This review first appeared in April 2018 on HifiKnights.com. By request of the manufacturer and permission of the author, it is hereby syndicated to reach a broader audience. All images contained in this piece are the property of Dawid Grzyb or M8Audio - Ed.
Reviewer: Dawid Grzyb
Sources: Asus UX305LA, LampizatOr Golden Gate (Psvane WE101D-L + KR Audio 5U4G Ltd. Ed.), AMR DP-777SE
Amplifiers: Trilogy 925, JOB 225
Speakers: Boenicke Audio W8
Speaker cable: Forza AudioWorks Noir Concept, Audiomica Laboratory Celes Excellence
Interconnects: Forza AudioWorks Noir, Audiomica Laboratory Erys Excellence
Power delivery: Gigawatt PF-2 + Gigawatt LC-2 MK2 + Forza AudioWorks Noir Concept/Audiomica Laboratory Ness Excellence
Rack: Franc Audio Accessories Wood Block Rack
Music: NativeDSD
Retail price of review component: €4'200

Our industry's speaker sector is very mature. Producing something that stands out as being innovative or interesting is challenging but still possible. M8audio's Sweet Maxwell monitors make that point rather succinctly. Danish-born owner/designer Mark Thomsen established his Australian company in 2015 after having relocated from Europe in 2010 to join his wife from Oz.


When asked how he ended up in audio, Mark explained that for many years audio electronics were his day job. He was in charge of R&D, production, QC and project management in the automotive and mobile phone sectors. Nokia then was one of his employers. Mark also used to build his own pre/power amps and has investigated speakers from open baffles to transmission lines, from high-efficiency horns to large ribbons. Whilst still in Europe, Mark used to travel and ski a lot and enjoyed cars. Yet with the launch of M8audio, focus shifted and some hobbies were abandoned to turn speaker manufacture into a full-time enterprise.


To date he is still the only full-time employee and as such does almost all the heavy lifting. Occasionally outsourced personnel handles finishes and web development but everything else happens within Mark's workshop. There a custom-configured CNC router is a rare sight so early in a boutique's operation. Usually cabinet manufacture gets outsourced to a subcontractor and only moved in-house at a much later date if ever. M8audio control that critical aspect from the very beginning. Depending on parts inventory and selected finish option, a pair of Sweet Maxwell usually comes together in six weeks.

The model name reflects Mark's engineering background and as such, James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879). He regards the work by this Scottish physicist and mathematician as astonishing especially in view of the mid-19th century's limited knowledge and very basic lab equipment. He acknowledges Maxwell's very serious dedication to arrive at his findings by naming a speaker range in his honour. Although published more than 150 years ago, this scientist's discoveries on electromagnetism still stand firm and flawless as the cornerstone of any loudspeaker design. And, our man's mother was born in Scotland to add a bit of a family connection. As to M8audio, M is Mark's initial whilst many cultures view 8 as a lucky number. Finally M8 pronounces very much like 'mate' to also become catchy.