EV SonicXS 2.1 Speakers
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- Max. Power Output: 15 Watt (RMS)
- Number of Speakers: 2 Speakers + Subwoofer
- Connection Type: Cable
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EV SonicXS 4.1 Computer Speakers
Pros
Very loud and clean hi's, mids, and lows
Cons
Cables are very short and bass/treble controls are badly designed.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
I went out looking for the best computer speakers on the market...I believe these are them. Even better than the Klipsch...regardless of what others might say.
I bought these at CompUSA, which is the only place that I know of, that currently sells them. After listening to all of the top of the line speakers at Best Buy, Circuit City, Frys and CompUSA I determined that these were the best on the market.
Sound Quality
The best thing about these, is that unlike many other computer speakers, they can produce incredible mids. Of course, the highs and lows are extremely crisp and clear as well. I put in the 1st disc of Band of Brothers and was very satisfied with the detail and loudness these speakers put out. The subwoofer is way more powerful then I need, which is the way I like it. For music I usually keep the level on the subwoofer almost on zero. Actually, on Band of Brothers I turned it a little over a quarter or so...and that was more than enough to clearly echo the bombs and artillery in the movie. The great thing about these speakers, is that like the satellite bose home theatre system, when you turn the volume pretty low, the detail of the sound is still there...this is probably the way it works for all computer speakers, since they're "powered speakers".
They can probably produce sound louder than every other computer speaker on the market, but if you turn the volume up 3/4 of the way (which is almost full blast), then you will hear slight distortion. I'd be very confident in saying that this will probably be the case for every computer speaker on the market (even the Klipsch).
So, to sum up, I'd give sound quality a 5/5.
Connections
This is where I was disappointed. Although, they seem to come with standard connections, the speaker wires are extremely short and unfortunately built into the speakers. So, for the most part, until I'm able to strategically mount them on my apartment walls, the rear speakers are sitting in front of me on my computer desk. The speaker wire just isn't anywhere near long enough to allow me to put them behind me on anything. When I watch Band of Brothers, I set the rear speakers on chairs...but they are still VERY close to me...and no one else in the room is probably getting the surround sound effect. I wish they wouldn't had built-in the speaker wire to every speaker. I would have gladly purchased monster cable or whatever to hook these up.
Also, the subwoofer doesn't plug into the soundcard subwoofer out...it plugs into the right front speaker. This is kind of wierd and definitely limits where I can place the right front speaker. As far as sound quality of the subwoofer...maybe it works better or maybe it works worse then plugging it in to the soundcard, but personally, I would have felt more comfortable if it plugged in to the soundcard.
So, to sum up, I'd give connections a 2/5.
Build
These are probably one of the best built computer speaker on the market, if not the best. If you're reading this, then you've probably already seen them in the store. So, there's no need to tell you they are the largest speakers on the market. The satellites have plastic grills, but seem very durable. The subwoofer has a metal grill and is probably bigger and more powerful than most subs for home theatre systems.
The only problem I have with these as far as the build is concerned is that the bass and treble are the same knob. What if you wanna turn them both up? Can't happen. Seems like a horrible mistake. Maybe this is the way all systems function...you can only have one or the other. I'm not an electrical engineer, so I don't know.
So, to sum up, I'd give build a 5/5.
Conclusion
Even though, I'm very disappointed in the connections, if I could take them back and get my money back...I'd probably end up buying them again. Personally, I think they're better than the Klipsch 5.1 $399 speakers. This is hard to explain, but they have a bigger sound than the Klipsch. And are not only louder, but also more crisp.
So, total rating is 4/5.
Sound Quality
The best thing about these, is that unlike many other computer speakers, they can produce incredible mids. Of course, the highs and lows are extremely crisp and clear as well. I put in the 1st disc of Band of Brothers and was very satisfied with the detail and loudness these speakers put out. The subwoofer is way more powerful then I need, which is the way I like it. For music I usually keep the level on the subwoofer almost on zero. Actually, on Band of Brothers I turned it a little over a quarter or so...and that was more than enough to clearly echo the bombs and artillery in the movie. The great thing about these speakers, is that like the satellite bose home theatre system, when you turn the volume pretty low, the detail of the sound is still there...this is probably the way it works for all computer speakers, since they're "powered speakers".
They can probably produce sound louder than every other computer speaker on the market, but if you turn the volume up 3/4 of the way (which is almost full blast), then you will hear slight distortion. I'd be very confident in saying that this will probably be the case for every computer speaker on the market (even the Klipsch).
So, to sum up, I'd give sound quality a 5/5.
Connections
This is where I was disappointed. Although, they seem to come with standard connections, the speaker wires are extremely short and unfortunately built into the speakers. So, for the most part, until I'm able to strategically mount them on my apartment walls, the rear speakers are sitting in front of me on my computer desk. The speaker wire just isn't anywhere near long enough to allow me to put them behind me on anything. When I watch Band of Brothers, I set the rear speakers on chairs...but they are still VERY close to me...and no one else in the room is probably getting the surround sound effect. I wish they wouldn't had built-in the speaker wire to every speaker. I would have gladly purchased monster cable or whatever to hook these up.
Also, the subwoofer doesn't plug into the soundcard subwoofer out...it plugs into the right front speaker. This is kind of wierd and definitely limits where I can place the right front speaker. As far as sound quality of the subwoofer...maybe it works better or maybe it works worse then plugging it in to the soundcard, but personally, I would have felt more comfortable if it plugged in to the soundcard.
So, to sum up, I'd give connections a 2/5.
Build
These are probably one of the best built computer speaker on the market, if not the best. If you're reading this, then you've probably already seen them in the store. So, there's no need to tell you they are the largest speakers on the market. The satellites have plastic grills, but seem very durable. The subwoofer has a metal grill and is probably bigger and more powerful than most subs for home theatre systems.
The only problem I have with these as far as the build is concerned is that the bass and treble are the same knob. What if you wanna turn them both up? Can't happen. Seems like a horrible mistake. Maybe this is the way all systems function...you can only have one or the other. I'm not an electrical engineer, so I don't know.
So, to sum up, I'd give build a 5/5.
Conclusion
Even though, I'm very disappointed in the connections, if I could take them back and get my money back...I'd probably end up buying them again. Personally, I think they're better than the Klipsch 5.1 $399 speakers. This is hard to explain, but they have a bigger sound than the Klipsch. And are not only louder, but also more crisp.
So, total rating is 4/5.
