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March 30, 2015

Audio Technology Review: Meteor M2 Desktop Speakers

By Steve Anderson, Contributing TMCnet Writer

Much of the technology we count on every day relies on sound quality. If you can't hear a video, if you can't understand a WebRTC call, if a videoconferencing session looks more like a medieval "dumbshow", so much of the value is lost. Our friends out at Samson sent us a set of Meteor M2 speakers for review, and these are some strong speakers.



The Meteor M2 speakers offer dual 2.5 inch drivers in a combination setting; one is active, the other passive. Controls are limited to a side panel with three buttons; one for power, one to increase volume and one to decrease. There are also a series of connection plugs, one to connect each speaker to the other, one to connect the speakers to the computer itself, and one to connect the power.

Yes, these are powered speakers, so a lot of portability is lost. In fact, "portable" is about the last word you want to use in connection with these speakers, because not only are these tethered to household current, these are shockingly heavy. They are zinc die cast, and heavy enough to be used as an external bludgeon in a pinch. A better word for these might be "durable", which isn't necessarily the greatest word to associate with speakers that are designed to stay in one place pretty much forever. The speakers do look sharp, though, and that certainly helps things; no one wants particularly ugly speakers on a desktop, and while aesthetics are commonly in the eye of the beholder, these shouldn't be an embarrassment in any system.

So after trying these speakers with Brahms' "Symphony No. 3 - Poco Allegretto", Dragonforce's "Through the Fire and Flames", and a little voice-heavy stuff, I knew this was a different experience from just about anything I've heard in desktop computer speakers before. Seriously, I've never felt Brahms in my chair before, but the bass on these speakers was sufficient to actually feel vibration transmitted from the speakers to my various internal organs. I could feel vibration. That's a disturbing and yet intriguing concept, especially when dealing with Brahms. Fair warning: I think these are set rather high out of the box, so some tweaking will be necessary lest you break a window or something, but these are strong speakers. I was still feeling vibrations on even fairly low volumes, though there's not much way to tell immediately how high or low the volume is set on these. The pushbutton volume up/down controls are clear enough, but not the greatest in terms of telling just how loud the volume actually is. I also got excellent results plugging them into an MP3 player, so there shouldn't be a problem there, especially for someone with not a lot of space looking to get a room-filling music system going that also has ready access to AC power.

The Meteor M2 speakers are potent, and should do nicely to present audio in all its forms, from music to voice, so bringing this system to your desktop should prove a welcome addition. However, the powerful and aesthetically pleasing don't come cheap; the suggested retail on these things is $194.99, though Amazon is selling them at $149.99, so while there will be a serious expense, the power provided should be commensurate. Still, for those searching for a sharp-looking desktop speaker that delivers a real punch in audio, the Meteor M2 speakers will deliver in grand style.

Pros: Powerful audio, highly durable, sharp looking

Cons: Expensive, non-portable




Edited by Dominick Sorrentino
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