Excellent speakers
Pros:
Very good overall sound, great looks and build quality, easy to use, THX certified.
Cons:
Satellite ports are fake, subwoofer is occasionally a bit sloppy, weak lower mids.
The Bottom Line:
I recommend these to anyone who appreciates good sound and enjoys playing games and annoying their neighbours!
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Overall Rating:
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Author's Review
RRP: $299 NZD
Total RMS ouput: 200 Watts
RMS power per satellite: 40 Watts
RMS power subwoofer: 120 Watts
Quoted frequency response: 20kHz-35Hz
Signal-To-Noise Ratio: 100dB
Satellites: One 2.5" phase plug driver
Sub: One 8" long-throw woofer
Output level (SPL) 110+dB
The price of this system does NOT influence any of these ratings, except "value".
Ratings are based on computer 2.1 speakers ONLY.
This is an update to my review after a heavy break in.
Treble: These speakers produce excellent treble with high detail and almost never saturate. The lack of tweeter does not affect their performance much at all as the phase plug in the satellite drivers helps to produce high end treble, and improve off axis response. The treble produced even compares with other sets with tweeters such as Altec's MX5021. The lower to mid treble produced by these speakers is especially good. They do however, miss out on the highest of highs that only sets with dedicated tweeters can achieve. 8/10
Midrange: Very good for a 2.5" driver in a sealed cabinet(the satellite ports are fake) The middle to upper mids and have their own weight and have excellent attack, giving the speakers a very dynamic and powerful sound. The lower mids have warmed up quite a lot since I first got them, so don't worry if yours sound slightly cold out of the box. There is a small hole in the response where the sub and satellites join in the very low mids, but this is not particularly noticeable unless you are a complete audiophile! 7.5/10
Bass: With an 8" long throw woofer, a gigantic port and 120 watts to play with, this sub was always going to produce insane bass levels. And that is does. This set has the most powerful bass I have heard from a 2.1 pc speaker system EVER, it even has enough power to get my walls and floor to shake, but sometimes is a bit boomy and sloppy when playing ultra deep bass. The midbass however is very good, it has great impact and is very musical. The low crossover frequency(150Hz) helps to keep the position of the subwoofer unknown but unfortunately affects the sonic blending between the sub and the small satellites. 8/10
Imaging: Surprisingly good for their size, when watching movies I can easily tell where sounds are coming from and where they are going. Instrument separation is also superb, especially for full range drivers(probably thanks to the phase plugs, which reduce cone mass) 7/10
Volume: They should have more volume than you'll ever need. It took me while to find their point of distortion, the satellite drivers began to bottom out and saturate slightly. 9.5/10
Overall Sound Quality: These are the third best 2.1 computer speakers I have ever heard, only beaten by the much more expensive MX-5021 and FX-6021 2.1 speaker sets, both made by Altec Lansing. They will, however generally outperform many bookshelf speakers and other pc 2.1 speakers costing more. 8/10
Looks: To me, these speakers look great, they have a simple but effective design. The silver aluminium phase plugs look fantastic against the black cones. I believe they look a lot better with the satellite grills off, it makes them look a lot more modern and also improves the sound a bit. 8/10
Build Quality: Very good, but my first set (I have had 3) was dead on arrival. Satellites and sub use high quality TangBand drivers and have strong, well built cabinets. The black cloth grills for the satellites are also extremely well made. The wired remote has a good weight to it and is great to use. 8.5/10
Extras: The wired remote is very handy and has a smooth, silky volume knob, the blue power light is also very attractive. The remote also has a bass volume knob and headphone jack. I was very happy to see that headphone volume is controlled by the sets master volume, unlike some of my previous sets such as the Logitech X-230. I was also provided with an adapter for connecting these to consoles, cd players, etc. The only real things that are missing are an aux input and a treble adjustment. 6.5/10
Value: There are no 2.1 pc speakers with better value than these on the market in this price range! 9.5/10
The overall sound quality, imaging and volume potential of these is exceptional, especially considering their very low price tag. Their great build quality and features make them an undeniable success. Would definately recommend.
