Newbies Majority are promising high-quality sound for the discerning gamer on a low (and ultra-low) budget – do they deliver?
Speakers would not be high on anyone’s list of the important kit to pick for your latest and greatest PC build. Once you’ve finished your epic machine and don’t fancy don’t want to use some coloured plastic monstrosity of a headset to hear the cries of the Chinese kids you keep gooping in PUBG, an elegant and affordable speaker set-up may be right up your street. Especially if you blew nearly all your cash on that ridiculously overpriced graphics card.
This is where Majority comes in. They’re a pretty new company with big aspirations in the sonic space. Their plan to stick out among the thousands of PC audio peripherals is to offer solid build quality, a broad feature set, and good sound at a very affordable price.
Have they really pulled off the too good to be true phenomenon though? To find out I was sent two sets to review – the DX10 PC speakers and D40 bookshelf speakers.
Let’s start with the cheap set, the DX10, and boy is it cheap!
DX10 PC Speakers Features
Model No. DX10-SPEAKER-BLK
Dimensions 9 x 11.8 x 16.5 cm
Power DC 5V
Weight 0.75 kg
Speakers Stereo
Headphone Jack 3.5 mm
First things first, these speakers retail for just £16.95, which is really inexpensive. With that in mind, I’m going to judge them based on their inherent value for that price.
They’re USB powered so all I had to do was mash the end into a spare port, along with the audio jack. A third cable goes to the left speaker and is a decent length so it was easy to keep them well apart.
A simple volume wheel controls the output, with a click at the leftmost twist to turn the speaker on or off. Dead simple.
As you’d expect, they’re super light and have a very attractive shape that incorporates a raised stand front and back. The build quality is decent considering the obvious lack of hefty audio hardware.
I would have liked detachable cables to make organising them that bit easier, but for the price I’m willing to overlook it.
Sound quality
Considering the price, these speakers don’t sound half bad. Sure, they have no proper bass to speak of and are a bit tinny, but the midrange response and stereo separation are very acceptable for anyone who only needs speakers for basic playback.
Peak volume is decent too, even if it does get squeally and overloaded if you crank it up to 11. But again, it’s what you would expect for 15 quid.
With YouTube videos and other generic content, the DX10 PC speakers do just fine, and they’re even acceptable for most Indie gaming. Chuck a complex song or layered high-fidelity soundtrack at them though and they will become a muddy mess, even more so at high volume.
D40 Bookshelf Speakers Features
Model No. D40-SPEAKER-BLK
Dimensions 22.3 x 13.7 x 17.9 cm
Power 100-240V/50-60Hz
Weight 3.80 kg
Speakers Stereo
Supported Files MP3, WMA, WAV, APE
AUX 3.5 mm
RCA 3.5 mm
If you’re wanting a rich audio experience then you’re going to have to go for the D40 bookshelf speakers instead. At £79.95 its a much bigger chunk of change, but still relatively low for an audio system of this spec.
The Majority D40 speakers are active and deliver a decent 60w of audio grunt. They have an AUX-in, headphone jack and support Bluetooth – so you’ve got plenty of connections options. The wires aren’t hard-wired in which is another win, aside from the thin black cable coming from the back of the passive left speaker.
The cabinets themselves are made of wood, which is a good sign as wood resonates far better than plastic. As to what wood they use I couldn’t tell. If you happen to be a tree-hugger then never fear, as Majority plant a tree for every speaker set they sell, via Ecoligi, with over 400,000 sold to date, apparently. So that’s plenty of trees to offset your carbonated foot sink, or whatever it is the hippies say these days.
The all-black finish of the cabinets is pleasant enough, but the design doesn’t have that bit of design flair the little DX10s have. And unlike the DX10s there’s no raised angle directing the sound towards your ears, which is a small miss.
Accessories wise, there’s an included remote control that does a surprising amount given the price tag we’re working with. You get power, volume up/down, track select back and forward, mute, reset, mode select and bass and treble controls. It’s fairly responsive and pleasant to hold.
Whether you actually enjoy using a remote to control speakers on a desktop for your PC is another thing. Personally, I prefer a quick grasp at the physical buttons on the speaker itself as its quicker and easier. Unfortunately, this is where things get a little disappointing.
Unlike the cute little Majority DX10s that have an intuitive volume wheel, the D40s settle for 3 equally sized physical buttons – the one on top selects the mode, while the two below control volume. Although the layout is simple, having to click up and down to change volume is just more cumbersome than using a wheel. It’s also very easy to accidentally hit the mode button and lose sound altogether.
Sound quality
For reference, I compared the D40 bookshelf speakers to my tried and trusted Edifier bookshelf speakers (which cost 50 quid more) and to my pleasant surprise, the D40s do very well up against the more established and expensive brand.
Like the DX10s, the D40s have very nice stereo separation and balance. Albeit with far more bass (obviously) and clarity at the top end. With your basic YouTube cat videos and news bulletins, it’s completely fine, as you’d expect. How do they handle the tough stuff though?
Playing Civilisation VI, one of my favourite PC games which also happens to have a rousing orchestral soundtrack, the D40 bookshelf speakers handle the layers of choral music and Sean Bean’s deadpan voice over with decent consistency at all volumes. The separation isn’t quite as distinct as the Edifiers, and the music not as richly melodious, but overall it handles the game’s superb soundtrack with relative ease.
Watching the bike chase sequence from Terminator 2, with those cracking thuds of drums and low rumble of Arnold’s chopper the D40s don’t get very exciting, which is a shame. They’re not bad, they just lack the dynamics to really bring you fully into the action. Once again, for the £69.95 you can currently get the D40 bookshelf speakers on sale though, the sonic chops are more than acceptable.
Of course, you can tweak the bass and treble to your liking with the handy remote, but I didn’t find clicking back and forth made much difference, to be honest. The default balance is very adequate, even if it lacks just that bit of top end.
Conclusion
Let’s be honest, there are shit tons of PC speakers on the market. From your poncy Bose to your dodgy Bosse Chinese knock-offs on Amazon – it’s not the easiest market to figure out where to land your cash in. Do I really need £300 PC speakers or are £30 speakers mostly the same? That’s a complex question to answer, but with Majority, at least you’ve got a brand with a clear sell that’s easy to get your head around.
Majority speakers are designed to be cost-effective, decently-specced and made to tix all the boxes for most people in terms of functionality. In that sense, both the DX10 and D40 speakers are a very decent value. Whether you need a discreet and attractive USB powered pair for your laptop when you’re at your desk, or a fat pair of black wooden cabs to give some oomph to your solo gaming sessions, the DX10 and D40 speaker sets fulfil those briefs very well for the price they’re asking.
