Great presence throughout the entire range.

None for the price.

I have had my M-490's for over 5 years now. For those interested in making that exciting, and expensive, first leap into high-end audio, the M-490's are a prudent choice.

Bottom line - The M-490's plus the extra $$$ on the improvements listed below, will please your ear more than a marginally more expensive set of speakers.

Here are a few things I have noticed about the M-490 performance which some other reviewers may find useful.

Amp Effect: I run mine with a Baby Adcom (GFA-535), which suits the M-490's very well. I have listened to them under a larger Adcom amp, and although bass response and presence improved, the net gain was surprisingly minimal in comparision to the other improvements (below).

Straight wire (ribbon) speaker cables.
- Huge difference on the M-490's compared to even the largest monster cable.

High-end interconnects (CD to Pre-Amp and Pre-Amp to Amp).
- Huge difference on the M-490's when powered with the GFA-535.

Good speaker stands, filled with lead shot.
- Significant improvement over cheaper stands, and an even greater improvement when filled with lead shot.

Vibration Isolation Pads (Amp and CD Player)
- Don't ask me why, but the presence and depth were greatly improved on my system when this very inexpensive improvement was made.

The M-490's can also be bi-wired and bi-amped. Although I haven't pursued this path, I have been told it would be the most cost-effective approach for the next incremental improvement. I'd love to hear from the other reviewers if they've tried this out yet.

FYI - I run an Adcom GTP-450 Pre-Amp with this combination.

Similar Products Used:

Other speakers within +/- $200.