. These speakers should really be oriented vertically.


Here are the Solo6's in a smaller room (who needs wallpaper when you have treatments!).
I'm guessing the mains are 8' away from LP, but it is hard to tell:

 

[Georgel]

Thanks for the review George! Good quality active speakers are too often overlooked as an option, IMO.

I'd be interested in your thoughts on how the M3-8's would perform as LCR's in a compact HT situation. (Say up to medium sized room, XLR hookup to a pre/pro.) M3-6's as surrounds?

What do you think?

I think these studio monitors definitely have a place in home audio. In a small 12 X 12 room it might work,hard to say.

 

[Georgel]

A lot of the monitors with larger woofers like this one are labeled as mid-field. I am surprised this was not one of them!

DTS Labs chose Focal Twin6 Be's for their HT demonstration room!
It is not a small room.

If you are going to use sub-woofers,expanding the sound field is very possible.With the M3-8`s when increasing the near field to mid field ,you risk sacrificing a lot of detail.
Nice pics of the Focals,I would love to have that set up in my living room ,but $$$.
I would love to have a pair of these,but at $2,795.00 X 2 ,only in my dreams
FOCAL PROFESSIONAL TRIO6 BE

 

[TLS Guy]

Your hiss has nothing to do with transformers. I doubt the speakers have any, and almost certainly use switching power supplies.

The problem is in the inter stage gain design settings, or may be they have just used very cheap op amps.

Active speakers do not need to hiss like that and should not. They should have redesigned it and upped the price if they had to.

When designing active speakers you need amps with excellent signal to noise ratio, as the driver is directly connected to the amp.

One more mistake is to fail to realize that the hiss will be reinforced by the break up modes of the drivers. In a passive speaker, the crossover attenuates the hiss from the amp. With active designs, then the break up modes will reinforce amp noise. I always deal with this in my active speakers with specific filters. I do this in my monitors. Even with a very good amp and excellent signal to noise, you will hear hiss like you describe without designing it out.

This should have been taken care of.

Yet another reason to DIY.

I'm always so glad I don't have to buy commercial speakers!

 

[Georgel]

Your hiss has nothing to do with transformers. I doubt the speakers have any, and almost certainly use switching power supplies.

The problem is in the inter stage gain design settings, or may be they have just used very cheap op amps.

Active speakers do not need to hiss like that and should not. They should have redesigned it and upped the price if they had to.

When designing active speakers you need amps with excellent signal to noise ratio, as the driver is directly connected to the amp.

One more mistake is to fail to realize that the hiss will be reinforced by the break up modes of the drivers. In a passive speaker, the crossover attenuates the hiss from the amp. With active designs, then the break up modes will reinforce amp noise. I always deal with this in my active speakers with specific filters. I do this in my monitors. Even with a very good amp and excellent signal to noise, you will hear hiss like you describe without designing it out.

This should have been taken care of.

Yet another reason to DIY.

I'm always so glad I don't have to buy commercial speakers!

With everything un plugged from them ,if I put my ear to the HF drivers I hear a hiss,but when I listen close to the woofer I hear a 60 cycle hum,it sounds like a transformer.
For me this is not an issue,because I cannot hear it at my listening position ,but for many other audiophiles,this may be a deciding factor.That is why I felt it necessary to include this information in my overview.

 

[TLS Guy]

With everything un plugged from them ,if I put my ear to the HF drivers I hear a hiss,but when I listen close to the woofer I hear a 60 cycle hum,it sounds like a transformer.
For me this is not an issue,because I cannot hear it at my listening position ,but for many other audiophiles,this may be a deciding factor.That is why I felt it necessary to include this information in my overview.

Hearing a slight hum when you put your ear right in a driver is not a problem. It may be due to situations in your environment and not the speaker.

Hiss is another matter as it artificially brightens the sound.

 

[Georgel]

Hearing a slight hum when you put your ear right in a driver is not a problem. It may be due to situations in your environment and not the speaker.

Hiss is another matter as it artificially brightens the sound.

Thanks TLS Guy ,I unplugged everything that was sharing the same power outlet,and the hum is history.The pump,and light system for my fish tank was the culprit

 

[TLS Guy]

Thanks TLS Guy ,I unplugged everything that was sharing the same power outlet,and the hum is history.The pump,and light system for my fish tank was the culprit

Good, glad you are sorted.