This is a review of the M-Audio AV40 Active Studio Monitors. These were my first monitors, and I still use them now. I needed a small pair of monitors for my bedroom studio. I don't live in a mansion so if I have gigantic monitors, the entire block would hear them. I wanted a pair of small monitors from a manufacturer that I trusted. After walking into the monitor room in Sam Ash, I picked these little buggers out. They are small active monitors, so no amp is needed. They have RCA jacks as wells as TRS jacks on the back so you can plug them into what you want to.

SOUNDS

When I started using them, I heard no evidence of a smile curve. They seemed pretty flat, and when I listened to them against the Yamaha big monster cabinet speakers, they produced a flatter sound with less high and less lows. There is a little bass boost switch on the back if you want the smile curve. When I pan the sound left to right, the stereo aspect of it was very nice for such small monitors. It was a very accurate stereo image. Also, I used a frequency generator plugin and heard that there were little differences as I changed frequency. This was nice. They are pretty accurate, and as I listen to them versus various pairs of headphones and other monitors, I was surprised at their accuracy.

OVERALL OPINION

I have been using these monitors for about a year now. I was really happy with the price, which was about $150 dollars. They are a good value and also come with some little isolation pads. I tried various other monitors before I picked these, and were very happy with my decision. The thing I like most about it was the sound. The sound was nice and clear as well as the frequency response. I would have saved a little money and invested in the BX series if I could do it again, but these are a great pair of compact monitors.