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 ... Truly "Hardcore Multimedia"!
Pros
Great highs and bass; amazing mids; Very clean and accurate overall sound. HEAVY construction.
Cons
Cables are short; Low quality wire; RCA cables hard-wired to speakers.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Simply amazing! Heavy construction and excellent sound rendering. You simply can't go wrong with this set.
Being that I had owned my previous computer for a couple of years, I decided that it was finally time to build a new system. Being a computer engineer by education and experience, I'm very particular with the systems and equipment that I buy. When it comes to speakers, I'm no different. So, when I went out looking for speakers, I was looking for excellent sound. I found it.
When I started looking for speakers, I visited all of the local stores that I knew would carry them. These included 5 O'clock computers (a local, but excellent computer equipment vendor! http://www.5oclock.com ), BestBuy, Circuit City and Micro Center. They had some excellent speaker sets, such as Creative Inspire 5.1 5700, Creative MegaWorks 5.1, Klipsch ProMedia, and Logitech Z-560 -- all of which were excellent speakers. Between those, I had narrowed my choices down to either the Klipsch ProMedia's or the Logitech Z-560's. Then, I went to a CompUSA in Cincinnati, where I found the EV SonicXS 4.1 set. Sure, they aren't particularly pretty like the other "multimedia" speaker systems you come across... instead they have a "professional audio" speaker look to them -- like other EV speakers... however, they make up for that downfall through their performance (with accurate rendering throughout the range of frequencies), heavy-duty construction. On the downside, I'm sure my neighbors hate me. ;-)
TECHNICAL DATA -- This is a 4.1 system (a sub, and four satellites). The sub has a 6" long throw subwoofer driver. It is 125 watts with 1% THD @ 50Hz (60 watt RMS). The satellites each have 1" horn tweeters and 4" woofers. They are 60 watt per channel with 1% THD @ 1KHz (30 watt RMS).
WHERE TO PURCHASE -- As I mentioned above, I found these speakers at a CompUSA in Cincinnati, Ohio. My local CompUSA did not carry them (or their 2.1 system sister). And the set that I bought at that particular store was the only set that they had. You might find them available on the web (though I couldn't). If not, check with your local CompUSA (maybe they can order them), or possible at their website at http://www.compusa.com . The speakers retailed at $299. And while, this may be more expensive than most of the other sets available on the market, in comparison to their construction and performance, I think it's an excellent deal.
WHAT YOU GET -- First, you get a HUGE box, that's particularly heavy. ;-) When you take everything out of the box, you find yourself with four (4) satellite speakers, a sub, a couple of cables, and a very short, terse user manual.
Quality -- For $300 speakers, you expect at least some quality in construction. But I assure you that EV has gone far beyond the call of duty when they were designing the SonicXS speaker line. These things are very heavy compared to other speakers that I've seen and used... very similar to the construction of EV's regular professional audio products. Everything has a very substantial feel to it, both satellites and sub. While I obviously wouldn't recommend doing so, these speakers most likely could endure the majority of office accidents that they may encounter.
Looks -- If you're looking for trendy appearance, then SonicXS is not the way to go. These things are BIG, look powerful (ie "impressive"), but are far from being "pretty". With these speakers, you're getting, as their slogan says, "Hardcore Multimedia". I can assure you, however, that their lack in appearance is made up for in all other areas.
Satellites -- Compared to other multimedia speakers, the satellite speakers are HUGE. They measure 9.5" high, 6.75" wide, 4.75" deep (and they have NO speaker stands!). I know of no other multimedia speaker that could compete with their size. These utilize both a 1" tweeter and a 4" woofer, which helps to produce mids and highs better than many other speakers on the market.
The satellite speakers are all fairly identical, except for the right front speaker which has the addition of the controls for the system. The only controls on this set are a power / volume knob, a fade knob (front / rear), and a tone knob (bass / treble). These controls are a bit odd compared with those on many other speakers. On many, other speakers you have a power button, and then a separate volume control. Also, instead of a tone knob, most have separate controls for bass and treble (though the sub does have it's own volume control... see below). These aren't really problems, however, it would be nice if it had a separate power button (so that you could set the volume and not have to change it)... but alas, it's not too much of an inconvenience. The front right satellite, you have a 3.5cm plug for another input, as well as a microphone jack, and a plug for a 9-pin mini din which connected the controls from the speakers with the subwoofer.
Also, the satellites have RCA cables already attached to them. Note that this is one issue about these speakers that I disliked. The cables are directly wired to the speakers, therefore you have to live with them. It would have been nice to be able to simply have an RCA jack on the rear of the speakers which would allow for them to be easily changed (and add better quality cables). Also, my second complaint was the fact that the wires are fairly short. This is fine if your front satellites are close to the sub, and your rear satellites aren't too far behind you, however, in my setup, this wasn't the case. I ended up purchasing RCA cable extensions.
As for the 9-pin mini din control cable, it too is fairly short, therefore you may end up purchasing an extension for this as well. You might be able to find this oddball cable at a local computer store... they often sell them labeled as "bus mouse extension cables"... if you can't find them locally, try Dalco... http://www.dalco.com/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=5098
Again, these are not big deals, but nonetheless minor inconveniences (though not a reason to refrain from purchasing these speakers!).
Subwoofer -- This thing is HUGE. It's larger than any other multimedia speaker that I've come across, and the sound it produces is no less impressive. The sub has a 6" long throw subwoofer driver. On the rear, you'll find RCA jacks for input from your soundcard, RCA jacks for output to the four satellite speakers, the 9-pin mini din control connector (that connects with the front right speaker), and a sub volume control.
HOW DO THEY SOUND? -- Amazing! EV's goal was to not make speakers "sound good for computer speakers"... but instead to make speakers that "sound good". I've owned many sets of speakers, and listed to even more. And the quality of these speakers come closer to high-quality performance than do any other multimedia speakers that I've encountered. Sure, they're $300, however, you get what you pay for! These speakers have excellent rendering for both lows and highs, and amazing performance for mids compared with others systems that I've encountered.
Volume -- You want loud, you get loud! I don't have any way to directly compare these speakers with others that I've listened to, however, I find that these are at least as loud as other multimedia speakers I've encountered. And they remaining distortion free... which is important. It's pointless to have loud speakers if they sound bad.
Bass -- WOW! Even with my speakers turned down to a very low volume, and the sub volume at about 30% of its max, the sub vibrates my entire apartment. Sure, it can be turned down lower, but the point is that this thing is POWERFUL. And again, this is distortion free sound. I personally have the speaker in the center of a wall, about 12" away from it. I can't even begin to imagine what it would sound like if I were to move the sub to a corner in the room... I'm almost afraid to try. ;-) The sub makes this system excellent for game play and any kind of techno music, but also great for all kinds of music and movies.
CONCLUSION -- These speakers are amazing! If you're looking for a new system, definitely take a look at the SonicXS set. They are definitely worth the $299 that I paid for them. And if you're looking only for a 2.1 system, check out the SonicXS 2.1, which is identical except for the fact that they don't include the two rear speakers.
----------------------------------------
For additional information, you should visit the Telex / EV SonicXS webpage for the technical data related to these speakers:
http://www.sonicxs.com
You should also visit the review by Gaming Illustrated as a second review:
http://www.gamingillustrated.com/evsonicxs.php
Lastly, you should read the interview with the SonicXS Manager:
http://www.gamingillustrated.com/telexint.php
When I started looking for speakers, I visited all of the local stores that I knew would carry them. These included 5 O'clock computers (a local, but excellent computer equipment vendor! http://www.5oclock.com ), BestBuy, Circuit City and Micro Center. They had some excellent speaker sets, such as Creative Inspire 5.1 5700, Creative MegaWorks 5.1, Klipsch ProMedia, and Logitech Z-560 -- all of which were excellent speakers. Between those, I had narrowed my choices down to either the Klipsch ProMedia's or the Logitech Z-560's. Then, I went to a CompUSA in Cincinnati, where I found the EV SonicXS 4.1 set. Sure, they aren't particularly pretty like the other "multimedia" speaker systems you come across... instead they have a "professional audio" speaker look to them -- like other EV speakers... however, they make up for that downfall through their performance (with accurate rendering throughout the range of frequencies), heavy-duty construction. On the downside, I'm sure my neighbors hate me. ;-)
TECHNICAL DATA -- This is a 4.1 system (a sub, and four satellites). The sub has a 6" long throw subwoofer driver. It is 125 watts with 1% THD @ 50Hz (60 watt RMS). The satellites each have 1" horn tweeters and 4" woofers. They are 60 watt per channel with 1% THD @ 1KHz (30 watt RMS).
WHERE TO PURCHASE -- As I mentioned above, I found these speakers at a CompUSA in Cincinnati, Ohio. My local CompUSA did not carry them (or their 2.1 system sister). And the set that I bought at that particular store was the only set that they had. You might find them available on the web (though I couldn't). If not, check with your local CompUSA (maybe they can order them), or possible at their website at http://www.compusa.com . The speakers retailed at $299. And while, this may be more expensive than most of the other sets available on the market, in comparison to their construction and performance, I think it's an excellent deal.
WHAT YOU GET -- First, you get a HUGE box, that's particularly heavy. ;-) When you take everything out of the box, you find yourself with four (4) satellite speakers, a sub, a couple of cables, and a very short, terse user manual.
Quality -- For $300 speakers, you expect at least some quality in construction. But I assure you that EV has gone far beyond the call of duty when they were designing the SonicXS speaker line. These things are very heavy compared to other speakers that I've seen and used... very similar to the construction of EV's regular professional audio products. Everything has a very substantial feel to it, both satellites and sub. While I obviously wouldn't recommend doing so, these speakers most likely could endure the majority of office accidents that they may encounter.
Looks -- If you're looking for trendy appearance, then SonicXS is not the way to go. These things are BIG, look powerful (ie "impressive"), but are far from being "pretty". With these speakers, you're getting, as their slogan says, "Hardcore Multimedia". I can assure you, however, that their lack in appearance is made up for in all other areas.
Satellites -- Compared to other multimedia speakers, the satellite speakers are HUGE. They measure 9.5" high, 6.75" wide, 4.75" deep (and they have NO speaker stands!). I know of no other multimedia speaker that could compete with their size. These utilize both a 1" tweeter and a 4" woofer, which helps to produce mids and highs better than many other speakers on the market.
The satellite speakers are all fairly identical, except for the right front speaker which has the addition of the controls for the system. The only controls on this set are a power / volume knob, a fade knob (front / rear), and a tone knob (bass / treble). These controls are a bit odd compared with those on many other speakers. On many, other speakers you have a power button, and then a separate volume control. Also, instead of a tone knob, most have separate controls for bass and treble (though the sub does have it's own volume control... see below). These aren't really problems, however, it would be nice if it had a separate power button (so that you could set the volume and not have to change it)... but alas, it's not too much of an inconvenience. The front right satellite, you have a 3.5cm plug for another input, as well as a microphone jack, and a plug for a 9-pin mini din which connected the controls from the speakers with the subwoofer.
Also, the satellites have RCA cables already attached to them. Note that this is one issue about these speakers that I disliked. The cables are directly wired to the speakers, therefore you have to live with them. It would have been nice to be able to simply have an RCA jack on the rear of the speakers which would allow for them to be easily changed (and add better quality cables). Also, my second complaint was the fact that the wires are fairly short. This is fine if your front satellites are close to the sub, and your rear satellites aren't too far behind you, however, in my setup, this wasn't the case. I ended up purchasing RCA cable extensions.
As for the 9-pin mini din control cable, it too is fairly short, therefore you may end up purchasing an extension for this as well. You might be able to find this oddball cable at a local computer store... they often sell them labeled as "bus mouse extension cables"... if you can't find them locally, try Dalco... http://www.dalco.com/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=5098
Again, these are not big deals, but nonetheless minor inconveniences (though not a reason to refrain from purchasing these speakers!).
Subwoofer -- This thing is HUGE. It's larger than any other multimedia speaker that I've come across, and the sound it produces is no less impressive. The sub has a 6" long throw subwoofer driver. On the rear, you'll find RCA jacks for input from your soundcard, RCA jacks for output to the four satellite speakers, the 9-pin mini din control connector (that connects with the front right speaker), and a sub volume control.
HOW DO THEY SOUND? -- Amazing! EV's goal was to not make speakers "sound good for computer speakers"... but instead to make speakers that "sound good". I've owned many sets of speakers, and listed to even more. And the quality of these speakers come closer to high-quality performance than do any other multimedia speakers that I've encountered. Sure, they're $300, however, you get what you pay for! These speakers have excellent rendering for both lows and highs, and amazing performance for mids compared with others systems that I've encountered.
Volume -- You want loud, you get loud! I don't have any way to directly compare these speakers with others that I've listened to, however, I find that these are at least as loud as other multimedia speakers I've encountered. And they remaining distortion free... which is important. It's pointless to have loud speakers if they sound bad.
Bass -- WOW! Even with my speakers turned down to a very low volume, and the sub volume at about 30% of its max, the sub vibrates my entire apartment. Sure, it can be turned down lower, but the point is that this thing is POWERFUL. And again, this is distortion free sound. I personally have the speaker in the center of a wall, about 12" away from it. I can't even begin to imagine what it would sound like if I were to move the sub to a corner in the room... I'm almost afraid to try. ;-) The sub makes this system excellent for game play and any kind of techno music, but also great for all kinds of music and movies.
CONCLUSION -- These speakers are amazing! If you're looking for a new system, definitely take a look at the SonicXS set. They are definitely worth the $299 that I paid for them. And if you're looking only for a 2.1 system, check out the SonicXS 2.1, which is identical except for the fact that they don't include the two rear speakers.
----------------------------------------
For additional information, you should visit the Telex / EV SonicXS webpage for the technical data related to these speakers:
http://www.sonicxs.com
You should also visit the review by Gaming Illustrated as a second review:
http://www.gamingillustrated.com/evsonicxs.php
Lastly, you should read the interview with the SonicXS Manager:
http://www.gamingillustrated.com/telexint.php
