Micca RB42 Reference Bookshelf Speaker with 4-Inch Woofer and Silk Tweeter (Dark Walnut, Pair)

I bought these at the intro $129 rate from Micca. I hooked them up to my PS Audio Sprout 100 and was immediately impressed. I have a pair of Elac UniFi UB5's hooked to this setup usually but was attracted to the small footprint of these Miccas. These compare very favorably to the Elacs, but make no mistake they are not remotely close to them in terms of overall sound quality. The Elacs absolutely have more detail. But it's not really a favorable comparison is it? The Micca's are very well made. The magnetic grills are a nice touch. I was using the Elacs as a soundbar replacement which is actually a little overkill for this speaker. The Miccas have a very full bodied sound. I haven't seen a freq graph of them but they seem to have a bit of a v shaped presentation. Listening to Yosi Horikawa's Bubbles bears this out. There are some mids that are audible but noticeably less pronounced than in the Elacs. The upshot for a soundbar replacement with the v-shaped presentation is that this speaker seems to have a built in loudness compensation for the Fletcher-Munson curve, at lower volumes the presentation seems more neutral which allows for more enjoyable listening at lower volumes. The bass seems to defy the laws of physics. If you really peg the volume on bass heavy tracks there is noticeable port noise. The downside of all that bass is that these are not efficient speakers and you really should have a good amount of wattage to get them to an enjoyable volume. I originally got these to put on my desk. I may get another pair for that, but I really like that these are small enough to put on my mantle and will free up the space in front of my fireplace. I love the Elacs and will find another place to put them in my house but for now these Miccas and my PS Audio Sprout 100 are making a killer soundbar replacement. Sound stage is very good particular for such a small speaker. They don't seem too picky with regard to how close or far away from the wall they are. Mine are right up against the wall which is not ideal and they do sound better about 6" away but they don't sound bad as is. Imaging is decent. Off axis response is decent. This is a forgiving loudspeaker. You can get a decent center image and sound stage with a simple setup. You can make these sound great if you take the time to do so. I won't because I am limited to where I am going to put them but, where they are sounds really good. Gotta love a speaker that you can put up against wall with no toe in and still have them sound decent. If you are looking for an amazing budget hifi setup, get a pair of these and a small desktop class D amp from the likes of Topping, SMSL, Dayton Audio, and be done with it. You can get into the weeds with high dollar equipment if that's your thing but a sub $300 setup like what I've just described will give you a ton of listening pleasure and not break the bank. These are an easy recommendation.

So...wow. dreadfully inefficient, but remarkably good. You'll want good clean power if you are doing critical listening and want to develop some spl, but even a moderately powered amp of fifty to sixty watts, and you'll be fine. I tested these using a Rega p6 with a Hana ML cartridge, an Odyssey Candella preamp, and Odyssey Kismet monoblocks just to see what they can really do and I wasn't disappointed. As others have noted, the bass function is impressive not only in terms of its weight and extension, but also its clarity. It manages to maintain it's composure even at higher output levels as does the entire speaker for that matter. They're not overly bright, something I appreciate in a smaller speaker, as many tend to become more so as you put the power to them and the woofers struggle to keep up. Not these guys. They stay balanced all the way to the end and aren't the least bit fatiguing on the ears after long sessions. They're much more dynamic than I would have expected, vocals, really shine and the mid range is focused and balanced. Sound staging is great. I tested these in a rather large living room with the speakers about 2 feet away from the wall with no sub, and had I been blindfolded I would have believed they were larger speakers. They appear to be well constructed, and are visually reminiscent of the Q Acoustics brand or the old 80s Cantons. I find them to be nicely styled. Micca stepped up their game with these and appear to be broadening their appeal to more of the audiophile crowd, but honestly, at this price, you don't lose out whether you have a critical ear or not. For 159.00, they punch way above their price point in almost every meaningful way. Use good clean power with some headroom, don't overdrive them and ask them to do what they're not designed for, and add a sub if necessary depending on your needs and taste in music, and you'll have a killer little system.

This year I bought, and returned, a number of different soundbars. Each promised something more than the previous one, but ultimately I found they were all lacking the sound profile I was looking for with TV and movies. So, I decided to go in a different direction. I bought a Yamaha RX-V379 receiver from eBay for $90 and these Micca RB42 speakers from Amazon. For their size, it is hard to criticize them. Are they the absolute best bookshelf speakers you can buy? No, but these speakers definitely punch above their weight class, and they offer incredible value for money. The RB42s have a rich, warm sound that has a decent amount of bass, which is surprising given their size. They are smaller than your average bookshelf speaker, but the sound doesn't seem to suffer from their compact dimensions. To be honest, the size is what initially drew me towards the RB42s. They were exactly what I was looking for due to some space restrictions with my current setup. They would work on a desk, in a TV cabinet, or even as surrounds in a 5.1 system. The RB42s are very well made. They are solid, and have a reassuring weight to them. Made in China but designed in the USA. They come with a couple of angled foam isolation pads that help minimize vibrations at higher volumes, but you will need to supply your own speaker wire. So far I am really enjoying these. I will probably add a subwoofer to help with the bass at some point, but honestly, I am not in any immediate hurry to do that because the RB42s have a very decent acoustic range that provides adequate bass for most purposes. I always heard that a decent 2.0 setup would be better than 90% of soundbars, and for me this has proven to be the case. I would have no hesitation in recommending the RB42s, and I can already see myself adding the RB42-C center speaker when I am ready to expand my home theater setup.

So I got these after Zeos was talking them up real big. I figured they'd be hard to drive and the small bl20c I got to push them wouldn't cut it, but so far I am so impressed. For comparison I have an LG SL7Y soundbar and it's included wireless subwoofer. Of course these don't quite match the bass output of that sub but for less than half the price they stomp that soundbar. They just pump out so much power at such a high quality for the price it's absurd. So far I've tried these with a Metallica vinyl and a bunch of stuff from my phone over Bluetooth to the bl20c and everything just sounds wonderful. Bass performance is powerful and clean. Rumbles my room nicely when needed. Highs are clear and don't get harsh, even with the tendency for my record player to highlight cymbals. These look nice and the front mesh is magnetic and just comes off with a light pull. The vinyl wrap is very tasteful and the wood construction doesn't echo at all and feels very sturdy. Overall I'd say these are an amazing bang for the buck even at regular price, and I can't wait to get a sub to pair them up with and a DAC so I can move the soundbar to another room entirely. Update: Got a Wiim Pro Plus so everything's all hooked up completely and the LG soundbar is now out of my room. I've gotta say, it's been maybe about a month and I'm in love with these speakers. I'm honestly debating on whether or not a sub is even needed for me, as all the EDM hits perfectly and these fill the room so well. Metal and rock kicks don't hit quite as hard, however, so maybe the sub will be an addition in the end, but as it stands, they're really quite capable. I don't think I've ever needed to push them to their limit, either. For reference, these are in a room that's roughly 20'x20' with a little bit of furniture. No room correction or anything like that has been performed, and most of the audio has been YouTube Music streamed via airplay or wi-fi from the pc, so not really anything hi-res except for maybe my records.

Let me start off by just saying that either the fine folks over at Micca just want as many of us "ordinary" people to be able to enjoy quality sound or they are simply crazy for offering such a fine little speaker at the price they are selling them for. (Oops. Maybe I shouldn't have said that.) First of all, a little background: when I ordered the RB42s, I wasn't expecting them to be as good as they really are. In fact, my initial plan was to use them as a step up from the speakers I am currently using for my PC. You see, I have an older Logitch 5.1 speaker system and while it is pretty good (I like having better sound quality, mostly for gaming, but I also listen to quite a bit of music, watch videos, and even watch the occasional movie or TV show) the system (the speakers all plug into the little subwoofer) is beginning to show it's age and has started to occasionally short out (no sound comes out due to some faulty wiring and the amplifier gets warm and shuts the whole system down). So, I ordered the Micca RB42s just to see how they sounded before I took the plunge and bought another pair (for the surround speakers) along with the center channel version of the RB42 (the RB42-C). (Along with finding a suitable subwoofer, either getting a better one for my home theater and using the old one with my PC or just scrounging one up online that wasn't completely terrible). Let me tell you, I LOVE THESE TINY SPEAKERS! I was simply amazed at how much sound came out of such a tiny package! And make no mistake, QUALITY sound, at that! And while I do still plan on using a subwoofer, I was surprised at how much bass these little boxes produce! While they might not shake the walls, they still have some respectable (for their size) punch and rumble to them. So, I am comfortable saying that I will definitely not be having any trouble integrating whatever subwoofer I end up using with these speakers. I was afraid that I would have to make the sub crossover frequency go higher in order to fill in an audio "hole" which would make the sub more noticable. Something you definitely don't want you subwoofer to do. Like I said, I'm not going to have to worry about that. Now, I haven't pulled off the back to take a look-see at the components/circuits used in the crossover, but the sound alone confirms that what I saw in the pictures is certainly at least close to what's inside. I'm still going to take a look at what's insides of these little beasties (I just can't help myself!), but I'm certain that I won't be disappointed. It just goes to show you what using quality components can do for the resulting sound. Speaking of quality, I have to mention that the cabinets are very solid (knocking on them sounds like knocking on a solid block of wood and not a hollow box) and the dark wood venere finish is very subdued without being overstated or "Look at me! Look at me! I'm a speaker over here!" flashy. Very nice, Micca. Very nice. I should also point out that these speakers have some physical depth to them, so if you're planning on putting them on a bookshelf, make sure your positioning plan has enough space availabe for them. They are ported in the back and seem to like to be a little ways out from the wall (experiment to find a sound that's nice to your ears). They are 7.9 inches deep, so keep that in mind. I also highly recommend driving these speakers with as much power as you can give them (up to their rated wattage, of course). I'm pretty sure they'll sound just fine with less amplifier wattage, but you will be nicely rewarded if you can give them plenty of juice. When I first hooked them up, I happened to be using a vintage Carver TFM-35x amplifier which is rated at 250 watts into 8 ohms, but that's just because I had it sitting on my work table. (I'm currently assembling a veritable Justice League of vintage amplifiers that I am going to refurbish and use in my home theater.) Once I'm ready to put these speakers in position, I plan on using a 100 watt amplifier. However...Now that I've finally heard these speakers, I'm happy to say that I'm going to be moving them (along with a RB42-C center channel speaker which I now have on order and am VERY excited to hear!) into the surround position of my 7.1 home theater system! So, now my current home theater surround speakers are going to be moving to my PC speaker system instead. THAT'S just how much I REALLY LOVE these speakers! And they are MUCH smaller than my current surround speakers, so it's a win all around! OK, I'll quit talking now. Just know that you'll be making a good decision to purchase these speakers for whatever your application is. In my travels around the Internet looking for information about these speakers, I saw people mention that they sometimes go out of stock, so get them while they're hot! You will definitely NOT be disappointed! UPDATE: I spent a lot of time searching for a suitable stand for these speakers. Let me save you a lot of trouble by pointing you toward Kanto SP32PL 32" Bookshelf Speaker Stands. They are a good compromise between quality and cost. I'll let you know how they work out with the MB42s.

Before I start, here's my personal experience with these. My father loves how these sound. We have sat for hours and listened to music together. We have went back to songs and heard sections we never noticed before. Rap music is fun and punchy, vocals sound great due to the sound profile, and piano sounds rich. Watching youtube or other content is awesome due to the sound profile and clarity. I am very happy with my purchase, and I plan to use these for quite a while. Here are some things I like about these: 1.) Sound is very clear, with a caveat. At low volumes, they are clear. Part of this is due to the crossover included in each unit, which I believe starts at about 2000Hz. 2.) The sound profile is GREAT for listening to vocals in music, especially men's vocals. The mids are so rich and vibrant. This is actually the reason I personally picked these. 3.) Bass is pretty good considering their size. It does not get the super low sub bass very well, but lower bass tones are still audible, which is good enough for me. These would still benefit pretty greatly from an external subwoofer, though. 4.) I LOVE how compact these are. You get quite a bit of sound from a little box. These were actually a little bit too small to properly fit in my wall mounts. I think these would be a great pair for a home theater setup in a small space, especially as rear channels and front side channels. Paired with a subwoofer, and a soundbar, these would be awesome for a home surround setup on the cheap. 5.) The price. These are quite cheap for bookshelf speakers. Most I was looking at were from 25% more to double the price. I am glad I purchased these. 6.) The build quality is EXCELLENT. These things look like they are worth $500. I love the color, and I love the magnetic speaker grill. They feel very sturdy, and the connectors on the back look and feel like they are high quality as well. Other people have mentioned that the only bad looking thing about these was some of the glue on the speaker cones, but my units personally look very clean and well made. 7.) Part of the foam they sit on in the box works great to sit them down on, if not wall mounting. They won't rattle anything with this. Good for keeping your neighbors from being bothered! Now, to my critiques, of which I have a few. 1.) When volume is turned up, these tend to distort in the highs. The mids stay quite clear due to the crossover, but the highs in particular become quite crunchy sounding. This is noticeable in the upper range of piano notes, in the percussion of some rap songs, and in the high parts of female vocal solos. This is my main gripe with these units. If there was maybe a 1 inch tweeter instead of a 3 quarter's inch tweeter, this may solve that problem. 2.) The bass EQing from the factory is a bit high in the 150-300hz range. This is especially noticeable when you also note that the sub bass below 100hz is not as loud as you would want, so you get a sort of too much or too little bass experience depending on the tone being played. I personally have EQd this out myself, increasing the lower bass a bit, and decreasing the upper bass just a tad. They sound great now. 3.) I really feel that these could be packed a little bit better. The foam they are packed against is quite thin. I hope there aren't too many DOA units due to shipping damage. It was adequate enough for me, though, and mine came in super clean.

Let me say first that these look and sound amazing! As mentioned by others, the bass response for such a small speaker is nothing short of astounding! These are very pleasing to listen to even without a sub, and I am one who likes bass. Not subwoofer type bass that rattles your butt cheeks, but very pleasing and natural sounding bass. They are also extremely well balanced; the treble and midrange is very smooth and the sound stage is excellent. The cabinet is rock solid and just gorgeous for a speaker of this price point. The magnetic grill is a nice touch as well. Compared to their brother the MB-42X, these have far better bass and a much flatter response, as well as being a far better looking speaker. I have zero bad to say about the sound or the appearance of the speaker, both are excellent, and simply unheard of at this price. Seriously, these are the best sounding small speakers I've ever heard at any price. Very full and rich. Now for the possible deficiencies, and I say possible because they won't be deficiencies for everyone. To get this kind of bass response out of such a small speaker, you have to fools the laws of physics somewhat. They did this by using several means; they designed an excellent cabinet, a tuned port that works very well, used a very long excursion woofer that pumps a LOT of air for a 4" driver (if you're a car guy, think stroker). But here's the one that can be an issue under certain applications; they used a crossover design that attenuates the tweeter, so the tweeter plays less loud in comparison to the woofer. Put another way, they turned the tweeter down so the woofer will play louder. This can cause two issues; 1) it hurts efficiency which means it needs a lot of power to drive it to volume, and 2) the woofer is pumping so hard at even moderate volume, it can bottom out (over-excurse) very easily when you give it the gas. To be fair, this is not a new thing and many other speakers besides Micca use this trick. And it's only a problem if you are going to expect very high volumes out of this speaker. If you're using it on a desktop, it will work beautifully (and that's actually a great application for it). For a small or medium sized room, it should be fine. But if you have a larger room or like to play it very loud, the woofers will run out of travel and bottom out. That's ugly sounding and will damage the speaker before long. Also, if you're using these with a sub and taking the low bass off, they should be fine and will be able to play louder. I did play them with a sub and they sounded stunningly good! And they can play louder because taking the low bass of them tames the woofer travel somewhat. So if you're using these for near field or in a small to medium room, they are 5 star speakers, especially given the price. Just don't expect them to produce very loud volumes and you'll love them. I'm not sure what I'll do with them yet, I'm one of these people like Zeos who buys speakers when I don't need them because I have a love affair with speakers. I seriously have speakers out the wazoo. But I like these so much I'll keep them and find a place. Maybe in my bedroom, that would be a great place for them, and being small my wife will be happy (Happy wife=Happy Life, right?). Good listening! _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Update 12-2-19 I was playing around with these some more tonight, and put a 10" Polk sub back in the circuit with them. I crossed them at 100 hz, and this really helped with the over-excursion problem. Now I can throw some power at them without bottoming out the woofer. Micca has done a great job at getting bass from a 4" woofer, but the trade off really limits these speakers. Add a sub and take that abnormal strain off them, and they sound amazing! With the sub, I can get some pretty good volume levels from them. So bottom line...these are great near field or small room speakers by themselves. But for any real volume, you'll need a sub. That begs the question, are these worth the extra cost over the MB42-X's? For applications without a sub, absolutely yes. But when using a sub, maybe not. The RBs do have a more refined sound, but the MBs are a far better deal when you have a sub to produce the bass. Good listening! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Update 12-19-19 I noticed it was one speaker always over-excursing and bottoming out. I switched them and the issue stayed with the same speaker. So I decided something was wrong with it and replaced them through Amazon. The replacement set is much better, I can drive them somewhat harder without the woofer hitting it's limits. Something was definitely wrong with one of the first pair, the woofer would flop uncontrollably. Maybe a porting issue. But these are better. Getting more volume out of them and haven't bottomed them out yet; I can tell there is some dampening at work. Tone quality is excellent and bass is phenomenal for such a small speaker. Very nice!

As a desktop speaker, against the back wall, these are 3 star rated. When you allow a couple feet of space for the rear firing port to get the room’s acoustics involved, they come alive! Full and rich sounding with a surprisingly large soundstage. The bass is tight, responsive and plentiful. Unless you listen to gangsta bass music, you should be satisfied on the low end. Midrange is flat (in a good way) with a bit of warmth making vocals and acoustic instruments sound amazing. On the high end, these speakers are accurate but they sound slightly attenuated which is easily fixed with an EQ adjustment. I’m using an amp that is rated at 100 watts @ 4 ohms, RMS per channel and the speakers seem slightly hungry for more power. The construction is solid, made of 3/4 inch mdf which is almost overkill in a speaker of this size. Box resonance won’t be an issue. We all know that it’s laminated but the finish looks really good. In conclusion, if someone told me that these were $500 dollar speakers, I would not be surprised. With proper power and placement, they will effortlessly fill a decent sized room with accurate, full bodied, warm sound. No subwoofer necessary but it wouldn’t hurt. I highly recommend!