HiVi-SwansOasis 140 Passive Speakers, 2-Way HiFi Bookshelf Speakers for TV Desktop Stereo or Home Theater Surround Sound - Needs Amplifier or Receiver to Operate

1. I measured these and the frequency response is pretty linear...they did a nice job with the crossover.2. The grills are very attractive but are not magnetic3. The binding posts are substantial...like something you would expect on a much more expensive speaker.4. Build quality is good for this price. They are fairly heavy and solid for their size...this is where they really exceed the other speaker in the picture...which appears to share the same driver and tweeter.5. In my room they got down to 50hz with pretty good output. Below 50hz they roll off quickly.6. Sound signature is good clarity but also relaxed and balanced sounding. These aren't in your face sounding like Klipsch, but they won't put you to sleep.7. They have more output than expected, given their size.8. One minor complaint...the feet don't appear to be removable.9. I like them a lot more than the Sony SSCS5 speakers (harsh with too much sizzle) & ELAC BS41 (not enough clarity & sloppy bass).10. Make sure your amp has a 4 ohm rating. I tried these with a less capable amp and they still got loud, but the fullness of the sound suffered.11. The RSL IA255.1 amp is a great match in the affordable amp category.

Being directly related to the Swan OS10 variant which is the powered version, I didn't think these would reach far beyond those, but they scale so intensely with better amplification. I do have to agree with the four-star review here that the grills do impede the sound projection due to the thick nature of the outside wood frame. Taking the grill off or turning the speaker sideways and leaving the grill on alleviates that.I'm still giving these five stars on sound alone. I haven't looked at the internal crossover but I imagine it is meticulously designed to take advantage of hivi drivers and these speakers are far better built with far better rear terminals and materials than they have any right to be at this price point.As far as the sound goes they almost compete with six inch speaker models, they sound much bigger than they are although will not reach down below maybe 70 Hertz so a subwoofer is required for full immersion. Vocals are rich and creamy beating out other long time winners of this entry level category, treble is sharp and accurate but never piercing and the BIGNESS and imaging are some of the best I've heard in any passive speaker regardless of price and size.I see no reason to not recommend them unless you have to use the grills and keep them in a vertical arrangement. Relatively easy to drive with a 50 WPC amplifier. The actual cabinet material is matte and although lacks the fake wood texture you expect, I find it actually looks better than most speakers attempting it. I hope these remain in stock so people can enjoy them for the next few years until swan decides to sell a slightly larger model!

I really wanted to like these speakers. After 3 months of ownership I still wonder what the cult of audiophiles is hearing that I don't. Expectations have to be in line with other speakers in this price class. Yes, I know the mid/woofer is only 4" and they only cost $130, but the reviewers described them as an extraordinary.My setup: Schiit Modi DAC, Schiit Loki+ EQ, Fosi ZA3 amp.I bought these as desktop, nearfield speakers for games and music listening. For gaming, they are ok. The lack of bass make them suited for situations where you don't want to bother people in other rooms with thud. For music listening, I find the sound to be muffled and lacking clarity. Given the HiVi mid and tweeter that comprise the build, they should sound better. They should excel at clarity on the mids and highs, but they really don't. Taking off the grills helps a little.On the positive side: They are built very well. The binding posts are very good. General fit and finish is much better that most under $150 passive speakers. They sound better at higher volume, with the tweeters aimed directly at the listener.On the negative side: The best description of the sound is that the sound "muffled", especially at lower volumes. I have tried to correct them with EQ, with limited success. Not bad for $130, but not great either.

The swan oasis 140 is small and looks great. I'm shocked how well they sound for their size, but they have a couple major issues. The port is horrible. It's noisy when turned up and doesn't actually help the speaker. The first thing to do is plug the port, then run them with a 100hz highpass filter. They only go to 80 hz as is(with a lot of port noise), so you're not losing anything by doing this. If you want bass, you need a sub. The major dealbreaker for me is the off axis response is bad. This might not be an issue for some, but on a desk at ear level, the sound changes significantly when leaning forward or back even a few inches. If you don't move and set them up properly, they sound far above their price. I really wanted to use the swan 140 as my surrounds in my home theater. I even liked them so much I thought about replacing my kef 150s at my desk, but I simply couldn't ignore their off axis. It was a hard decision to return them, but they aren't for me. After a lot of listening, I think the neumi bs5 is a better all around budget bookshelf speaker for a little less $.