MicroMega MySpeaker Micromega MySpeaker High Performance 2-Way Speaker in White

Presentation

The Micromega MySpeaker speakers, available in white or black finish, are so-called compact speakers or library of dimensions already important enough for the category.

They are especially deep enough and thus offer a good volume of charge for the bass-midrange speaker while being relatively small (190 mm).

The lateral edges are rounded, it plays not only an aesthetic but also acoustic role, because by removing the sharp edges, it avoids diffraction damaging to the sound reproduction.

Note also the wide felt ring glued around the tweeter charged with a similar role for reflections that may occur on the surface of the facade near this tweeter.

A speaker cover can mask these and dress the enclosure for better home integration.

As for chromed metal legs with decoupling cones, they also serve to raise the enclosure sufficiently to allow the air set in motion to circulate through the tuning port of the subwoofer beneath the speaker.

The speakers

The boomer-medium is a model of 13 cm in diameter, the coated paper membrane is loaded by a flag primer made in the plastic hubcap that dresses the periphery of its stamped steel frame.

The tweeter is a soft dome model in 25 mm diameter fabrics with a flag primer in its injected resin support.

These loudspeakers are made on specifications Micromega and both benefit from a serious motorization, in this case a ferrite magnet 9 cm in diameter for the boomer, provided with a hood preventing magnetic leakage (so that can be used near a cathode monitor ...), while that of the tweeter, also ferrite, displays 7 cm in diameter.

The box is made of medium 18 mm thick dressed in vinyl and reinforcements cleats are fixed in certain angles, in short very serious.

The filter, fixed to the back plate, is made with quality elements, non inductive hardened resistors, self on air for acute, and unpolarized MKT capacitors with polyester film, all widely sized.

The terminal block accepts either banana plugs or bare wires (if they are not too big) and allows bi-wiring.

Listening

Driven by an amplifier with DAC Sony UDA-1 (for lack of a Micromega MyAmp amplifier) ​​asserting a rather analytical temperament, the speakers MySpeaker offer us a warm and beautiful restitution of the offertorium of the Requiem of Dvorak in the very beautiful interpretation of the Choir and the Krakow Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Antoni Wit (Studio Masters 24-bit version at 96 kHz).

If, quite normal, the bass drum and the double basses seem somewhat discreet, the restitution of the important orchestral and choral mass of this work remains coherent and offers presence on the voices and a good balance of sound with a high-end end and sweet.

Very appreciable sound results listening to extracts from the album Vespri for the Assunzione di Maria Vergine by the Concerto Italiano directed by Rinaldo Alessandrini where these speakers do not try to do in the exuberance (attacks of strings rather discreet) and distil a very musical, warm and ample restitution giving rise to a very beautiful sound stage.

This warm rendition fits perfectly to the song Chaleur Humain extracted from the album of the same name of Christine and The Queens and despite their relatively modest size, these speakers MySpeaker firmly hold the serious rhythm of this song by following its subtle modulations that carry and envelop the voice of the interpreter.

Listening to L'Anthem de Moby from the album of the soundtrack of the film Miami Vice we are carried away by the rhythm of this title, whose gliding atmosphere is particularly fascinating through the reproduction of these speakers.

To conclude, and even if it is obvious that we are not in the presence of studio monitors, the sound reproduction of these speakers Micromega MySpeaker was warm to the heart and gave us beautiful moments of music. So we decided to award our Qobuzissime award to these speakers Micromega MySpeaker.

MySPEAKER is a compact, high performance 2-way speaker (2 speakers). These top of the range speakers are powered by an electric filter which guarantees world class sound quality.
These compact speakers can be used as main or surround sound speakers in a home cinema set-up Micromega’s ever-expanding “MyRange” of compact and affordable electronics has in just a few short years grown to encompass the MyDac (TAS’ 2012 Product of the Year), MyAmp, MyGroov (you guessed it, a phonostage), and a headphone amp, the MyZic. Still, the French company, known for its full-fledged electronics, realized there was something missing from the overall picture, and created the MySpeaker. Or, for those who desire to bundle the entire, er, MyCaboodle, there’s the MySpeaker/MyAmp Inside—the subject of this review.
At its core the MySpeaker is a conventional compact two-way in a bass-reflex configuration. It’s outfitted with a one-inch soft-dome tweeter sporting an anti-reflective surround and a 5.25" mid/bass driver. The molded composite cabinet is available in a black satin or white finish. It appears durable to the touch and nicely finished to the eye. Some may look askance at the apparent economy of these enclosure materials but it’s really all about the implementation. Micromega knows this territory. The fact is, there is no consensus on what material necessarily guarantees the best sonic and functional results. I’ve heard great results from materials ranging from marine plywood, MDF, and solid woods to aircraft aluminum and Formula One exotics. They can all work to varying degrees of success.

The reflex port is downward-firing rather than the more typical front- or back-firing. Micromega believes that this not only aids placement options but also offers the smoothest and most linear launch of bass reinforcement into the listening space. To give the port room to breathe, each speaker is fitted with chrome footers that elevate the ported bottom panel. This makes the MySpeaker ideal for bookshelf or tabletop placement, but the user will need to carefully consider speaker stands to ensure the stands’ top plates are big enough to accommodate the woofers. To take the guesswork out of choosing stands, Micromega offers a dedicated stand.

Micromega MySpeaker   
Today’s wireless speakers are available in a wide array of configurations. For example, Dynaudio’s Xeo series (see the Xeo 2 review in Issue 270) represents the fully wireless/actively powered school whereby only a pair of power cords are required. On the other hand Audioengine’s HD6 (Issue 262) installs most of the wireless connection electronics and amplification in one speaker that connects to the passive speaker with an umbilical cable. This latter approach, taken by Micromega with the MySpeaker, is less costly but has its own virtues including simplicity of set up. Another of these virtues is a rear-panel switch that allows you to choose left or right placement of the amplified speaker. This is a huge benefit during setup, making it easier to connect source components, or when there’s only one awkwardly located AC outlet.   
The active channel contains “the brains of the operation” (the wireless electronics, decoders, and DACs) as well as the MyAmp amplifiers. The MyAmp section is built around a Class AB output stage that delivers 30Wpc into 8 ohms, a figure that commendably doubles into 4 ohms. The amplifier is powered by an advanced resonant-mode power supply, a variation of switch-mode technology that reduces switching losses common to traditional switching supplies. The communication section accepts streams via the ubiquitous aptX Bluetooth module. MySpeaker offers one stereo pair of analog inputs along with coaxial and optical digital inputs. These two digital inputs can accept sampling rates up to 192kHz. The USB input is limited to 96kHz sample rate. A subwoofer output rounds out the connection jacks.

Convenience is a must with speakers of this segment, and the Micromega didn’t disappoint. MySpeaker arrives packaged with a pre-stripped bare wire speaker umbilical to run between the multi-way terminals of the active and passive speakers. Once connected, double-check to make the sure the correct voltage (110V/220V) is selected. Then using the remote control, “pair” your phone or tablet via Bluetooth with MySpeaker. A blue LED flashes to indicate that MySpeaker is pairing with your device. Up to eight devices can be paired. Another nice feature: a rear-panel USB port for recharging handheld devices. Sonically, MySpeaker put on quite a display of solid midbass/midrange dynamics and output. In balance it had a slight forward lean but possessed an openness that was arresting in this price class. Images were depicted with physical weight and dimension rather than as mere cardboard cutouts. Unusual for a speaker of this size, I could discern the actual physical presence of musicians behind the music—a greater realization of the live performance.  
Vocals were smooth, and revealed a nice degree of air and lift that enhanced their expressiveness. I would have preferred a hint more chestiness with male singers, baritone sax, or cello, but you’ll hear no real complaints from me on that score. There were traces of vocal sibilance during Holly Cole’s cover of “I Can See Clearly” but in general the tweeter was nicely integrated into the frequency spectrum with only minor hints of localization. This slight discontinuity was most likely due to a small energy dip near the crossover point.

Bass response extended confidently into the fifty-cycle range with little apparent effort. As I listened to tracks from Ray Brown’s Soular Energy and Jen Chapin’s ReVisions I was able to follow acoustic bass lines with notable timbral accuracy, a tightly controlled attack, and a feeling of room-filling weight. Even big fanfare music like the National Symphonic Winds Winds of War and Peace didn’t ruffle this game little speaker. Still, size matters. Although MySpeaker never shied away from higher sound-pressure levels, it ultimately revealed its econo-roots nature with a little bit of port overhang—a sensation of looseness and over-bloom in the midbass that could mask high-frequency detail. In most smaller settings however, MySpeaker could deliver more than enough low-end impact to satisfy all but the most sadistic head-bangers.

Micromega MySpeaker  
One thing I’ve got to say for the MySpeaker: It’s got guts. While it has limits, it doesn’t shrink from orchestral crescendos. It dug into the crunch-groove of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” with plenty of gusto. During the Manhattan Jazz Quintet’s rendition of “Autumn Leaves,” brass transients were swift, and solo piano was reproduced with good note-to-note articulation, although some of the finer elements of ambient information and harmonic air seemed a little squeezed. As one would expect with a loudspeaker of this spec, there was some dynamic compression. But with a few exceptions MySpeaker adeptly handled just about every example of sonic firworks I could throw at it, from Dire Straits’ “Telegraph Road” to the histrionics of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture courtesy of André Previn and the London Symphony Orchestra.
Versatility and convenience define the wireless game. Whether it’s a small den, dorm or desktop, music or TV, Micromega’s MySpeaker/MyAmp excels in this role—happy to perform for one person or an entire Eight Is Enough family. The fact that it’s also a superior sonic performer makes it a complete musical bundle. Micromega’s wireless wonder is a one-outlet winner.

Specs & Pricing Type: Two-way, powered compact, bass-reflex enclosure Drivers: 1" tweeter, 5.25" driver Frequency response: 50Hz–20kHz +/- 3dB Sensitivity (at 1W/1m): 90dB Impedance: 4 ohms Dimensions: 12.4" x 7.5" x 12.5" Weight: 25 lbs./pr. Power output: 30Wpc into 8 ohms Price: $999

Characteristics

• Weight : 12,3 kg
• Lenght: 190 mm
• Width : 320 mm
• Height : 315 mm
• 2-way BassReflex enclosure
• 1″ tweeter
• 5 1/4″ driver
• Frequency response 50Hz 20kHz +/- 3dB
• Sensitivity (at 1W/1m) : 90 dB
• 4Ω impedance
• Rated power : 90W
• Available : black satin or white satin paint