Micca RB42 Reference Bookshelf Speaker with 4-Inch Woofer and Silk Tweeter (Dark Walnut, Pair)

Let me start off by just saying that either the fine folks over at Micca just want as many of us "ordinary" people to be able to enjoy quality sound or they are simply crazy for offering such a fine little speaker at the price they are selling them for. (Oops. Maybe I shouldn't have said that.) First of all, a little background: when I ordered the RB42s, I wasn't expecting them to be as good as they really are. In fact, my initial plan was to use them as a step up from the speakers I am currently using for my PC. You see, I have an older Logitch 5.1 speaker system and while it is pretty good (I like having better sound quality, mostly for gaming, but I also listen to quite a bit of music, watch videos, and even watch the occasional movie or TV show) the system (the speakers all plug into the little subwoofer) is beginning to show it's age and has started to occasionally short out (no sound comes out due to some faulty wiring and the amplifier gets warm and shuts the whole system down). So, I ordered the Micca RB42s just to see how they sounded before I took the plunge and bought another pair (for the surround speakers) along with the center channel version of the RB42 (the RB42-C). (Along with finding a suitable subwoofer, either getting a better one for my home theater and using the old one with my PC or just scrounging one up online that wasn't completely terrible). Let me tell you, I LOVE THESE TINY SPEAKERS! I was simply amazed at how much sound came out of such a tiny package! And make no mistake, QUALITY sound, at that! And while I do still plan on using a subwoofer, I was surprised at how much bass these little boxes produce! While they might not shake the walls, they still have some respectable (for their size) punch and rumble to them. So, I am comfortable saying that I will definitely not be having any trouble integrating whatever subwoofer I end up using with these speakers. I was afraid that I would have to make the sub crossover frequency go higher in order to fill in an audio "hole" which would make the sub more noticable. Something you definitely don't want you subwoofer to do. Like I said, I'm not going to have to worry about that. Now, I haven't pulled off the back to take a look-see at the components/circuits used in the crossover, but the sound alone confirms that what I saw in the pictures is certainly at least close to what's inside. I'm still going to take a look at what's insides of these little beasties (I just can't help myself!), but I'm certain that I won't be disappointed. It just goes to show you what using quality components can do for the resulting sound. Speaking of quality, I have to mention that the cabinets are very solid (knocking on them sounds like knocking on a solid block of wood and not a hollow box) and the dark wood venere finish is very subdued without being overstated or "Look at me! Look at me! I'm a speaker over here!" flashy. Very nice, Micca. Very nice. I should also point out that these speakers have some physical depth to them, so if you're planning on putting them on a bookshelf, make sure your positioning plan has enough space availabe for them. They are ported in the back and seem to like to be a little ways out from the wall (experiment to find a sound that's nice to your ears). They are 7.9 inches deep, so keep that in mind. I also highly recommend driving these speakers with as much power as you can give them (up to their rated wattage, of course). I'm pretty sure they'll sound just fine with less amplifier wattage, but you will be nicely rewarded if you can give them plenty of juice. When I first hooked them up, I happened to be using a vintage Carver TFM-35x amplifier which is rated at 250 watts into 8 ohms, but that's just because I had it sitting on my work table. (I'm currently assembling a veritable Justice League of vintage amplifiers that I am going to refurbish and use in my home theater.) Once I'm ready to put these speakers in position, I plan on using a 100 watt amplifier. However...Now that I've finally heard these speakers, I'm happy to say that I'm going to be moving them (along with a RB42-C center channel speaker which I now have on order and am VERY excited to hear!) into the surround position of my 7.1 home theater system! So, now my current home theater surround speakers are going to be moving to my PC speaker system instead. THAT'S just how much I REALLY LOVE these speakers! And they are MUCH smaller than my current surround speakers, so it's a win all around! OK, I'll quit talking now. Just know that you'll be making a good decision to purchase these speakers for whatever your application is. In my travels around the Internet looking for information about these speakers, I saw people mention that they sometimes go out of stock, so get them while they're hot! You will definitely NOT be disappointed! UPDATE: I spent a lot of time searching for a suitable stand for these speakers. Let me save you a lot of trouble by pointing you toward Kanto SP32PL 32" Bookshelf Speaker Stands. They are a good compromise between quality and cost. I'll let you know how they work out with the MB42s.

I bought these at the intro $129 rate from Micca. I hooked them up to my PS Audio Sprout 100 and was immediately impressed. I have a pair of Elac UniFi UB5's hooked to this setup usually but was attracted to the small footprint of these Miccas. These compare very favorably to the Elacs, but make no mistake they are not remotely close to them in terms of overall sound quality. The Elacs absolutely have more detail. But it's not really a favorable comparison is it? The Micca's are very well made. The magnetic grills are a nice touch. I was using the Elacs as a soundbar replacement which is actually a little overkill for this speaker. The Miccas have a very full bodied sound. I haven't seen a freq graph of them but they seem to have a bit of a v shaped presentation. Listening to Yosi Horikawa's Bubbles bears this out. There are some mids that are audible but noticeably less pronounced than in the Elacs. The upshot for a soundbar replacement with the v-shaped presentation is that this speaker seems to have a built in loudness compensation for the Fletcher-Munson curve, at lower volumes the presentation seems more neutral which allows for more enjoyable listening at lower volumes. The bass seems to defy the laws of physics. If you really peg the volume on bass heavy tracks there is noticeable port noise. The downside of all that bass is that these are not efficient speakers and you really should have a good amount of wattage to get them to an enjoyable volume. I originally got these to put on my desk. I may get another pair for that, but I really like that these are small enough to put on my mantle and will free up the space in front of my fireplace. I love the Elacs and will find another place to put them in my house but for now these Miccas and my PS Audio Sprout 100 are making a killer soundbar replacement. Sound stage is very good particular for such a small speaker. They don't seem too picky with regard to how close or far away from the wall they are. Mine are right up against the wall which is not ideal and they do sound better about 6" away but they don't sound bad as is. Imaging is decent. Off axis response is decent. This is a forgiving loudspeaker. You can get a decent center image and sound stage with a simple setup. You can make these sound great if you take the time to do so. I won't because I am limited to where I am going to put them but, where they are sounds really good. Gotta love a speaker that you can put up against wall with no toe in and still have them sound decent. If you are looking for an amazing budget hifi setup, get a pair of these and a small desktop class D amp from the likes of Topping, SMSL, Dayton Audio, and be done with it. You can get into the weeds with high dollar equipment if that's your thing but a sub $300 setup like what I've just described will give you a ton of listening pleasure and not break the bank. These are an easy recommendation.