Majority D100 Review

Introduction

The Majority D100 continues the Cambridge-based firm’s approach of providing powerful, feature-rich speakers at a fraction of the expected cost.

These bookshelf speakers come with a triple-driver array, complete with 100W of amplification and a range of wired and wireless connectivity options continuing Majority’s efforts to challenge more expensive speakers despite the modest £119 price tag.

The closest rival to the D100 in look and features is arguably the Q Acoustics M20 HD, although those retail for over three times the cost. Whether these Majority speakers can punch above their weight, as the smaller D80s do, remains to be seen. I’ve been testing them for the last few weeks to find out.

Design

• Pleasing retro looks
• Solid build quality
• Handy on-board controls

With their wooden cabinets, the D100 reminds me of a set of Wharfedale Lintons that were part of my dear grandfather’s hi-fi the best part of forty years ago, and were still going strong when I was a nipper. There is a wonderful heritage aesthetic to these Majority speakers that makes them feel welcoming.

Being larger than the desktop-destined D80s means these speakers are designated for use on a bookshelf or sideboard as part of a setup with turntable, TV, or as a standalone choice for room-filling audio. They have a fair bit of presence.

Beyond the small Majority logo on each of the fabric grilles, there isn’t much in the way of flair. Then again, for the price, I wasn’t necessarily expecting the last word in design. Nonetheless, they are reassuringly hefty at 6.8kg, nearly double the weight of the D80, and have a decent feel for a set of more affordable speakers.

You do get a remote control included in the box, although there are also some handy dials on the side of the left speaker that allow for convenient access to volume control/input selection and levels for bass and treble. Their silver colour offers a pleasant contrast to the wooden cabinets, although the dials lack some tactility.

Connectivity

• Fantastic selection of ports
• Convenient Bluetooth pairing
• Remote control doesn’t offer as much control as you’d expect

Where the D100 punch above their weight is with their vast options for connectivity, both wired and wireless. They can be used with everything from a TV, a small hi-fi system and even of their own.

For instance, you’ve got standard aux and phono inputs, as well as a USB port for playing on-board music (and for firmware updates), an optical port and even HDMI ARC for connection to a TV to give you some beefy audio for movies and your favourite shows. Wireless use is handled by Bluetooth 5.3. There is a voice that tells you which mode you have selected, which is useful.

I had no trouble playing music wirelessly over Bluetooth with either my Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra for Spotify, or with a wired connection to my FiiO M11S DAP with locally stored CD quality tracks. Pairing with the D100 is as easy as plugging the speakers in and searching for them in the host device’s settings.

Besides this, the on-board controls are handy for on-the-fly controls of levels and flicking between inputs by pushing the top dial. The remote control provides means of changing volume, source and skipping tracks, although it is a shame there isn’t the bass and treble controls found on the side of the D100.

Sound Quality

• Solid overall audio
• Lots of volume and power
• Good bass and extension, although the top end can lack some crispness and depth

For the more affordable price tag, I didn’t necessarily have too much in the way of expectations with the way the D100 sounded. With this in mind, as I was impressed by the smaller D80’s sense of space and depth, I was hoping for more of the same with these bigger units.

The 100W of amplification makes these potent bookshelf for their price range, with audio that easily filled my front room, whether I was streaming content on Disney+, listening to music over Spotify or my locally-stored files.

Spinning up Earth Wind and Fire’s September and D100 presented a solid soundstage and decent mid-range with the track’s rich vocals and typical bongos on the far right of the track. Sticking with the same artist, Let’s Groove offered decent low end, although benefitted from a small turn of the bass dial further up for a little extra oomph.

Moving to a CD quality rip of Steven Wilson’s Objects Outlive Us: Meanwhile from his new album, it offers the chance to test both a speaker’s mid-range with his forward vocals over a prominent acoustic guitar, before moving into a bass and guitar-heavy breakdown with crashing drums. On this latter section, the D100 demonstrated a precise top end, although one that lacked a little crispness.

Jack Johnson’s Tape Deck was more forward in its presentation where some tracks seemed to sit far back, but demonstrated a capable handling of his vocals, as well as the song’s inflexion of harmonica and acoustic guitar work.

Should you buy it?