# Best Speaker in the 20K Range? HiVi Swans M200A Review



## TheProfessor1987 (May 18, 2017)

Hello Friends! I am sharing my impressions regarding the recently launched HiVi Swans M200A Multimedia Speakers. I think that I am among the first few people in India who’ve had a chance to review this model. In a way, I consider myself to be fortunate but there’s also a certain sense of responsibility to get this right. I hope that fellow music enthusiasts will be able to draw value from my observations and opinions.


Based out of California, the Swans brand is quite popular among audiophiles and it is rapidly gaining mainstream recognition. They have a reasonable fan-following even in a country like India, where most people don’t look beyond the highly overrated trio of JBL, Bose and Creative! 


The M200A features Bluetooth connectivity & is slotted just above the M200MKII, which is arguably the best speaker within its price range. The M200MKII also won the Innovations awards for Design & Engineering at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in 2009. However, it was getting a little long in the tooth and hence Swans came up with this new successor.


Design & Construction


Visually, they look pretty similar to the MKII, which is a good thing as the MKII is one of the most bad-ass looking speakers that I’ve ever seen. They have so much more aesthetic appeal and personality than my Audio Engine A5+. This distinctiveness in terms of styling is present in all Swans Speakers. Even their base offering, the highly acclaimed M10, is a fabulous looking unit.



The grill of the M200A is pear shaped with a bespoke golden Swan at the bottom. The speaker stands proudly on four round gold-finished legs. The top slopes forwards and the side panels are made up of real wood. The construction is not boxy, it almost feels as if the unit is reclining on a wooden throne. This stance lends the M200A an air of stately elegance. According to Swans, the dimensional irregularity prevents resonance and enhances sound quality. The all black front fascia is punctuated by a 5.25 inch driver and 0.8” tweeter.


Performance



The speakers that I received were brand new and I spent about 75-80 hours burning them in. After that they had ‘opened up’ completely and I was astounded by how good they sound. I am trying to remain objective here but I have to admit that these speakers made me switch off my ‘reviewer’ mode and turned me into a fan. The sound is very well rounded and punchy – it is engaging and draws you into the song. I found my sweet spot by keeping the bass at about 11 ‘o clock (12 ‘o clock being the mid point) and the treble at 1 o clock. I played different kinds of musical genres – ranging from contemporary pop to classic rock, fusion, bollywood, jazz, blues, rap, death metal etc. etc. The M200A handled even complex tunes with exemplary composure. I especially enjoyed listening to Joe Cocker’s version of Unchain My Heart (Live) on Youtube. I kept playing the saxophone bits over and over. This irritated my family quite a bit but I still have a roof over my head so things are under control. 



The sources that I used were an HP Envy laptop with i5 procesor, iBasso DX 80 player and a Moto G3 mobile phone. The M200A is a versatile speaker – it caters to a variety of tastes. I brought in a couple of my friends to have a listen and even used them during a small house party. The M200A packs more than enough grunt to fill a 12 x 10 room with loud, entertaining sound. Many guests seemed interested by the uncommon design and admired the soft-touch wood. I think that Swans sold a couple of M200As that day. In comparison, my Audio Engine A5+ failed to attract much attention even though they are white, which is the favorite color of our country – be it for cars, mobile phones, speakers or skin



I could extract the most out of these speakers only by placing them to form an isosceles triangle. The music sounded completely different when I stepped out of the ‘V’. While this is true for all speakers, I noticed that the effect is very pronounced in the case of the M200A.



Bluetooth Performance



I was delaying testing out the Bluetooth as much as possible. The reason for this is that in the past, I have had a couple of nightmarish experiences with respect to BT. Some devices have a system of flashing lights in various colours. When the lights flash in a particular color and a particular sequence, it means that the BT has been paired successfully. So you have to bring out the manual and learn what that the lights, flashes and their colours actually mean!



Much to my delight, pairing the M200A with an android smartphone was ludicrously easy! There is no special switch or light for enabling BT. It remains on all the time. I just enabled BT on the phone, clicked on the gear (settings) and the speaker was visible on the list of available devices. I selected it and it paired almost instantaneously – the M200A emanated a ‘clicking sound’ in conformation. Now I could listen to music through my speakers while lying down on the bed with my smartphone – which is my most beloved activity! 


Accessories included in box



Nothing out of the ordinary here. The box included a power cable, a 4 pronged XLR cable and an RCA to 3.5 mm cable. All wires are detachable. The XlR cable is almost 7 feet long. I checked online and it’s not easily available in India. I contacted the distributor and they said that they stock spare cables so I guess that relacement shouldn’t be a problem.



Final Verdict:


At this point, it must be fairly obvious to you that I am in love with this speaker. I thought long and hard and couldn’t find another model in the same price bracket that offers more bang for your buck. I don’t feel like giving it back. I can’t think of another multimedia speaker that would be more suitable for homes and desktops. Pair it with a half-decent source and the M200A will handle everything you throw at it with sublime grace.


My review probably looks less like a review and more like a sales pitch. But then, I AM truly sold on this product. I do have a complaint though: the black bits of the M200A pick up fingerprints very easily and it really takes some wiping to get them off. Nah….just nitpicking!



I really suggest that you give this speaker a try!


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## TheProfessor1987 (May 18, 2017)

Here are a few pics. I will add more pics soon and also share more details about the sound signature.


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## TheProfessor1987 (May 18, 2017)

Here you can the rear of the speaker that has bi-smp and the controls for volume, treble and bass.


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## shreeux (May 18, 2017)

Recently bought SWAN M200KII,
Only Blue Tooth is different?


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## TheProfessor1987 (May 19, 2017)

shreeux said:


> Recently bought SWAN M200KII,
> Only Blue Tooth is different?




BT is an added feature. Crossover and speaker connection cables are also different. M200A has better fidelity. MkII is a very capable speaker nonetheless, it is also a little cheaper than the M200A.


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## shreeux (May 19, 2017)

TheProfessor1987 said:


> BT is an added feature. Crossover and speaker connection cables are also different. M200A has better fidelity. MkII is a very capable speaker nonetheless, it is also a little cheaper than the M200A.



Only BT features no attraction for me.

I like to buy one more product of SWAN for TV watching movies. Which, model do you suggest?


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## TheProfessor1987 (May 19, 2017)

shreeux said:


> Only BT features no attraction for me.
> 
> I like to buy one more product of SWAN for TV watching movies. Which, model do you suggest?



What is your budget?


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## shreeux (May 19, 2017)

TheProfessor1987 said:


> What is your budget?



20k


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## TheProfessor1987 (May 19, 2017)

shreeux said:


> 20k



I think that the M50W is a good choice for you. It has a 2.1 setup. 

If you can increase your budget....then I suggest that you consider Swans Jam&Lab series (Floorstanding and Home theater configuration depending upon your budget). This will be significantly more expensive but if u buy online you can opt for EMI option.


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## shreeux (May 19, 2017)

TheProfessor1987 said:


> I think that the M50W is a good choice for you. It has a 2.1 setup.
> 
> If you can increase your budget....then I suggest that you consider Swans Jam&Lab series (Floorstanding and Home theater configuration depending upon your budget). This will be significantly more expensive but if u buy online you can opt for EMI option.




ok, other than any equal for M50W?
OR 
Any Soundbar in SWAN?


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## TheProfessor1987 (May 19, 2017)

shreeux said:


> ok, other than any equal for M50W?
> OR
> Any Soundbar in SWAN?



I don't know about any Soundbar in Swan. 

If you are looking for alternatives to M50W, maybe you can try some mainstream brand home-theater like Philips HTL5160B  or JBL SB250 (it has soundbar). Both are around 20k I think.


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## shreeux (May 19, 2017)

TheProfessor1987 said:


> I don't know about any Soundbar in Swan.
> 
> If you are looking for alternatives to M50W, maybe you can try some mainstream brand home-theater-like Philips HTL5160B  or JBL SB250 (it has soundbar). Both are around 20k I think.




OK


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## shreeux (May 19, 2017)

Do you suggest any DAC for my existing SWANM200KII?


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## TheProfessor1987 (May 19, 2017)

shreeux said:


> Do you suggest any DAC for my existing SWANM200KII?



It has inbuilt amp so DAC is not required. If you pair it with a good source, DAC will not produce any significant improvement in quality. Go for DAC only if you want louder sound. If you insist on buying a DAC, I suggest that you choose a portable DAC so that you can also use it with headphones also. iBasso and FiiO would be good choices.

This is just my opinion. Everybody has different tastes and preferences.


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## TheProfessor1987 (May 20, 2017)

Swans M200A with Audioengine A5+ (white)


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## TheProfessor1987 (Jun 1, 2017)




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## TheProfessor1987 (Jun 22, 2017)

There's a pre-GST sale on ALL products listed at proaudiohome.com (official distributor for Swans, Hifiman). Good chance to grab M10 at 10% discounted price. Code: MONSOON10

Just received this email from them:

*FLAT 10% Off At proaudiohome.com*
Dear Music Lover,

*Proaudiohome* is happy to announce a *flat 10% discount on all products*. 

We hope that this exclusive offer will make your Monsoon more Musical....


Use Code *MONSOON10* at checkout and get 10% off on *each and every audio product* at Proaudiohome.com, be it headphones, speakers, home theaters, amplifiers and so on. 

You can redeem the code *as many times as you want*, until 12 PM JUNE 30th. 

This is the _*last chance* _to buy your *favorite* audio gear before GST takes effect and prices go up. Happy Listening! 


----------------------------------------------------xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-------------------------------------------------------

I logged onto proaudiohome.com website and there is no banner notifying visitors about the sale. Looks like the offer was made available only through newsletter to subscribers. 

However, I added a random earphone to the cart and applied coupon code and it worked. 

So seems legit


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