We are back with another review from our friends at Majority Audio who this time have sent us the Majority D40X Bookshelf speakers. The D40X Bookshelf speakers currently cost £85 via Amazon.
The Majority Audio’s website has a speaker section and also offers the D40 bookshelf speakers for the reduced price of £69 they also have the D80 bookshelf speakers for £99 that I use as my home office speakers, and you can read the review here.
D80 Speaker on the left & D40X Speaker on the right both from Majority.
Something I have seen with Majority Audio is they continue to promote they will plant a tree for every product sold. Let’s take a closer look at the Majority D40X bookshelf speakers.
Unboxing
When it comes to unboxing just like the majority of products sent by this brand the packaging is stylish with the key features on the box as well as a few images of the speakers.
Open the packaging and you are provided with the following:
- User guide
- Tech support Sheet & information about the 3-year warranty
- Welcome Guide
- Power Cable
- 3.5m audio cable
- 3.5m to RCA Lead.
There is also a remote control which is palm-friendly sized with responsive rubber buttons for the following controls: Power, Reset, Track Controls, Play/Pause, Treble, Bass & Mode.
First Impressions/Design
The first thing you will notice when these arrive are they much more substantial compared to the D80 bookshelf speakers. They are also much more bulky weighing 3.8kg.
You will also notice how well-built and sturdy these speakers are and the depth of the casings at 17.9 cm screams a sense of quality. The front is made from a gloss black injection moulded plastic plate. Into this is mounted a 4-inch nano-Kevlar composite driver and 1-inch tweeter.
The sides of each speaker are coated in a faux wood textured matt black surround which offers a nice contrast from the front of the speaker. The base of the speakers includes 4 rubber feet for protection. There is also a passive radiator cylinder which extends the length of the speaker. It might not surprise you, but the right speaker is the active one of the pair and has a side-mounted control panel and the connector plate on the rear.
The back panel includes a mode selector, volume control and track control buttons. There is also a 140 cm RCA cable that has been hard-wired into the back of the left speaker, and this connects to the right speaker. If you’re thinking of using these as TV speakers the length of this cable needs to be considered.
When we set up the speakers, I positioned these in two places first up in my home office and the second location in my living room. When using these in my home office most of the music I played was via Spotify and linked these to my laptop when making Teams calls the sound was excellent, and they worked without any issues.
Connections/Control
Something to consider is it would be a big ask to expect an HDMI ARC connection on the rear of the active speaker. However, you can connect a TOSLINK optical cable so you can connect these to your TV if you wish. The port is not the most robust, so you need a firm connection. In addition to the optical port the panel also sports a power switch, 3.5mm aux input, USB & Micro USB slots for music file storage playback. The panel also comes with an input for the all-important RCA connection from the left speaker.
When you first switch on the speaker the D40X defaults to Bluetooth mode and you are provided with Bluetooth 5.3 which should provide a super-fast connection. Majority Audio has also provided the mode status by a female voice. This is compared to the forward-facing coloured mode indicator you get on some bookshelf speakers. The side control panel includes a 3.5mm headphone slot and this is where there is an LED indicator which displays for each mode if you need confirmation.
Features
The standout feature of these speakers is the bright yellow nano-Kevlar 4-inch bass drivers are claimed to be full-range. The main reason for using Kevlar over plastic for its dampening-reducing effects and Majority trying to offer a punchy audio quality.
The power distributed between the drivers and tweeters is 70 watts. These speakers can play MP3, FLAC, APE & WMA file types and it’s worth knowing the max size of compatible USB & SD storage drives is 64Gb which is impressive.
Sound Quality
We have been testing the Majority D40X for about 2 weeks now and they performed very well. There is plenty of clear top end and a solid midrange. You will also notice the bass is always present without it feeling forced.
When listening to a wide range of tracks such as “Alice Merton – No Roots”. The bass line is integrated but unobtrusive. The drums are rounded and punchy and the vocals are a little held back but not to the point it’s a game changer. You can hear every instrument paired with a good balance. Vocals are proficient and the guitar riff is livelily dispatched from the left speaker.
When using the D40X for watching a film the speakers find space and scale when watching the action scenes in Aquaman. The overall presentation is a little thin, but the music used is forward and clear.
Verdict
Majority Audio has always impressed me that they produce quality products at a budget price. The Majority D40X at £85 will surprise you just how good they sound. The design of these speakers has been well thought of and the use of the Kevlar drivers gives a sense of authority, and the deep black casings are a classy touch. These speakers are also easy to set up. If you’re looking for a pair of bookshelf speakers that sound great and are under that £100 price point check these out!
Product Rating
Design: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Connection/Controls: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Audio Quality: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Value for Money: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Overall ranking: 4.8 out of 5.0 stars – 4.75 stars
The Majority Audio D40X Active Bookshelf Speakers are available for £89.95 via Amazon
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