Digital Monitor Speakers

Other products by Behringer

Product Details

• Item Weight: 30 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 22 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000PXSBTY
• Item model number: MS40
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #35,576 in Electronics (See Bestsellers in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 1, 2003

Product Description

Product Description

These compact, super-affordable 2 x 20-watt near field monitors feature ultra-high resolution 24-bit/192 kHz D/A converters, which let you connect digital sources directly in order to eliminate analog line-loss and hum. Connect your computer sound card, keyboard, MP3 and mini disc players and enjoy excellent detail and great dynamics - optical and coaxial inputs to directly connect digital audio sources by S/PDIF interface! The built-in amplifiers offer plenty of headroom, while the powerful woofers and tweeters provide an ultra-linear frequency response. Two stereo analog inputs featuring 1/8" TRS and stereo RCA connectors can be used simultaneously or mixed with a digital stereo source. The speakers also feature individual volume controls for both line inputs plus bass and treble EQ controls, and there is a 1/4" TRS headphone connector with a front-panel auto-mute loudspeaker function.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Good deal, March 13, 2008

By	Tejan Crichton (Boston) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

These are flat response speakers , used for recording purposes, that can also be used for playing audio(mp3..cd music/video). They sound awesome and have a good bass/trebile range. They are fine for computer based smaller sized studios (personal studios). They offer a wonderful crisp, clear, and deep sound range, perfect for audio editing. For the price they are the best on the market...hands down.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars behringer Digital Monitor Speakers, February 23, 2008

By	Marquis A. Mallen "shop till the price is right" (California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The sound quality is passable. But for the price what do you expect. I have a pair of M audio studiophile DX4 speakers and they have better sound quality. They cost 149.99 so the extra 20 bucks is well worth it. When i recieved my order it didn't even come with the wire to hook up both speakers so try not to go through american musical supply. They were however good in customer service and they sent me the extra wire free of charge. It just took a week. Overall the behringer speakers are decent, but seriously just spend the extra 20 and get M audio studiophile DX4's.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good option for PC Audio, January 30, 2009

By	W. Revis (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I grew really tired of my 2.1 PC speaker system. For starters I didn't like the external subwoofer. It was big and took up a lot of room. Plus it had tons of cords coming into and out of it. Also, my old speakers had a detached volume and power control - in other words just one more cord to keep up with. On top of that the mini-plug cord from the PC to the system really picked up a lot RF noise.

So I started thinking about getting new speakers. I knew I wanted a 2.0 system - a system with two L-R speakers and no subwoofer. On top that I wanted integrated controls and S/PDIF (aka digital coax or optical) inputs so I could use the S/PDIF ports on my motherboard to reduce the RF noise that plagued my old system.

I looked at a lot of different products in the PC Speaker category and really didn't see anything that met my requirements. 2.0 speakers are hard to come by in the first place, let alone higher quality speakers.

Somehow I found my way over to digital monitors and then happened across the Behringer MS-40 monitors. They had exactly what I was looking for: digital inputs, integrated controls, and a simple two-speaker form factor.

I was apprehensive about buying "flat" monitors rather than traditional loudspeakers, but at this price I was willing to take a chance. Plus, I can use my PC to mix the sound if I needed to.

I've been living with the MS-40s for a few days now. I use them for music and television and movies. They work fine for what they are. The cabinets are solid MDF and while not super heavy, do have enough heft to keep them stable.

The front panel controls are a little cheap feeling and I've found the bass and treble controls a little perplexing. They don't seem to do much until you crank them up then they get either really boomy or tinny. I generally keep them in the dead center. The volume control works well and seems to have a more fine adjustment. These speakers are LOUD! For casual listening I keep the volume at about 1/4, but they can easily fill a room.

Bass response is okay, but these can be a little boomy as noted. The boxes are ported on the front which is nice because it lets you put the speakers right up against a wall. Mids and highs are there, but not super pronounced. What the speaker lacks in range, it more than makes up for with clarity. With S/PDIF these guys are crystal clear. I'm very pleased about that.

Of course there are many speakers out there which sound better. But at this price and with a 24 bit / 192 kHz DAC, you can't beat these for value if they are what you're looking for.

Additionally, they are fairly versatile. I'm using mine as PC speakers, but you could easily use these as bookshelf speakers. There are lots of MP3 players out there now that have optical out, so these have potential to see use as a regular stereo system. I know the Roku Soundbridge and Squeeze box both have digital outs and those products would probably pair well with digital monitors such as these. Oh yeah, I suppose people who need reference monitors will find them acceptable as well seeing as how that is who they are designed for!

One note: Over optical I couldn't the DAC to decode at 192 kHz, only 96. In researching the problem I found conflicting information, some claimed that optical couldn't support 192, others said that Vista's DRM capped digital output. Anyway, I switched to a digital coax cable and can decoded at 192 now. (Not that I can hear the difference, but it's nice to know the speakers work as advertised.)