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I just thought I would share my initial impressions of the Diva 2.1's since a lot of people keep asking what they sound like.
As everyone else has mentioned, the speakers come well packaged and even include speaker cable if you are one of those people who doesn't believe in buying anything that costs over $1/ft.
The speakers themselves are very elegant, although the veneer is quite a bit darker than what they show on the site here. I was a little dissapointed in this. When I am buying a product that is available only on the internet, I expect the picture on the website to EXACTLY match what I get in the box. In this case, it did not. It's not a huge issue, but I was a bit surprised when I opened up the box. Other than that single gripe, I don't think you could find another monitor constructed as well as the 2.1's for the same money. They are very heavy and the top mounted tweeter gives the cabinet a very distinct appearance.
I am powering the 2.1's with a Marantz PM-7200 which is fed by a Cambridge 540D DVD/CD player. I am using BlueJeans interconnects and the included speaker cable. The 2.1's are sitting atop Bell'O SP-224 Stands.
In my broad range of listening, it became apparent that the 2.1's really shine on certain music. They love Jazz, Classic Rock, Folk and Classical music. Acoustic guitar sounds particularly good on these speakers. If there was one quality about the 2.1's that really stood out in my mind it would be the low-end. I was fully expecting to have to buy a sub prior to getting the 2.1's. After listening to them, I have changed my mind. The low-end on the 2.1's is ample, and able to handle most content. It's only when you start getting into the very low bass guitar or pipe organ material that they start rolling off. However, kick drums and most bass guitar is very solid with no hint of coloration like you tend to hear on many other monitors. The small rise that you see in the frequency response graph of the speakers is noticeable, but not in a bad way. It adds a lot of warmth and depth to the bottom octaves and gives the speakers a much fuller sound. There were very few situations where I found myself wanting a little more punch on the bottom end.
The other great quality that these speakers possess is that they dissapear in front of you. They have a great soundstage that is very convincing. When I played John Lee Hooker's "Healer," I was taken back for a moment. I had never heard that song sound so good....the hairs on the back of my neck literally stood up.
I would describe the sound as neutral/slightly warm. The silk tweeter keeps things from sounding "tinny," but it can still be somewhat forward at times (they are by no means broken in yet, so this could change.) The midrange driver is a good compliment to the tweeter in that it is very accurate without being straining, but not so warm that you lose a lot of detail. The subtle nuances of vocals and guitar plucks are audible and add a lot to the experience. On that note, these speakers will bring out the best of a good recording and the worst of a bad one. I have found that my musical tastes are changing to well recorded material. I think this is a phenonema that occurs as everyone makes the move into mid/hi-fi. Your musical tastes will change as you seek out the best recordings.
While the 2.1's possess many good qualities, they do have limitations. The most noticeable of which is related to output. As volume increases, you can detect some strain. Male vocals get a little harsh and the speakers seem to lose their composure overall. It should be noted that I am exceeding the recommended power slightly (95wpc versus 80wpc recommended.) This may be the culprit. At any rate, I wouldn't recommend them for a larger room if you enjoy listening at higher levels....there is only so much that these monitors can do.
Are the Swan 2.1's a good deal? Most definetly. I think Hi-Vi did a good job of finding a combination of drivers that most people will be happy with. They aren't the absolute greatest speakers in the world, but they do everything pretty darn well. When you throw price into the equation, I don't think there is another speaker at the price point that would even directly compare.
As everyone else has mentioned, the speakers come well packaged and even include speaker cable if you are one of those people who doesn't believe in buying anything that costs over $1/ft.
The speakers themselves are very elegant, although the veneer is quite a bit darker than what they show on the site here. I was a little dissapointed in this. When I am buying a product that is available only on the internet, I expect the picture on the website to EXACTLY match what I get in the box. In this case, it did not. It's not a huge issue, but I was a bit surprised when I opened up the box. Other than that single gripe, I don't think you could find another monitor constructed as well as the 2.1's for the same money. They are very heavy and the top mounted tweeter gives the cabinet a very distinct appearance.
I am powering the 2.1's with a Marantz PM-7200 which is fed by a Cambridge 540D DVD/CD player. I am using BlueJeans interconnects and the included speaker cable. The 2.1's are sitting atop Bell'O SP-224 Stands.
In my broad range of listening, it became apparent that the 2.1's really shine on certain music. They love Jazz, Classic Rock, Folk and Classical music. Acoustic guitar sounds particularly good on these speakers. If there was one quality about the 2.1's that really stood out in my mind it would be the low-end. I was fully expecting to have to buy a sub prior to getting the 2.1's. After listening to them, I have changed my mind. The low-end on the 2.1's is ample, and able to handle most content. It's only when you start getting into the very low bass guitar or pipe organ material that they start rolling off. However, kick drums and most bass guitar is very solid with no hint of coloration like you tend to hear on many other monitors. The small rise that you see in the frequency response graph of the speakers is noticeable, but not in a bad way. It adds a lot of warmth and depth to the bottom octaves and gives the speakers a much fuller sound. There were very few situations where I found myself wanting a little more punch on the bottom end.
The other great quality that these speakers possess is that they dissapear in front of you. They have a great soundstage that is very convincing. When I played John Lee Hooker's "Healer," I was taken back for a moment. I had never heard that song sound so good....the hairs on the back of my neck literally stood up.
I would describe the sound as neutral/slightly warm. The silk tweeter keeps things from sounding "tinny," but it can still be somewhat forward at times (they are by no means broken in yet, so this could change.) The midrange driver is a good compliment to the tweeter in that it is very accurate without being straining, but not so warm that you lose a lot of detail. The subtle nuances of vocals and guitar plucks are audible and add a lot to the experience. On that note, these speakers will bring out the best of a good recording and the worst of a bad one. I have found that my musical tastes are changing to well recorded material. I think this is a phenonema that occurs as everyone makes the move into mid/hi-fi. Your musical tastes will change as you seek out the best recordings.
While the 2.1's possess many good qualities, they do have limitations. The most noticeable of which is related to output. As volume increases, you can detect some strain. Male vocals get a little harsh and the speakers seem to lose their composure overall. It should be noted that I am exceeding the recommended power slightly (95wpc versus 80wpc recommended.) This may be the culprit. At any rate, I wouldn't recommend them for a larger room if you enjoy listening at higher levels....there is only so much that these monitors can do.
Are the Swan 2.1's a good deal? Most definetly. I think Hi-Vi did a good job of finding a combination of drivers that most people will be happy with. They aren't the absolute greatest speakers in the world, but they do everything pretty darn well. When you throw price into the equation, I don't think there is another speaker at the price point that would even directly compare.