Diva Swan M200 Review: 3DsoundSurge.com

Official specs
Manufacturer	HiVal - Available on line from The Audio Insider
Suggested Retail Price	$250 (US$199.99 when the initial review was completed)
Number of satellites	2 identical satellites/speakers no subwoofer
Satellite dimension	13" x 7" x 10.5" (including binding posts and removable grille)
Subwoofer dimension	N/A
Weight	26lbs/pair
Cables	stereo mini-jack to 2 RCA cable 3 meters 12-gauge speaker wire to connect left and right sats to each other. Standard AC cord (1.8 m / 6 foot)
Floor stands/Wall mount options	None available
Driver Size	5.25" long-throw bass midrange cone 1" soft dome tweeter
Power output/satellite	True 36 Watts RMS per satellite
Power output for subwoofer	N/A
Total Power	72 Watts RMS
Maximum Sound Pressure Level	Not available
THD	Not available
Noise	Not available
Frequency response	55Hz-18kHz with no +/- dB rating provided
Inputs	stereo RCA line level analog
Input sensitivity for maximum output:	800mV
Headphone output:	No
Subwoofer Output:	No
Decoder	No
Stereo to 4 or 5.1 expander	No - See Stereo to 4 or 5.1 Expansion Technologies article for general technology overview.
Equalizer or effect mode (e.g. Theatre preset)	No
Controls	Power, volume, bass, treble.

Our Objective Measurements
Measured SPL (loudness)	Peak volumes were comparable to the Sirocco Spirit 2.0 system, behind the 2.1 systems used for comparsion but not far behind and generally clearly more than adequate, reaching 98 and 101 dB in our two standard tests. For most tracks these levels did not need to be reduced to be mostly distortion free. Tracks with lots of deeper bass need some reduction (2-3 dB) for clean output.
Subwoofer exaggeration	No subwoofer but using the bass control on the speakers bass can be exaggerated by 15 dB starting from an 80 dB reference level and 13 dB from a 90 dB reference level with good quality.
Measured Frequency response	Our measurements of the frequency response the M200 reveal outstanding results, best of all systems that it was compared against (e.g. MM1000, HPM-4100, ProMedia 2.1). Specifically we found a very smooth frequency response of approximately +/- 3.5 dB from 53 Hz right through to 20 kHz. If we ignore a +3.5 dB peak in the 230 Hz range and a � 3 dB valley in the 173 Hz range then it�s possible to get a measured response from 55 Hz to 20 kHz within a 4 dB bracket, that is +/- 2 dB. The main difference from the on-axis results was roll-off of � 5 dB at 19 kHz starting from around 12.5 kHz. The results were so good that I added a 45-degree off axis test. Here a dip in midrange between 700 and 1300 Hz occurred and the high frequency started to roll-off fairly sharply from around 6 kHz, getting down to � 12 dB by 20 kHz. These were the best off-axis results of the systems used for context.
Our Subjective Impressions
Subjective impression of noise levels	I had no issues with noise even at 100 percent volume, even if treble was put to maximum.
Subjective impression of sound quality	The most significant difference compared to most similarly priced systems is the seemless sound stage with perfect bass integration and clearly above average bass imaging. The overall smoothness of response is also above average. Bass, midrange and high-frequency quality all very good to excellent. Transient response is excellent. Lower bass extension behind systems that use larger (6.5 inch or greater) subwoofers with less deep bass impact. Overall most accurate 2.1 or 2.0 system that I have yet tested.
Music	The overall smooth clean very balanced response with excellent transient response, excellent stereo imaging with seemless bass integration and imaging are musical strengths. The lack of a subwoofer is generally not a weakness for most music but those looking for lots of bass kick (e.g. for dance beat type music) should look to a larger 2.0 (i.e not mulitimedia) system or a system with a subwoofer. The same is true for anyone who puts an emphasis on bass extension beyond 50 Hz or bass exaggeration when listening to music
Games	Game performance is very good for a 2.0/2.1 system. Primary gaming strength is generally better positioning of upper bass / lower midrange frequencies than on lower priced systems and better upper bass positioning than similarly or even more expensive 2.1 system. The overall excellent imaging is a plus for 2 speaker 3D audio virtualization but it's not at the same level for 2 speaker virtualization as Monsoon's planar magnetic technology.
DVD Movies	M200�s strength will be seamless blending of the full frequency range, strong imaging and great quality where as the relative weakness to some 2.1 systems in the same general price range will be less deep bass extension. To be very clear the bass performance of the M200 is good, but it won�t give the same kick of a strong subwoofer.
Summary	It easily earns our Gold Award and Surge of Approval. Even at its original $300 price we would have recommended the system as excellent value for the money. For $200 offers an outstanding price/performance ratio. One nice thing offered by www.av123.com is they will let you order and try the M200s for 30 days and if you are not happy with them you can send them back for a full refund!
If you are interested in the Diva Swan M200 you may also find the following speakers of interest. In case we have done a review we offer a link to it, otherwise we offer a link to the official product page.	Altec Lansing 621 Cambridge SoundWorks MegaWorks 210D Cambridge SoundWorks MegaWorks 250D Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 Monsoon MM1000 Monsoon MM702 VideoLogic Sirocco Spirt VideoLogic Sirocco Pro More Speaker Reviews Press Releases of Speaker Systems

We will go into much more detail about the Diva Swan M200 and how it compares to some of the other top of the line multimedia systems in this review. For those looking for a shorter read, we are offering a condensed version that is about half the length of our typical detailed review.

Diva Swan M200 Review Published: October 7, 2002 - Mark Muschett Last Updated: November 21, 2003

Diva Swan M200 Review
Published: October 7, 2002 - Mark Muschett
Last Updated: November 21, 2003