Majority D80

Verdict

The Majority D80s are a good set of desktop speakers for a reasonable price, with a well-made chassis, lots of connectivity options and generally solid audio across a variety of sources. They may not look the most exciting, but if you can look beyond it, you’ve got a entertaining set of affordable speakers.

Introduction

The Majority D80 is the Cambridge-based audio firm’s latest effort to offer great desktop audio at a reasonable price.

Priced at £99.95, they look a great value choice for those who want an audio boost for their PC, offering lots of ports and 80W of amplification to power its sound.

This is a competitive market, with longstanding options from Bose, Creative and others, but these D80s may well be one of the best options out there.

Design

• Understated, all-black shell
• Reasonably hefty and compact
• Convenient feet for easy positioning

Unlike some other bookshelf speakers I’ve used in recent years, the D80s have more of a refined look to them, with an all-black chassis that features a slight curvature to them. They’re reasonably attractive, though perhaps a little generic compared to other options around this price. Nonetheless, the D80s are well-built and for the money, I’ve got no real complaints.

They fitted well next a 27-inch monitor on my desk with room to spare, although if you have a larger monitor, or a smaller desk, you may find fitting them a bit of a challenge.

A total weight of 3.48kg gives them some reassuring heft, while their overall size sits in the middle compared to more compact, cheaper options, and more conventional bookshelf speakers such as the Q Acoustics M20 HD I’ve used. This nice halfway house means they’re suitable for a range of positions too, whether on a desk, or elsewhere at home.

There isn’t much in the way of flair to the D80s, with a simple Majority logo in between the speaker grilles. It’s handy they sit on an integrated stand that angles up towards the ears for better audio placement, and these small plastic feet also mean they stay in place well, and don’t slip around.

Features

• Vast connectivity options
• Remote control is easy to use
• Lots of adjustability

The positioning of these speakers as more than just run-of-the-mill desktop speakers is evident in their fantastic options for connectivity. They offer HDMI ARC (for connecting to a smaller television) to optical and line-in. You can also connect them via Bluetooth for wireless streaming, or attach a USB drive to the back, and use the bundled remote control to skip through local files.

This makes for some of the best connectivity I’ve seen at this price, and elevates the D80 above and beyond the competition. I connected them to my PC via the line-in ports, which was convenient for plug and play, and streaming music on Spotify over Bluetooth with my Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra was equally handy.

You’ve just got to remember to switch modes with the remote control to ensure the right option is selected. To help you remember, there is a small LED housed in the bottom of the right hand speaker.

Speaking of which, the presence of a remote control is a nice touch. It’s big and chunky with reasonably tactile buttons, and easy to use. It’s easier to control the volume than using the dial on the back of the D80, although you don’t get the same set of controls.

This is because the right-hand speaker also comes with dedicated dials for adjusting the bass and treble, which is handy for balancing audio out if you need to. Those dials are reasonably easy to access, depending on how much clearance there is on the side of the right-hand speaker, but it isn’t easy to distinguish between which one you’re turning at first.

Sound Quality

• Consistent across multiple outputs
• Impactful low end
• Clear mids and high

I was generally impressed with the D80’s audio, which was consistent across over both wired and wireless connections via a mix of streamed music and local high-quality MP3 / FLAC files.

My first test involved watching an intense scene in Pearl Harbor on Disney+, through which the D80s presented a prominent low end, as well as a great soundstage as afforded by there being two separate speakers. Moving to an old favourite in Rush’s YYZ on Spotify backed this claim up rather well, with Geddy Lee’s bass runs feeling impactful and meaty.

Moving over to Earth Wind and Fire’s September, this reiterated the fantastic soundstage the D80s offer, as well as its generally clear audio. It’s pretty detailed with a solid mid-range and crisp top-end when listening to the opening minute of Steely Dan’s Do It Again.

With whatever I listened to, the D80s also featured little to no distortion at higher volumes. They had no trouble filling my small office and were at times perhaps a little too loud. Therefore, I think they’d have no trouble filling a bigger office or bedroom, if you want to hook these up to a television, for instance.

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