Bowers & Wilkins MM-1 brings Hi-Fi sound to your desktop
Desktop Hi-Fi speakers for PC or Mac. Full range sound from two-way speakers. No subwoofer required. USB streaming for top quality sound. Stylish design to complement latest computer hardware.
The Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin gave iPod® users the ability to listen to music from a portable device in hi-fi quality for the first time. The MM-1 desktop speaker similarly breaks new ground, but for computers. Desk-bound entertainment fans will finally get the audio performance their collection deserves. Whether it’s music, video or games, the MM-1’s performance will revolutionise the experience.
Designed by the same acoustic engineering team that developed Zeppelin and the high-end 800 Series speakers used in Abbey Road Studios, the MM-1 draws on close to five decades of experience in audio excellence. Unlike many desktop solutions, the MM-1 is a serious hi-fi speaker: a full range, active, near field monitor, with two separate drive units including an aluminium dome tweeter for a refined treble performance.
Key proprietary Bowers & Wilkins technologies such as NautilusTM Tube Loaded tweeters find their way into a speaker of this type for the first time. And new DSP technologies such as Bowers & Wilkins’ own Dynamic EQ, maximises bass output, and allows the MM-1 to provide full range sound without the need to resort to a subwoofer.
The MM-1 also has advantages for private listening, thanks to its high-quality headphone output. Audio from a computer passes through the MM-1’s DSP and into its headphone socket to produce a sound that’s a dramatic improvement over a standard PC or Mac headphone output.
Design, build and materials are very much up to the premium quality Bowers & Wilkins’ demanding customers are accustomed to. The MM-1 itself is an incredibly attractive, yet discreet piece of engineering, while the choice of materials and build quality are of class-leading quality. User-friendly features such as the integral cable management system make for a remarkable package, and the MM-1 comes supplied with a pebble remote control that provides intuitive control over the speaker, and also works within iTunes® and Windows Media Player on a Mac or PC.
At work, at play or simply taking a break, the MM-1 provides you with the kind of sound that your digital media collection deserves.
Sascha says:
The MM1 looks great, they fit in the Zeppelin line.
But I wishes a pair of miniature 800 D for my desktop. With maybe 30-40cm hight and as well a fine wood finish.
Posted: Friday, 20 November 2009
Jeff says:
What is the cabling like for the MM-1? Obviously, you won’t be able to pull enough power over USB to run these speakers, so power input will also be required. Thene there is the issue of routing the audio signal. Ideally, a single cable would be employed to provide power and audio from one speaker to the other. In this scenario, I’m assuming one speaker acts as a “master” while the other a “slave”. The master contains all inputs for audio and power while outputting a single cable to the other speaker. Also, is the headphone jack on the same speaker that has the USB and aux inputs?
My hope is that the cabling is done in such a way as to minimize desktop clutter. How is this design employed on the MM-1? Thanks!
Jeff
Posted: Wednesday, 25 November 2009
Jeff says:
One other thing. If you are using one cable for power and audio between the master and slave speakers, how long is it? I ask because this will determine how far apart the speakers can be placed from each other. Thanks.
Jeff
Posted: Wednesday, 25 November 2009
Susanna says:
Hi Jeff,
You are correct in all your assumptions. All connections are on the Master. Regarding the length of cable, I’m waiting back on an answer to this.
I do hope this helps,
Susanna
Posted: Thursday, 26 November 2009
Le Tartiflet says:
Will this one be at around, half or rather quarter the Zeppelins price tag?
Posted: Tuesday, 1 December 2009
JSW says:
all I will say is: thank you B& W for including the Nautilus Tube Loaded tweeters.
So full spectrum of sound in in a 2-way system (unlike the zeppelin mini).
Also not having the the mids in the MM-1 being pushed forced too low via DSP, past its capacity. (zeppelin mini)
MM-1 looks VERY exiting!
Now maybe B&W can get to work on a 2nd Gen. Zeppelin full unit. Yes one that costs $600 or maybe even a bit more $$ if needed’. But that has a D/A converter and subtle sonic improvements.
But keeping the essential Zeppelin foundation: A 5 driver unit.
2 tweeters/2 mids/1 sub
Posted: Sunday, 6 December 2009
peter in spain says:
are the MM1 speakers going to be much better to the Mini, I dont know whether to buy the Mini this christmas or wait until the MM1 ’s are released.
What should i do?
I dont see in the net good reviews about the Mini. They say they are ok but its bigger brother the Zeppelin is fantastic. So sholud i buy the Grand Zeppelin and forget?
Posted: Tuesday, 8 December 2009
gil says:
where can we try this speakers? i am also waiting for the 2nd generation zeppelin to include nautilus tube loaded speakers… then i’m off with my bose….
Posted: Tuesday, 22 December 2009
Rick says:
When can we see MM-1 at the dealers?
I can’t wait to audition these speakers before deciding whether to get them for my desktop.
Posted: Sunday, 3 January 2010
Yves says:
When will we know more about the price point?
I did some searching and found a price of GBP575 on a British website.
That would be over $900, which is rather on the expensive side.
Thoughts anybody?
Posted: Wednesday, 6 January 2010
SusannaGrant says:
Dear Yves,
The price is still to be confirmed for the MM-1s, so I would take any price that you find online with a large pinch of salt. We will be announcing the final price soon, so please check back regularly.
Regards,
Susanna
Posted: Wednesday, 6 January 2010
SusannaGrant says:
Dear Rik,
You will probably have to wait until early Spring before you can test these.
Regards,
Susanna
Posted: Wednesday, 6 January 2010
David says:
Does anyone know when the mm-1 PC speakers will be released/shipped? How much will they be??
Thanks
Posted: Thursday, 7 January 2010
FAUguy says:
I am very interested in these PC speakers as well. I currently have a Creative Labs audio card installed in my PC, which my desktop speakers are connected to. If I were to connect the MM-1 to my system’s USB, I take it that would bypass the Creative sound card completely? Could I leave the sound card installed, or would it have to be removed? From what I’ve seen, price estimates from CES have the MM-1 around $400-500 USD.
Posted: Monday, 11 January 2010
Iron says:
Any info on the actual price point yet? Its’ February~~~ =)
Posted: Thursday, 4 February 2010
romanov says:
no way, I’m 35 and I don’t have an mm-1, this is insane, how long do I have to wait, another 35 years?
So, what’s the deal folks, has anyone actually bought the speakers or the surely must-have p5?
my love and respect goes to b&w and the makers
Posted: Thursday, 4 February 2010
Justin N says:
Thought I’d chip in, after seeing a lot of questions about current on-board or add-in Sound Cards on PCs. Since the speakers operate off USB and use internal DACs, they’ll wind up bypassing your Sound Cards completely. The good news is that they won’t be affected by the quality or coloring of your existing sound hardware, a real problem with consumer-tier sound cards from the likes of Creative. The bad news is that USB DACs tend to be 24/48 or 24/92, which can be a problem for those of us with high-resolution audio files (24/192) or doing sound mixing. B&W has yet to announce technical details about the internal DACs or resolution support.
Also, since the speakers are driven by USB, you will need to install drivers for full functionality. I’m sure Windows and Mac will have basic driver support installed, but that fancy remote or extra DAC features will (more than likely) NOT be accessible without installing required drivers. Thankfully, I don’t believe B&W is going to saddle the speakers with bloatware like so many mass market companies do, so hopefully it will -stay- a driver, and not a full fledged software “suite”.
Finally, for those concerned about DSP output for headphones, I really wouldn’t worry – this is B&W we’re talking about, here, and I’m sure they won’t do anything that will negatively affect sound (not to mention the ability to remove any DSP effects you may not like). Again, I can’t -confirm- this last bit, but knowing B&W, they’re not going to pull a fast one on us, especially if these speakers are really going to cost upwards of $500.
As long as they support 24/96 and produce classic B&W sound, I’ll be happy.
Posted: Thursday, 4 February 2010
Yves Defloor says:
Update on the MM-1: the bad news is that you will have to be a little more patient since they will come out in April, but the good, no the great news is that these little beauties will be priced at $500.
Posted: Thursday, 4 February 2010
Kevin says:
As I am really looking forward to buying a pair of MM-1s I contacted my local B&W dealer, Infidelity in Hampton Wick, earlier to ask if they would be stocking the MM-1.
Their reply?
“Thank you for your enquiry about the B&W MM1s.
At this moment in time we are not intending to stock them, though I am sure they will be very good at what they do.
Best Regards
Dominic
Infidelity”
I hope at least some B&W dealers will stock them.
Posted: Thursday, 4 February 2010
Jason says:
B&W always announces products and no ship date. Most sites say January or February. Why the big secret when it comes to ship dates? Can’t you give us an estimate?
Posted: Thursday, 4 February 2010
KB says:
Any word when this speaker is finally going to be available? Speakers look good but the speculated price range is very high .- $300+ speaker for a computer about that price. PLus above $300 many other models come into picture.
Posted: Friday, 5 February 2010
Droid_C says:
I’ve been hearing $500 USD
Posted: Sunday, 7 February 2010
Wildpanda says:
I’m really interested in these speakers as well. $400 – $500 would seem reasonable considering you get a set of high end computer speakers & a usb DAC.
Would the headphone output also have additional amplification as well? If that is the case, this is like having 3 streamlined products in one… computer speakers, a desktop headphone amp, and desktop DAC…
However I hope they don’t price it too high… because it would be a great way to get more people hooked on the B&W sound and open the door to bigger B&W purchases.
Take my case for instance, my obsession first started when I heard my friend’s B&W setup. So being on a college budget & not having a place of my own I decided to look for headphones that matched the sound of my friend’s B&W’s… I went through a number of headphones before settling on Etymotic in ears when I am mobile and Grado at home… moved on to car audio with a fully amplified CDT audio system that I thought sounded the most like my friend’s B&W’s… now in our home, we have B&W 683’s with the matching center & surrounds with a Rotel AV receiver… rest assured, our next home will have whole house B&W audio… and maybe even a Jaguar in the garage with B&W audio…
However for the average customer, having entree models like the computer speakers, iPod speakers, and headphones can lead to bigger speaker system purchases… as long as they aren’t priced in a way that will scare the customer away.
Posted: Tuesday, 9 February 2010