Great overall, impressive size but perhaps a little pricey
Pros: Good mid-range, silk tweeters, smoother and natural highs, excellent control unit, some useful DSP options with headphone output and aux input
Cons: Perhaps a little bit pricey, big (for some - excellent for me)
I read many reviews on this system before I bought it (bought it open-box, unused) - but nothing prepared me for for when I received the box (HUGE!) and inspected the contents: This set is BIG! If you've got limited space then these are a no-no for you.
Setting it up was very straight forward, was just a matter of unpacking, putting it together and plugging it into the PC. No stripping wires or binding posts, the connectors all simply snapped in. No transformer brick made plugging into my multiplug easy, I now this seems a small issue but those big transformer brick plugs really ANNOY me because they disrupt my plug layout. There's no doubt about it, there's no false advertising and PMPO values - it is a 232W unit so no worries with friends pumping it up at a party, it'll handle it with ease and keep going.
Gaming: Explosions, gun fire and footsteps all sounded nothing short of amazing. There was no lack of bass, mid-range or treble to make the sounds sound washed out or lacking. I could hear my enemies coming and I could feel the explosions.
Music: When it comes to music, I listen to rock and a little bit of metal. The mid-range and highs were great (remembered silk tweeters mean smoother, warmer and more natural highs). In my opinion the bass is washed out - but that's only noticeable when listening to Drum and Bass and other very Bass-ey music which I don't.
Aesthetics and Construction: These feel very solid, I personally think you could drop them and they wouldn't break - nothing feels flimsy. The control unit is really a great item, personally I think DSPs and EQs tend to be more of a gimmick HOWEVER I found the Dynamic Pop and Late Night programs to be an excellent addition. Late Night not only turned off the sub (yes, you can turn the sub off separately) but also redirects the bass to the satellites so you don't "lose" anything, while leaving your parents/girlfriends/wife/children undisturbed even with the volume slightly higher - this of course impacts the bass but the redirection nullifies some of the penalty, so if you don't feel like wearing headphones then it is a great option. The Dynamic Pop is an option that I can't figure out why is not ALWAYS enabled, it just offers great bass, loudness, voice and treble experience. The added auxiliary input and headphone output on the control unit was also a great choice.
But it's not 5.1: I've always actually been anti-5.1, I found them to be a little gimmicky and in my honest opinion, gaming-wise or movie-wise a simple application of Virtual Surround easily makes up for. I also don't have a place to place the rear speakers, nor want to trip over the wires. So if you want a no-frills, no trying to find space behind you for speakers and no wires on your floor then these are for you. And Virtual Surround makes up for any so-called advantage that 5.1s have.
So overall I think if you listen to Rock, Jazz, Metal etc. and game frequently as well then this is for you. Just the size is a problem for some - and the price may also be a little hefty for some but this is by no means a rip-off, these have excellent build quality and excellent sound.
Setting it up was very straight forward, was just a matter of unpacking, putting it together and plugging it into the PC. No stripping wires or binding posts, the connectors all simply snapped in. No transformer brick made plugging into my multiplug easy, I now this seems a small issue but those big transformer brick plugs really ANNOY me because they disrupt my plug layout. There's no doubt about it, there's no false advertising and PMPO values - it is a 232W unit so no worries with friends pumping it up at a party, it'll handle it with ease and keep going.
Gaming: Explosions, gun fire and footsteps all sounded nothing short of amazing. There was no lack of bass, mid-range or treble to make the sounds sound washed out or lacking. I could hear my enemies coming and I could feel the explosions.
Music: When it comes to music, I listen to rock and a little bit of metal. The mid-range and highs were great (remembered silk tweeters mean smoother, warmer and more natural highs). In my opinion the bass is washed out - but that's only noticeable when listening to Drum and Bass and other very Bass-ey music which I don't.
Aesthetics and Construction: These feel very solid, I personally think you could drop them and they wouldn't break - nothing feels flimsy. The control unit is really a great item, personally I think DSPs and EQs tend to be more of a gimmick HOWEVER I found the Dynamic Pop and Late Night programs to be an excellent addition. Late Night not only turned off the sub (yes, you can turn the sub off separately) but also redirects the bass to the satellites so you don't "lose" anything, while leaving your parents/girlfriends/wife/children undisturbed even with the volume slightly higher - this of course impacts the bass but the redirection nullifies some of the penalty, so if you don't feel like wearing headphones then it is a great option. The Dynamic Pop is an option that I can't figure out why is not ALWAYS enabled, it just offers great bass, loudness, voice and treble experience. The added auxiliary input and headphone output on the control unit was also a great choice.
But it's not 5.1: I've always actually been anti-5.1, I found them to be a little gimmicky and in my honest opinion, gaming-wise or movie-wise a simple application of Virtual Surround easily makes up for. I also don't have a place to place the rear speakers, nor want to trip over the wires. So if you want a no-frills, no trying to find space behind you for speakers and no wires on your floor then these are for you. And Virtual Surround makes up for any so-called advantage that 5.1s have.
So overall I think if you listen to Rock, Jazz, Metal etc. and game frequently as well then this is for you. Just the size is a problem for some - and the price may also be a little hefty for some but this is by no means a rip-off, these have excellent build quality and excellent sound.
