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The big picture: The JohnBlue Audio widebander was designed foremost as a 5 or 7-channel speaker system and not as a more traditional stereo solution (although different recordings will still make those demands). In the context of their intended applications, how did the M3 perform?
Within the stipulation that they are confined to reasonably loud volume levels, the short answer is impressively. In home theater applications, the M3s came across with a grand sense of scale and constantly sounded like much larger speakers. The Master and Commander BluRay is an acknowledged torture test and presented the toughest challenge for these diminutive speakers, becoming the only material where I was forced to retreat to slightly more modest playback levels. Enveloping works like Avatar were handled easily with a rich level of detail and sweetness.
In multi-channel music mode, there was a visceral sense of volume with good weight in the midrange and lower midrange where lifestyle components generally lose solidity. If you equate the sound of the M3 in this range with a classic tube tonal balance, you’ll have the right idea - meaty, big and bouncy. This combination of image density, relative tonal accuracy and extreme bandwidth when paired with the subwoofer brought a broad range of music to life from classical to rock concerts.
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JohnBlue has also aimed the M3 to appeal to the gaming market. For those who view gaming as low-brow material and the antithesis of the audiophile ideal, it may be interesting to note that gaming has superseded both audio CD sales and motion picture profits. As a result the budget lavished on games has attracted some of the top composers who used to consider film soundtracks their normal milieu. Add to that a playback medium with—potentially—higher sampling rates than regular CD and you have the recipe for an interesting corner that can be considered fresh audiophile territory to explore.
Since gaming is not on my usual menu, I asked the resident expert to examine the M3s in light of what he felt were the priorities of multi-channel gaming audio. Interestingly, his first response was "accuracy of placement and movement information.” Obviously that's a very different set of primary parameters. Did the M3s survive the rigours of gaming conditions? Here’s a firsthand account from my hardcore gamer. His two-fisted prose makes an interesting departure from my dryer analytical style.
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"In Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, directional audio is very important and the JohnBlues performed well in this department. The positioning and separation were good enough that I could pinpoint enemy fire even during a chaotic gunfight. And my did those clashes sound great. The pattering of bullets on sheet metal, grenades exploding debris into the air were all reproduced with great detail and punch. But the details extended past the big booms and bangs as soft sounds like footsteps in the snow or someone sneaking through a puddle of water were clear and detailed. Coupled with great placement precision, enemies should not be getting the jump on you very easily.
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”For my next test I decided to try the action-adventure title God Of War 3. To no surprise I again found the detail in the mid to upper range really helped with the immersion into this dark and gothic world. Spirits eerily moaned as they circled in the distance, skulls really cracked when hit, and ...you get the picture."
Those assessments from my gaming expert confirmed that the JohnBlue Audio M3s should indeed serve the audiophile gaming community well, pumping out adequate volume levels and exhibiting very good detail and image localization. He did however corroborate the need to reach the minimum volume threshold to allow the frequency and dynamic response to gel. Until that point the M3s came off a little restrained and lacking in articulation. Once the speakers reached their comfort level, they snapped into focus.
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So there you have it - music, home theater and gaming. The little JohnBlues covered it all doing equal justice to delicate music and bombastic effects and within their volume capabilities retained fine audiophile pedigree in configurations ranging from 2.1 to 5.1 channels. Only one major and obvious question still needed addressing.
Lifestyle components dominate the home theater and gaming mass markets. Since this was intended to be the M3’s main focus, how did the little JohnBlue stack up? The short answer is very well but also sonically very different from most the competition. The majority of lifestyle components are designed to immediately impress with a combination of high contrast and relatively wide dynamic range. Designer Tommy Wu has taken a different approach and traded a certain amount of dynamic range for a more authentic tonal balance. As a result the M3s are intended to seduce rather than assault.
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Conclusion: Although it will offend purists, Tommy Wu’s interpretation of widebander requirements has paid off. The tiny M3 boasts audiophile-caliber sound which combined with a suitable subwoofer should satisfy the music lover, movie buff and gamer looking for hardcore performance in a small room. Mr. Wu’s design choices have resulted in a speaker with excellent finesse and richness of detail combined with a meatier midrange-centric balance. The M3 is voiced like a big speaker and images like one. Dynamic and attainable levels are quite good given the size but there are obvious limits to even a more ambitious 3-inch driver. This set of micro monitors with an audiophile balance will play hard and compete against the mass market at a competitive price. The M3 has hit the mark.
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Recommendation? The obvious limitations are small. The sound isn’t. If you haven’t got the room for huge speakers and still want the audiophile niceties, the M3s will deliver ridiculously big performance at a bargain price. Just remember to bring your own sub. Sold through authorized dealers.
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Quality of packing: Cardboard shipping box with loose foam spacers house five individual cardboard containers. Each speaker is sandwiched between compliant foam caps and wrapped in a foam sleeve. Excellent protection in a small, lightweight package.
Reusability of packing: Yes.
Condition of components received: Flawless.
Delivery: Parcel post.
Website comments: Wide product range. Well laid out and informative but the addition of pricing information would be useful.
Human interactions: Professional and friendly but some patience was required.
Warranty: 1 year.
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