[Review] M-Audio Studiophile LX4 Speakers

[coolmonk]

Introduction

M-Audio has been in the music industry not so much as a competitor for PC consumers, but more for recording musicians who use their products to create and record audio. Those of us enthralled by all things audio usually find ourselves stepping away from entry-level soundcards and speakers, but it's always been more difficult trying to find a good pair of stereo speakers for a PC setup due to limited selections. This is what makes the Studiophile LX4 speakers so versatile; their capability of either 2.1 or 5.1 speakers can accomodate the music or movie user. At only $350 USD for the 2.1 setup, it's price is affordable and does not sacrifice performance (the 5.1 expandable speakers can be purchased for an additional $150). For the purpose of this review, I will only be evaluating the system in 2.1 mode.

Evaluation

The LX4 arrived at my front door before I was home from work. To my amazement, the box itself was huge and looked like it could've housed a typical 5.1 PC speaker system. Upon opening it, there were only the common accessories like speaker wires, power cable, and manual. Being the hardcore audio enthusiast that I am, I did not bother to read the manual and proceeded to set up the speakers without any guidance.

Setup soon became a nightmare as I soon realized that the integrated amp on the subwoofer required 1/4" phono plugs. I had to make an emergency trip to RadioShack to pick up several items necessary to properly set up the system.

I had to get three 1/4" phono-to-RCA plugs to hook up to the integrated amp on the subwoofer, a 1/8" Y-adapter stereo-to-RCA plug for hookup to the soundcard, and finally a 1/8" stereo-to-RCA single adapter for the subwoofer cable (LFE). Make note of these items if you plan to buy a set of these speakers.

Here is a closer look at the LX4 speaker system, front and back. The subwoofer wasn't as monstrous as I had expected it to be, but its performance proved otherwise.

Those of you with little children may want to reconsider getting these because like all traditional monitor speakers, there is no protected grill cover. Here is a comparison of the LX4 monitor's size alongside a Logitech Z-2200 satellite speaker.

Finally onto the setup. I never use the factory supplied speaker wires since they are almost always cheap quality, so I scrounged through my box of spare cables and managed to dig up a pair of MonsterXP speaker wires. I also used a set of Monster Interconnects for hookup to the left/right audio channels. While I'm not a big fan of Monster cables (they sound harsh and don't do a good job of filtering the brightness), I figured it was appropriate to pair them with the LX4 considering they are in the same category of price/performance.

Here is the back of the X-Fi soundcard.

After 30 minutes of fiddling around with speaker angles and calibrating, I finally had the LX4 in their temporary positions for music evaluating. The monitors have to be toed in slightly and have a distance of no less than 3.5 feet between them for the best soundstage.

The Music

The LX4 definitely has the detail and clarity level of higher-end bookshelf speakers in the $600-$1000 range, capable of producing rich high-frequencies and maintaining a solid tonal balance between midrange and low-frequencies. The subwoofer is not at all too overpowering and outputs more accurate bass than I've heard from any of the Logitech Z-5500 or Klipsch 5.1 Ultra line of speakers. Lows are quick and punchy with all types of music and never once did I hear any muddiness. All material I played through the LX4 allowed for good depth, focused imaging, and was easy to listen to after properly calibrating the speakers.

Garth Brooks as Chris Gaines' track It Don't Matter To The Sun in HDCD really revealed the true character of the LX4. His voice was extremely neutral and the guitar strikes were so revealing it made me almost forget I was listening to speakers. These monitors really do an excellent job at detail execution!

The Games

I did not have the chance to test the LX4 on many different games but let me just say that of the few games tested, the LX4 had chills running down my spine! During the intro screen of Need For Speed: Most Wanted (right before you select users), I heard crystal clear details of tires screeching and engines revving in the far background. I was amazed that I had played this game 100 times before (using X-Fi and Z-2200) and those subtle details never stood out enough to "wow" me. Even at just this intro screen, cars chased left and right behind my ears. I was stunned! The one problem these speakers did have with gaming was the bleeding highs; however, this problem was quickly fixed by adjusting the treble down to about 25% using the X-Fi volume panel.

The Downside

There is no volume control anywhere else on this system except behind the subwoofer which makes it a hassle. I have been using the X-Fi software to adjust volumes but will more than likely resort to hooking everything up to an external integrated amp/processor for easier volume adjustment. The system was not intended for use with only PCs, therefore no phono plugs and adapters were included. I wish M-Audio would've supplied its consumers with these for the sake of simplicity. As far as sound performance, the LX4 monitors do tend to sound a bit bright at times (especially at higher volumes). I have spent hours tweaking and calibrating but cannot get it perfect. I guess you cannot expect too much from a system that is only $350, although I'm sure with the right soundcard (EMU 1212) the LX4 would definitely perform better.

Conclusion

I have found the M-Audio Studiophile LX4 system to be one of the best sub $400 speakers for PC enjoyment. Low frequencies were solid without any boominess and soundstage was dead-center! Compared to my old set of B&W 602S3 bookshelf speakers, the soundstage isn't as wide but when you factor in that it is only $350 these reference monitors are excellent.

Packaging: 10/10

Design: 8.5/10

Ease of Setup: 7/10

Accessibility: 8.5/10

Music: 9.5/10

Games: 9.5/10

Value (Price/Performance): 10/10

OVERALL: 9/10

Score Comparison Reference Guide:

Dynaudio BM5A Studio Monitors: 9.5/10

Logitech Z-5500: 8/10

Klipsch ProMedia 2.1: 8/10

Logitech Z-2200: 7.5/10

Logitech Z-2300: 6/10

Edited January 15, 2006 by coolmonk

[hobblyhoy]

aww, now Im jealouse

nice review man!

//Z-5500 owner

[runningking7]

It's surprinsing, because I can't see any pictures even after I disabled my security.

[ROM3000]

Great review coolmonk. I have a slightly off topic question though. In your experience, why did you give the Z-2300 a 6/10? Thanks.

[coolmonk]

Great review coolmonk. I have a slightly off topic question though. In your experience, why did you give the Z-2300 a 6/10? Thanks.

Well depending on what type of "audio" user you are, you may or may not agree with my opinion. From the POV of an audiophile or hardcore audio enthusiast, the Z-2300 just isn't capable of producing any accurate details, whether it be highs or lows. Bass is too boomy and highs are cloudy...and this was on the X-Fi soundcard. You really can't complain considering it's a budget speaker, and I rated it low because it came out after the Z-2200 (which is superior to the Z-2300) so it's supposed to be an upgraded version yet fails to outperform its predecessor. In my opinion, the best budget 2.1 PC speakers are the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1!

I will be doing another review over the weekend on the Dynaudio BM5A monitor speakers ($1,500/pair) and will use the EMU 0404 soundcard. These speakers are believed to be the BEST thing you can get for under $3,000. Keep an eye out for it...

[extasy]

Do you make music then?.. because these arn't the type of speaker the usual consumer would buy.

[coolmonk]

Do you make music then?.. because these arn't the type of speaker the usual consumer would buy.

No I don't make music...I just enjoy listening to it. While these speakers aren't primarily aimed at PC consumers, it is well within the same price as other sets (Z-5500 is $350+ and Creative Gigaworks is $500). Therefore, I'm simply justifying that for a similar price you can have yourselves a much better speaker.

Now...the Dynaudio BM5A that I will be getting this weekend are more for audiophiles, yes, but it's always nice and fun to read a review about extreme products every now and then, right? :yes: