Peachtree Audio M25x Powered Speakers (Pair) - Real Bamboo

The best you can get for this price range (and possibly in higher brackets too)!!!I received these speakers today and was blown away by their quality, even before the usual break-in period. The sound is crisp, defined, crystalline, yet rounded and bold, very immersive. First, let me describe how I decided to buy these, then a few different tests:I went to a local audiophile store and tried the Audioengine HD3, which were $400, about what I wanted to spend. I had read great reviews, so I actually almost bought them without listening to them. Their sound was so disappointing and soulless, that it felt like I was listening to logitech computer speakers. Comparing to my Bose SLIII was a joke. I'd go with the Bose any day (I know... Bose stuff is far from being audiophile gear...), and since I wanted an upgrade, I nixed the Audioengine brand altogether, because that experience was so terrible. 2 lessons learned:1) ALWAYS listen to what you're thinking about buying2) NEVER trust online reviews without verifying it, especially if they are from magazines, and similar sites.I then went to a different store, that had more speakers I could try, and they had the Peachtree M24, one step below this one. The sound was already very impressive, and first I listened to some Jazz, which was very faithful and pure. However, when playing rock, I felt I wanted a bit more bass when listening from a distance. The M24s would be great for a closer range listening experience, but the M25s I felt had a bit more meat to the lower range, so I went with them. I got mine in bamboo.Their DAC is the second thing that blew me away. I couldn't test them through their own DAC at the store, just Phono and Aux jack with my portable player. However, today I was able to compare its own DAC with a few different set-ups.Tracks:- Nostalgia 77 (Lotus Tree and Desert Fairy Princess), FLAC from CD.- Bach Brandenburg Concerto no. 5, all 3 movements, FLAC from CD- Fleet Foxes (On Another Ocean), FLAC from CD- Morrissey (The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I get), FLAC HD track- The Smathing Pumpkins (Stand Inside Your Love), FLAC from CDCOMPARISON:Peachtree M25 + Dragonfly Red DAC VS. Peachtree M25 via optical cable to the computer.Very excellent sound, and it does bring out how amazing the Dragonfly DAC is, and how close these speakers own DAC is to the Dragonfly. With the Dragonfly DAC the sound has a certain brilliance and great definition. The cable that comes with the speakers is not great, so I'm using my own. If the speakers are turned up quite a bit, with a low volume from the computer I can hear static, which is from my cables, likely, so I would want to try this set up with the Audioquest filter for the Dragonfly, and maybe get better cables. However, at normal listening levels, with the source turned up, I can't hear any interference.The Nostalgia 77 tracks and the Fleet Foxes track were a coin toss between the 2 DACs. Bach's track had a bit more brilliance while retaining a better balance across the frequencies with the Dragonfly (but it was really, really close), and the Morrissey track felt clearly more defined with the Dragonfly DAC, showing the punchy guitars a bit better, IMO. The Smashing Pumpkins track proved to be the most different when it comes to the crispness of the cymbals, with heavier bass, when using the Dragonfly.I also tested my iBasso DX-50 player via Aux, and I couldn't tell the difference between that and the Dragonfly red.I have NOT tested it connecting to my computer or my phone via USB. I have NOT tested the speakers with Bluetooth either. A correction on the description: they do NOT need AA batteries anywhere.PROS:- Brilliant sound, very well-defined, well-rounded, pleasant, not shrill or heavy in the mids, good and punchy bass, but you can add a sub.- The DAC is phenomenal. If I didn't have the Dragonfly, I would be very happy with the speakers DAC only (and saved $200+ I spent on the Dragonfly). I'll keep the Dragonfly, since I can use it with my laptop, though, and since I like its sound marginally better.- All of the right connection options, including PHONO!!! Bluetooth is very convenient too, and I'll make good use of it eventually.- Beautiful, nice finish.- They come with wedge-shaped rubber stands, to tilt them towards your ears, if you will use them on a desk. The description missed this, and it will save you $30 or more from having to buy them separately.- Switching the source is very easy.- You can control the tone with the remote.- Comparing them with the similarly priced Audioengine HD3 is like comparing Apples with chewing razor blades. That's how the saying goes now, exactly because of the Audioengine speakers. You're welcome, Webster's.CONS:- The volume button is under the screen. I like having the screens on, but don't want to use the remote for volume. You can't have it both ways.- The tone control in the remote is a bit limited, only 3 steps in each direction. Make sure you use your source's equalizer for finer control.- You truly don't need another DAC, but may benefit from it. The Dragonfly I tested it with is not the best DAC in the world, but in direct comparison it had I'd say a 5% edge over the M25's own DAC. For what it's worth, at one point when I was listening to the songs, I noticed certain details and thought it was the Dragonfly's superiority, but then went to switch and realized it was the M25 playing. I can't claim I'm free of bias on this one (I did shell out a bunch for a freaking Dragonfly after all).WHO IS THIS FOR?This is a very nice pair of speakers for those with a sub-$1000 budget, who doesn't want to add an Amplifier, a separate DAC and who just wants to enjoy music without getting into equipment too much, without taking up tons of space, while having something visually appealing and classy. It's particularly nice if you are into vinyl or rekindling your passion for it, and don't want to spend on more than speakers and a turntable. It will allow people with small-ish spaces to enjoy music and connect whatever you want to it, switching easily between different sources.WHO IS THIS NOT FOR?Audiophiles with bigger budgets, who like combining all kinds of equipment options, like tube amps, DACs, etc. People who want to listen in spaces bigger than a medium sized living room. People who don't want to spend $400+ on a pair of speakers and already have a good amp.

So, of the two reviews that were here when I purchased, one was 5-star where its the best thing you could buy for the money. The other being 3-star where the sound was "meh". I'm in between on these. Sometimes, with some material, they are really quite awesome for their size. Sometimes base is totally there and competent, and sometimes not there much at all, though never terribly chuffy. In buying a pair of speakers this size, you have to know that sometimes bass won't be there, but what you don't want is messy bass when it is there, and these things are very good at producing what sounds like lower level bass. Alas, its often not well balanced with the midrange, which is clear, clear, clear, and very present. Love the midrange here, whether its voices or a screaming guitar or horns. Truly makes for a "fun" listen as AA has described. I think they sound somewhat bright, but only normally so for what you might expect in a speaker of this size, and especially when bass doesn't always keep up the pace. The high highs are also often lacking. Non-crashing cymbal hits seem to get a little lost, or overwhelmed by the midrange, similar to the bass. Relegates the speakers to enjoyment of vocals and mid-range focused material most of the time, with some material sounding quite awesome - seems like the simpler the instrumentation, the better chance each instrument has at being heard equivalently - and sometimes, unfortunately, they are quite meh when having to render less simple music.The remote setup seems fine, but it does seem to have a short range. If the grills are left off, its easy to see the light which blinks with each remote input. You won't know what volume level you're at, you'll just know you turned it up or down a notch. There are also different colored lights for the different inputs. I like the grills on which mutes the brightness of the lights to barely visible unless you know what you're looking for, which suits me just fine, except that the remote is a little finicky about being pointed toward it or being within 8' or so - otherwise the speakers may not receive the input from the remote, and then if you don't clearly see the light blink, you're left wondering if it did or didn't get your input. I find this to be a little too much "unknown" for me. Its like I need an app to control it instead, something that can give me a visual reference. Its like the target for these is someone who wants them for a desk setup, and that's how the remote feels, like its better for a desktop setup, not for operating from across the room - which it can do, just not well.Of course, these speakers include an amp which is why I bought them - I didn't want a separate amp to deal with and to have to find a place for. One benefit should be its matched with the speakers in various ways that ordinary amps couldn't be - like having max volume where you know beyond that you would get too much distortion and perhaps ruin the speakers. The volume on these gets sufficiently loud, but the max volume has no distortion, leaving me to believe the amp has more power but is capped to the appropriate level of power for these drivers. I don't know if that means you're getting the full spec power from the amp - I kinda guess not - but again, the loudness was sufficient for my large TV room. And speaking of TV, they are downright excellent for this application. Not home theater boomy, but adds voice clarity and enhances background music.These are good enough to keep. However, they're also inconsistent enough (with music, otherwise love them for TV) so that I have to consider a separate amp and speaker setup that might more thoroughly satisfy my listening needs. What holds me back is finding a good cheap D amp that doesn't come with "issues" to match with what looks to be like a plethora of cheaper bookshelf speakers that likely do a better job than these M25s.Otherwise, the combo of amp & speaker, especially with connection flexibilty makes these a good value despite the seemingly high price.