John Garcia
Senior HTF Member
Haven't' seen any discussion on these little guys here, so figured I'd throw something up since I picked up these two different models from them recently. First up are the Club 3 or CB3, featuring a 3.5" long throw midbass and 3/4" silk tweeter.
Club 3 - One of their newest models. The tweeter is the big deal here IMO, though small, it is a very capable and good sounding tweeter. For speakers so inexpensive, I'm surprised at how well that tweeter performs every time I listen to them. The midbass is a woven carbon driver which makes it light and fast and for such a small driver, these actually have surprisingly decent bass. They're spec'ed as going to 55Hz, but that's either -6dB or it is optimistic at best. That's not a knock, they're small with small ports and drivers so don't expect deep extension. They will prefer to be paired with a sub to get the most out of them, but they do hold their own in the upper ranges very well. I blended them at 80hz still and they do have a decent natural roll off because they blended fine with my sub set that way.
The first thing you notice about their sound is the tweeter - it is very clean and clear even when pushed very hard. The mids are good, not lush, but the overall presentation is very clear and pleasant with most material. These do not have a crossover inside; they're just using natural roll off and that's how they're getting that price point IMO (I picked this pair up for under $50 new) and yet they do quite well. I do think they could benefit from a simple x-over, but I didn't really have complaints about how they performed, certainly not for the price. They do not have a 3 dimensional depth to them as one might find in much more expensive speakers, but they image well and have handled everything I threw at them equally well and even handed. One thing to note about the Club 3 : they have non standard size binding posts that won't accept standard banana plugs.
MB42X - The X stands for X-over. This model is an evolution of their first model, the MB42, with a crossover. I didn't grab pics of them because they are essentially identical in form factor to the Club 3, just without the gloss front bezel. This one as the name might indicate, has a 4" driver instead of a 3.5" and utilizes the same 3/4" soft dome tweeter. I watched a Youtube review of the Club 3 saying it was close to the 42X in performance despite the lack of an x-over, however I feel this speaker is more balanced and smoother in presentation overall. It does sound more similar than not, but bass is actually slightly lighter on these. Again, not a knock against them, that's to be expected for a small speaker. Where these shine again is midrange and upper clarity, though these seemed to be a bit brighter than the Club 3, being a little less forgiving of brighter tracks initially. That is not to say they are bright speakers - the tweeter is very smooth and mellow, offering a lot of detail without being harsh.
These cost more, but I feel it is worth it for what the x-over adds personally, and they're still under $100, so no complaining. Improved vocal performance over the Club 3 and easily filled my rather large room as well, just on their own (crossed with sub). Sensitivity seems kind of low, but they can handle a lot of power without issue. Again, everything I tried them out with sounded clear and clean.
I ordered the matching 42X center but it is backordered currently, so waiting anxiously to hear that one also. For those poking around looking for some computer speakers, they also now offer the PB42X, a powered version of the MB42X My humble opinion - these are some very competent, surprisingly good sounding little speakers for not a ton of money. Giant killers? Not necessarily, but right up there in contention for top solid budget speaker. *I have no involvement with Micca, I bought these speakers for my kid's systems since they both moved to new places an needed new speakers on a budget (I just put them through their paces first )
Club 3 - One of their newest models. The tweeter is the big deal here IMO, though small, it is a very capable and good sounding tweeter. For speakers so inexpensive, I'm surprised at how well that tweeter performs every time I listen to them. The midbass is a woven carbon driver which makes it light and fast and for such a small driver, these actually have surprisingly decent bass. They're spec'ed as going to 55Hz, but that's either -6dB or it is optimistic at best. That's not a knock, they're small with small ports and drivers so don't expect deep extension. They will prefer to be paired with a sub to get the most out of them, but they do hold their own in the upper ranges very well. I blended them at 80hz still and they do have a decent natural roll off because they blended fine with my sub set that way.
The first thing you notice about their sound is the tweeter - it is very clean and clear even when pushed very hard. The mids are good, not lush, but the overall presentation is very clear and pleasant with most material. These do not have a crossover inside; they're just using natural roll off and that's how they're getting that price point IMO (I picked this pair up for under $50 new) and yet they do quite well. I do think they could benefit from a simple x-over, but I didn't really have complaints about how they performed, certainly not for the price. They do not have a 3 dimensional depth to them as one might find in much more expensive speakers, but they image well and have handled everything I threw at them equally well and even handed. One thing to note about the Club 3 : they have non standard size binding posts that won't accept standard banana plugs.
MB42X - The X stands for X-over. This model is an evolution of their first model, the MB42, with a crossover. I didn't grab pics of them because they are essentially identical in form factor to the Club 3, just without the gloss front bezel. This one as the name might indicate, has a 4" driver instead of a 3.5" and utilizes the same 3/4" soft dome tweeter. I watched a Youtube review of the Club 3 saying it was close to the 42X in performance despite the lack of an x-over, however I feel this speaker is more balanced and smoother in presentation overall. It does sound more similar than not, but bass is actually slightly lighter on these. Again, not a knock against them, that's to be expected for a small speaker. Where these shine again is midrange and upper clarity, though these seemed to be a bit brighter than the Club 3, being a little less forgiving of brighter tracks initially. That is not to say they are bright speakers - the tweeter is very smooth and mellow, offering a lot of detail without being harsh.
These cost more, but I feel it is worth it for what the x-over adds personally, and they're still under $100, so no complaining. Improved vocal performance over the Club 3 and easily filled my rather large room as well, just on their own (crossed with sub). Sensitivity seems kind of low, but they can handle a lot of power without issue. Again, everything I tried them out with sounded clear and clean.
I ordered the matching 42X center but it is backordered currently, so waiting anxiously to hear that one also. For those poking around looking for some computer speakers, they also now offer the PB42X, a powered version of the MB42X
My humble opinion - these are some very competent, surprisingly good sounding little speakers for not a ton of money. Giant killers? Not necessarily, but right up there in contention for top solid budget speaker. *I have no involvement with Micca, I bought these speakers for my kid's systems since they both moved to new places an needed new speakers on a budget (I just put them through their paces first )
