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| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 15 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 found the following review helpful:
 Simply amazing... Music to my ears!!! Jan 09, 2010
By J. Tran
Let me preface by acknowledging that Speaker Reviews are Subjective, period. I don't consider myself an Audiophile but I do play a variety of instruments.
I received these speakers as a x-mas gift and have been loving it (and blown away by them) every time I listen to them.
The imaging/soundstage of these speakers are amazing. Very 3 dimensional.
While these are considered 'entry-level' Studio Monitors, there's no comparing any (high-end or otherwise) desktop speakers. I'm able to discern a lot more details that I couldn't with my prior desktop speakers (logitech z2300). However, if you're into heavy Bass, this probably will not work for you (unless you add a sub).
They're also built like tanks, and weighs as much. Size is definitely bigger than a typical computer speaker, which wasn't an issue for me. The build/construction speaks of quality all around.
The speakers are very directional, so spacing between your seating position and the speakers matters.
The only thing I would caution is, if you have kids, the open (no grills) design are finger magnets.
I'm using these as computer speakers, and had to order a separate cable for them:
This is the one I ordered -
HOSA CMP159 Stereo Mini Male to Phone Y-Cable
another alternative -
HOSA STEREO 3.5mm (M) - TWO XLR(M)
17 of 21 found the following review helpful:
Truly Awesome Speakers Sep 13, 2008
By R. Johnson
"Billionaire"
The Alesis 520 speakers are extremely high quality in appearance, build quality, and especially sound. These are WAY better than Klipsch Promedia 2.1 or probably any other multimedia computer speakers like Logitech, etc. These are SERIOUS speakers. They have a lot of power and a beautiful, precise, masterful, detailed, realistic sound. They work great with my PC and my Xbox 360. I'm not a recording musician. I just bought these for my PC and xbox 360 for general usage. I wanted something much better than regular computer speakers but smaller than full size speakers. On songs and games that have a strong base component, these speakers put out a pretty strong base. The base on these is somewhat comparable to a subwoofer, but doesn't go quite as loud or or low as a good subwoofer. Nevertheless, the base is rather impressive and strong for speakers of this size. The more I listen to these speakers the more I like them. One thing that really stands out about these speakers is that you can really hear the higher pitched sounds very well. This is the big weakness of small computer speakers. They have lousy tweeters or no tweeters at all. But on my Alesis 520's, I can hear the cymbals, rain, ocean waves, snare drum, and other high pitched sounds really well, whereas on small computer speakers those sounds were very weak or inaudible. Also, with these speakers I can hear FAR more detailed information in the music and games and it is FAR more realistic. I can hear so many things I didn't hear before in music and videogames. The sound is so much more sophisticated and richer. I can hear the instruments and other things the way that they REALLY sound, which is stylish and impressive. It gives you more of a feeling that you are there, hearing things LIVE. Everything sounds much more realistic and detailed on the Alesis 520's than on the Klipsch 2.1 speakers and probably all other computer/multimedia speakers out there. The one drawback of these speakers I've found so far is that they are very directional. They sound fantastic if you have them directly pointed at your head and at the same level as your ears. Also the distance between them should be the same as the distance from them to your ears. If you move away from the ideal position, then they don't sound as good. I still love these speakers anyway. They are definitely the most expensive and best speakers by far that I have had on my desktop. The magnetic shielding also results in no interference with my CRT monitor. By the way, the lights on top of the speakers are a beautiful blue and the on/off switches are super nice quality. Even though the base is very good, I still would ideally like a little more oomph so I probably will buy a $200 Yamaha subwoofer that looks like a good one to get. So I will have spent about $400 total, which is more than your typical desktop 2.1 speaker system, but REALLY worth it. You get great bang for the buck. The quality FAR surpasses lesser desktop speakers. I was worried about music not being pleasing on these speakers, since they are studio monitors and produce a "flat" frequency response, but it's OK, music still sounds great on them, and the xbox 360 videogame Halo 3 sounds AWESOME on them. However, some songs sound better than others. Some songs don't need me to turn on the EQ in winamp, while some songs do because they lack excitement. Also, if you have a poor quality audio file or video, then you will REALLY hear the poorness of the quality on these monitors much more than on lesser speakers. I think other speakers try to make everything sound good, but the Alesis 520, being a studio monitor, reveals to you what things honestly sound like. If the recording is great, it's going to sound great. If the recording is poor, it's going to sound poor. These speakers just tell it like it is, rather than trying to make everything sound better than it actually is. These speakers just give you an honest sound. If you are serious about wanting high quality sound, I would highly recommend Alesis 520 over any computer/multimedia type speakers. $200 is cheap for what you get, which is a pair of extremely serious speakers. Also these speakers are the biggest I can put on my desktop. Forget Logitech and Klipsch. They are a joke compared to Alesis.
8 of 9 found the following review helpful:
 Sounded great...for 6 months. Stay Away! Nov 10, 2011
By Blind Mellow Jelly
"-BMJ"
As a full-time audio professional, I have spent at least 5-6 days a week in several professional studio facilities for the better part of the last 20 years. Having worked with hundreds of studio monitors (Genelec, Dynaudio, JBL Professional, KRK, Yamaha, Event, etc.), I chose the Alesis M1 Active 520 as the main monitoring system for my home project studio because of the Alesis name and the sound quality of these speakers for cost. They sounded great when they worked: neutral and accurate; never any surprises when I heard my work in other studios with much nicer/expensive professional monitors.
When I auditioned these in a brick and mortar store, the salesperson called these and their big brother, the M1 Active 620, "boomerangs", because they almost always came back. Unfortunately, I didn't listen to him.
I used these for about 6 months and was very happy with them. I stored them in the original packaging in a closet with all of my other equipment when my home studio was converted into a nursery for our baby and moved them to another studio after about 6-7 months. Upon reinstalling them in the new studio, I powered them up and one of them turn-on, but the LED on one of the monitors was red, instead of blue. I called Alesis support and they said that they could not help me as the speakers were a month out of warranty, which is understandable. I asked the tech if this was a common issue and he said an emphatic "no". After getting off the phone, I Googled the problem, and sure enough, it is a common issue with these studio monitors!
Take a look at the Alesis website, there is a large supply of these units in the refurb area. Why? Because the quality of these units is lacking!
I'm guessing that if these were still under warranty, Alesis may have stood behind their product and replaced or repaired my unit. However, when the market is crowded with many options for low-cost, bang for the buck studio monitors, Alesis should know better than to put a piece of garbage on the market. If you are considering these lemons for whatever reason, stay away! Instead, opt for similar products from Event, M-Audio or KRK; I have worked in edit suites equipped with these monitors that have been in operation for several years and the aforementioned brands have offered bang for the buck just as good as Alesis, with proven durability after being used day after day for years on end.
Don't waste your time with these studio monitors, there are many higher-quality alternatives on the market for the same price.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 The solution to the main complaint Apr 11, 2011
By Mr. Orange
Many people have a problem with the speakers making noises while they are on. Hissing buzzing etc...
If you get a pair of quarter inch trs to male xlr cables the speakers wont make those noises regardless of if you have a signal going through them or not.
The speakers are solid give a faithful reproduction of sound and can't be beat for the price. They put out enough to fill a small room and the EQ settings are handy so if you need monitors on a budget these are most likely the best you will find.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
You need this Jun 07, 2010
By Vincent Williams
"hiwestman"
I bought a pair of these and my computer stepped into a new dimension of sound. I made a couple of collaborative recordings with some of my music playing friends using Garage Band and then Logic and Emailed them to the other guys involved, but they weren't very impressed with the work. Then they came to my place and i played it back through these monitors and they were astounded. they are pure and honest and have plenty of muscle. Now we all have them set up. It is a crucial element in any recording/music appreciation setting to have honest reproduction of sound. I'm not going to bore you with specific details - these little guys simply rock. You need them. Buy them. Unless of course your studio is freakin huge and you need monster sound, then go up a size.
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