Swan speakers sound and look good

By DON LINDICH

Q. I am looking to add better sound to my TV. Do you favor the Soundmatters MAINtage HD or the Zvox 325? I would like to add an affordable single piece system, and these two seem like they would be perfect.

A. I have not heard the Zvox products, so I cannot comment other than I have heard good things about them. I am familiar with the Soundmatters products and can easily recommend the MAINstage HD. Both are around $300.

For readers looking for something more affordable, I recently found a wonderful product that will work anywhere high-quality stereo sound is desired.

The Swan M200 Mk. II powered speakers are available from The Audio Insider of Acculine home theater speaker fame.

This beautifully styled, beautifully made system looks and sounds like high-end bookshelf speakers. They ooze class and quality from the moment you open the box. Each speaker is enclosed in a soft, cloth bag, and white gloves are included so you do not smudge the walnut and black finish.

The M200 Mk. II includes cables compatible with computers or any component using miniplug or RCA outputs. As for the performance, the easiest way to tell you is to say they sound as good as they look — beautiful. The M200 Mk. II has decent bass, extraordinary midrange detail and an air of quality and smooth refinement. The volume control is set so that you can’t overdrive the amplifier and create distortion, so even turned up all the way the sound is exceedingly clean.

This limits the total output somewhat and they won’t shake the furniture, but they play loud enough to fill an average-sized room with satisfying sound.

Seeing, touching and hearing them, it is hard to believe they are only $209 per pair. It is like getting high-end bookshelf speakers and an amplifier for about 200 bucks! Connect your computer, TV, iPod, or DVD/CD player and you have a complete music system that will blow you away.

A more detailed review is on my Web site, and you can see them at www.theaudioinsider.com.