Speakers Reviews

OK heres the deal, I own both the GMX and the THX speakers. If you want to buy these speakers for music purpuses and I mean loud music with alot of Bass, dont get these speakers get the THX by Klipsch they are the same price and are defiently better at piccking up lows and have a good abss response. I have tested both and the THX just outperforms the GMX with less distortions. Now if you want a good 2.1 Speaker set for connecting to s dvd player or video game console buy these speakers! They work well, This is the main reason I bought these speakers because the THX dont hook up to video game consoles, so my opion is if you want speakers for the strict use of listening to music defiently buy the THX they are so much better for heavy bass and are the same price.

Let's start with the flaws. Firstly, as one reviewer stated before there is a slight hiss which comes from the speakers, possibly this has to do with individual electrical outlets, power strips, or interference. Nevertheless it is quite minor in my opinion. Secondly, at VERY low volumes one speaker is louder than the other. Again, to many this may not be even noticeable, and at normal listening levels, the problem appears not to be present.
OKAY, now for the positives, which I must stress strongly outweigh the negatives. The sound of the system is startling, honestly I was shocked when hearing it for the first time, considering the price especially. What has to be considered is that there may be some minor flaws in system which has this type of power and sound quality at this price point, but I repeat that the positives strongly outweigh the negatives. Lastly, the system build is very nice, heavy nice material, can be installed in a matter of minutes. I highly recommend this product, I am not sure what else you can get out there given the price/performance ratio.

There's no hiss, only bliss. Before buying these speakers I visited the Apple store, where they had several systems on display and connected. Some were more money, some were less.

After comparing all the models, including JBL, these simply sounded better than the rest, hands down. My only negative comment would be their cosmetic appearance. Simply put, they're ugly, with an "industrial" look to the satellites. The sub is just a black box that can be hidden, so it's of no concern.

Take it from me, I've been in the media production industry for over 20 years, and I would highly recommend these speakers. I have owned Bose, Yamaha, and other well-known brands. Look no further, for the price (now reduced from the original $150) these are IT.

These speakers are quite nice. The have good sound and I doubt that you could find any thing better even at twice the price. I would not ever compare these to a set of Bose outdoor speakers, but then they are a fraction of the cost. They have a nice full range at moderate levels, but if you start to push them too hard the bass begins to break up. Not unexpected for a 4" speaker.

I have them mounted under the eves out on my back patio and they offer a great sound for background music. They make our backyard more enjoyable and fit our bill perfectly. I would recommend these speakers if you are looking for a nice pair of outdoor speakers at a reasonable price and you do not want to recreate a high end system outside.

One item of note is that they recommend that you mount these in a location where they are not subject to direct exposure to the elements. I'm not sure what that implies here, but to acomodate their recomendation, I moved the location slightly to keep them out of a direct hit from the rain.

I got a pair open box at Sears for $28 and some change. These are on my patio and being driven by a Harman Kardon AVR325 receiver. The sound is hollow but pleasing. Nowhere near the sound quality of the Polk speakers in my home theater but those were about $100 a piece.

These will not make good mains nor will they make good surround speakers for any type of home theater system. They work great as a sound solution for a deck, patio, garage or other common area.

I was looking for a pair of speakers to mount on the eave above my deck. Based on the reviews and the unbelievable price ...with free shipping I gave these a shot. I was not looking to shake the earth, just to enjoy moderately loud music on my deck and in my backyard. I'll agree that the brackets are a bit on the flimsy side, but as soon as I hooked everything up I was flat out astounded at the rich sound quality .... Sound quality is comparable to our ... Cambridge Soundworks ensemble speakers in the living room. I am especially thrilled about the lack of directionality (imaging?) as I was worried that I would have to mess with the balance a lot to get good stereo sound depending on where I was standing relative to the speakers but it is not a problem at all. I'd buy them again in a second!

This is a very good low-budget speaker system, but there are a few drawbacks associated with the product. For the vast majority of users, PC games and audio CDs sound very good, and the four speakers do of course allow for stereo effects. The subwoofer is small enough to fit under your desk, the two front speakers are small enough to fit comfortably alongside your monitor, and the system is easy to hook up.

I used these speakers for three years, and very early on I began having plug connectivity problems. If I plugged all of my plugs in tightly, I would at best get sound from two speakers. I had to play around with the plugs and find a magic spot, loose enough for each plug to stay put without falling out, in order to get all four speakers working at once. Any time I bumped the subwoofer, I usually had to go through the process again. Also on the negative side, you have a lot of wires. I seemed to always be tripping over the lines going to my rear speakers or just plain knocking the speakers over onto the floor (without any negative consequences, however).

The main drawback about this speaker system, though, is its lack of abundant insulation on the wires-that is necessarily one of the sacrifices that accounts for the affordable price. I often used to pick up CB radio chatter from truckers passing by my apartment, and sometimes it could be quite loud; if you're not expecting it, it can really make you jump. I basically turned these speakers off whenever I was not using them to avoid the external chatter. If you live in an area where truckers pass by in large numbers, you may want to consider paying a little more to get a better insulated system.

Despite the problems I have mentioned, I do like these speakers a great deal; for the PC user on a budget, these are more than worthy of your consideration. You would be hard pressed to find another system offering such a quality stereo sound for a lower price.

Sure, you could go out and spend the extra $150 on the DTT2500 5.1 Digital Speakers, but why bother? This FPS1000 will do the job for any gamer out there who wants to take advantage of his or her soundcard's 4-speaker hookup capabilities. Everything, from installation to documentation, is perfect with this speaker system. Creative provides an affordable solution to those gamers who want surround-sound mayhem without draining their bank account. I've listened to MP3s, CDs, and games with EAX, and all of it just blew me away. Granted, a digital system is the "best," but if you're a gamer who wants an EXCELLENT, easy setup, then look no further. The sounds will amaze you, and the price is the best in the game--hands down. You will not be disappointed.

These speakers are the best you can get for the money. The CSW 5.1 channel digital are better, but unless you have a DVD player and really want great digital audio, go with these. Ive tried Boston Acoustic Digital speakers and some other high priced name brand speakers and they can't even compare. Get the Creative Labs Live (Live Value, Live MP3+, or Live X-Gamer-then do yourself a favor and download LiveWare 3.0 from Creative Labs) sound card to really make 'em rock. This makes the fourth set of speakers I've had for my computer and I will not be giving these up. The only thing I didn't like is there is not a jack for headphones.(But who the heck wants headphones when you got all that power just waiting to be released).

After about a year of owning these, they broke. The earphones fell off the headband, and were dangling there by a tiny cord. Originally I gave these a rating of a 5, but I feel that it is necessary to change that rating to a 3 now that they have broken. I have purchased a new pair of headphones from JVC which look sturdier, but don't have quite as strong of bass. Again, these have incredible sound, but you do have to be very careful with them. I didn't do anything really rough or unusual with them, they just fell apart.

these headphones are very nice with good sound and bass. its also extremely comfortable you can wear this for hours. worth every penny

Great product. I ordered it on Febuary 6th and got it the 12th. But beyond from fast free shipping the actual product is amazing. I'm hearing things in my CD that I haven't heard before. The trebble is increadibly strong. But the base is great I have a CD that goes into a really deep base and usually my speakers start to break up, and Ive blown 3 speakers listening to it. But with this pair of headphones it never breaks up even with the base boost in my machine. absolutly increadible.

First, let me say that these are FAR from the best speaker on the market. However, I bought these when I was 15, working a minimum wage job. Value was very important to me. I now have a much higher quality digital surround sound system, and I sold these to my dad to put with the TV in the basement. For $100 a pair, you CANNOT go wrong with these. The only thing bad about them is the lack of low-end. Don't get me wrong, with a little power they'll still pound, but the low extension is a little disappointing for a 12-inch woofer. For music these are EXCELLENT speakers. The clarity of the midrange rivals that of many high-end speakers, and the highs are very crisp, with a broad soundstage. The uppper and mid-bass is extremely tight and accurate. If you're on a budget, I would definately recommend these speakers.

I held off buying these speakers because of some of the nasty reviews. Well the reviewer that said they were a piece of junk is wrong. I have an enormous loft studio and I needed a pair of speakers with enough quality and range to allow me entire days of listening to complex and beautiful music. I bought these and am grateful. Not only are they a physical presence, they are gentle giants. The bass is clear the highs sweet and they love classical music as much as I do. I can enjoy my music for hours on end without the headache even more expensive speakers give me , but then I don't need to wake the dead or impress audiophiles. If you want an great pair of speakers for the sane but low price of this pair. go for it I'm sorry I waited so long Happy 50 year old music lover

These speakers rocks! Price is very reasonable, you can afford it and instead of tiny speakers with woofer, I like these FLOOR STANDING SPEAKERS BETTER, CAUSE I like to feel the vibe!

These sound like high quality bookshelf speakers. That is their downside. They don't reproduce string acoustic music well. You can't hear the vibrations of the wood accurately, if at all. You can't tell if you are listening to a violin worth millions or an electric toy in the hands of your novices on the popular music radio stations.

They do have have great range on the low-end. A low note on a cello will cause involuntary tears. They do lack on the high-end. You can forget having involuntary tears from the high note of a mandolin.

If you want low-range, distortion-free, and booming sound for movies, gaming, and electric music, as well as your wind instruments if you don't care about the details of the material of the wind instrument, these are the speakers to own. They are incredible for that. They are designed for electric noises and explosions. You can't beat the sound or price. I will continue to use these for that purpose while I'll keep the acoustic music in the car's system.

As far as the buzz. Yes, it does exist. Play with your computer and speaker volumes to reduce this buzz, as well as enable noise reduction filters. All speakers have this. It is more pronounced in these speakers, probably because of the bookshelf design.

As far as styling, I bought these speakers for the 70s retro styling. Altec Lansing offers comparable speakers in 40s/50s/60s retro styling and modern styles. Logitech and Creative have no sense of style. If you own a Lazy Boy and $2 Starry Night print in a $2 frame, you probably don't understand that Logitech and Creative have no style.

I do wish I gave up the low-end of the cello for the reproduction quality of acoustic string instruments by going with the 5100s from Altec Lansing. The have a SouthWestern style that would blend well with the rustic woods and leathers, mahogany, and black leather.

The Altec 251s are a very good deal for the money. The satellites sound acceptable for games, and the sub-woofer is surprisingly good sounding. I was expecting thump thump boom boom, and I am surprised to hear some well controlled bass (in a small room). Corner placement of the sub definitely helps. The built-in headphone jack works okay though it is not a high fidelity amp and you can hear some noise and distoration at louder volumes. Now the but... I have a pair of older Altec Lansing studio monitors here (10" woofers, and silk dome tweeters) and a pair of large cabinet Electro Voices for the rear. Couple that with a 100 watt per channel receiver and you realize that there is just no way that little plastic box speakers can put out the power, or pure smooth sound of full range speakers. Mind you the 251's don't sound bad or anything, but they sound like little speakers. No fault to them, they are. Fortunately in a small room, playing 3-D games, they are adequate, if not down right awesome sounding at times. As some have noted the rear speaker cords are on the short side. Plan accordingly. At higher volume levels the system distorts, but in a small room (12x10 or so) they play loud enough that you should be satisfied. The mid-bass is more or less missing, and the mid-range is weak at times, but I suspect this is true of most inexpensive computer speakers. What these do have going for them is a a good balance of features, sound, 5.1 convience, and a great price for what you get.

I just got these speakers today after only waiting a DAY! Now thats what i call speed. Okay to the speakers, they have to be the best speakers ive ever owned. If your a gamer or watch movies on your computer these are a must have! And you cant beat the price, 70 bucks!
If you where pondering wether to get this or not you defenitly should. Best speakers u can get, that are under $100.

UPSIDES:
The Logitech z540 has a sturdy subwoofer and produces wonderful bass. I'm not really an audiophile but I know sufficient bass when I hear it. The z540 should have enough for you, whether you're watching Lord of the Rings (quite impressive on that opening battle scene when Sauron explodes) or listening to Nelly. Rap, R&B, and Techno sounds quite good with the bass. If you will be primarily playing games with this system, then you should buy it. The 20W acts as though it is 50. I don't know if it goes down to 35 Khz like they claim, but its close. What's also great about the subwoofer is that the power supply is built into the cabinet, so there is no need to hog three inputs on a power strip.

The speakers are also fairly attractive and compliment any system well, especially if you have a two-tone black and silver monitor (many Compaqs' do).

The length of the cords is adequate, with 15 feet for the back speakers. That was a nice idea.

DOWNSIDES:
The following reason is why I am taking the speakers back. Quite simply, the satellites sound like tin cans at about 50% volume and above. I tried adjusting them via my onboard sound, in Windows Media Player, and in games, but to no avail. It does not help that Logitech neglected to put treble and bass dials on the control satellite. Treble is terrible and distorts easily, and the midrange tries to make up for the lack, but can't. If you like treble and listen to Classical, Country, Soft Rock, Celtic (my favorite), then I would not recommend buying these.

Other complaints: The blue LED is blinding - it's beyond me why they made it so bright. Also, the cord that goes from the control sattelite to the subwoofer is really thick and difficult to hide. That's just aesthetics, though.

In all, buy the z540 if you like modern music with thumping beats and will use the unit primarily for games. Don't buy it if you like treble, which includes a gamut of music, or if you plan to watch DVDs with classical score in it. Choose wisely!

I bought these for about $.. a few months ago. I'm quite happy with them. it's an even better bargain. The sound is pretty good, and There are a few negatives that people should know about, though:
1) Unless you have an audio source with both front and rear outputs, you won't get true surround sound. The "M3D" just ghosts the sound a bit on the rear speakers. If you put the rears right next to fronts, they'll sound fine. But if you're expecting a good surround sound package, get something else (and pay a lot more for it).
2) The midrange isn't quite as good as I would like; it can sometimes sound hollow
3) The sub volume control (separate from the main volume control, which is on the front right speaker) is on the rear of the enclosure. I like to adjust the sub volume regularly and it's a pain to have to reach around the enclosure to do so.

True, this system doesn't look nearly as cool as the JBL Creatures, the HK Soundsticks, or those Monsoon flat panel speakers, but they cost a whole lot less and I think they sound far better. If you want something real nice, go for the Logitech z-680s (which has real surround decoders like Dolby Pro Logic II, Dolby Digital, and DTS) or the Klipisch ProMedia 5.1. But those cost at least $.... But if you want a solid system but can't afford one of those high end systems, you can't do better than these.

I bought these refurbished off of amazon, and was skeptical at first. But when I listened to them I was amazed at what I heard! I'm into a big booming bass sound, and the sub did a great job. The speakers also sound good, its cool how they are padded with rubber on the bottom, so they wont slide around on your desk. These were a great buy and the quality is awesome! Definetly buy them, you can't beat the price!

The RD2200 is solidly built and a good TV monitor. It has a built in TV tuner and input for all video formats including European formats (PAL and SECAM). The speakers are very good quality though enclosed in cheap plastic. The picture quality is similar to more expensive LCD TVs. The remote is quite useful and has a button to expand the picture to fill the screen. On the negative side, it is not a good PC monitor. Even with DVI connection, VGA is the only acceptable resolution. Also the PIP and POP features will not accept PC input. Because of the 16:9 format, the screen height is only equivalent to a 17" monitor. Overall, a very good TV monitor, perfect for 16:9 DVD movies, and well worth the great price Amazon offers.

I received today (12/8/03) the rebate check from Nextvision less than a month from submitting the form. This is a record time for any mail-in-rebate. Thanks!

I bought this TV about a month ago after contemplating Sharp, Samsung, Philips et al. In my opinion Philips and Samsung make best LCD TVs - I've heard some negative comments about samsungs breaking down though. What I like about this TV is that it gives you the best price/performance ratio. It does'nt perform as well as picture tube based TVs but if you compare it strictly to LCD TVs only, it stacks up well with other competitors. In the panorama mode the images are noticeably distorted on the sides. In all modes the picture is grainier and not as bright as a picture tube. It does a significantly better job with DVD and HD signals. The picture quality is very comparable to Sharp Acquous TVs. It has an NTSC tuner, PIP/POP and pretty much every adjustment that you would ever want. Remote is huge and very busy - too many buttons. It's heavier than most other TVs of comparable size. I removed the stand before mounting it on the wall and it weighed about 26 lbs withoug stand. Most wall mounts can only take up to 30 lbs weight so you're on borderline there. The speakers are better than most other brands offer. I found Sanus wall mounts (beachaudio.com) to be good with this TV. This TV is not wall mount friendly at all. There is no way to mount the speakers. After much thinking I decided to detach the speaker stands and stick the speakers to the TVs using an industrial strength velcro. I like the results - now the speakers look like they're built into the TV itself - kind of like the Sharp Acquous with side speakers.

I have this panel. I bought it because I wanted a TV in the bedroom and had limited space and money. I really wanted HDTV but from 6 feet away only videophiles could obviously tell the difference between EDTV and HDTV. SO I took the plunge and bought this. The rebate came quickly and yes there is NO technical support here. You are on your own. Also the warranty is serviced by AMAZON. The CR was shocked when I told her she was the one to help me. She laughed..but on with the story. I have this paired with a Samsung HDTV Directv receiver. I have my Directv TIVO and DVD player plugged into the SAMMY and then they all get connected to the LCD using DVI. The HDTV picture is fantastic and the TIVO is superior to the SVIDEO connection I used to use. The DVD is crisp and clear using 480P. The bottom line is that if you pair this with a a good video receiver you will be happy with this low cost LCD panel. And yes..don't even think of trying this as a computer monitor...It is awful!

...and I hope they do for EVERYONE that rated it 5 stars. Yes at first I was amazed(look at my other 2 reviews). But after a while I have decided the Companion 3 is SUPER overpriced. This thing isnt worth as low as $70 like some have said! No way! But it should be priced like at $125, $150 tops. First reason for this is that it just doen't go loud enough compared to other speakers that cost a lot less. Yes the volume is loud and it hurts your ears, but if speakers that are $100 less can go almost twice as loud then it is super overpriced indeed. Second complaint is the bass.. one thing I love is that even at the minimum volume you hear the bass booming, but the problem comes when you wanna go loud.. the bass just seems to go away completely at the maximum volume. This happened on my computer only though. I have a 5.1 RealTek sound card ith GREAT sound quality but the problem is I dont have a bass control so I cant control the bass on the comp.. I have the equalizer but it gets weird when I raise the bar onthe left even though bass increases. Anyway when I connected it to my RCA surround sound system the bass was impressively strong.. almost as strong as the RCA's 150 watt subwoofer, but then it had another problem.. if you turn up the companion to the max. and you tuen up the rCA over 35, the companion seems to "blow up" when there are explosions or loud sounds. I guess this is some protection system but it really bothers me.. this doest happen to my Bose Mediamates or with my Klipsch.. even less with my Bose Freestyle. The other complaint could be about surround.. they have great left to right and strong centering of voices, but they have almost no rear effects. The companion sucks for movies, it just doesnt have enough bass. My Klipsch own it in bass. Now the companion kills the klipsch in music.. the sound quality is just a lot better, it is more spacious and clear too. The only problem again is the Klipsch go a lot louder. Many times youd want to turn the volume up on the companion even more and you will see theres no more to turn up. The last words: the companion 3 is the BEST looking computer speaker system ever made, and it has great sound quality, but it needs a lot more powerful bass, more surround, optical digital connection and more volume. My opinion: If you cant afford higher than $250 buy Bose Mediamates.. those speakers are the BEST 2.0 for movies and games! And they are good for music, they are only $100. Now if you can pay over $300, and you are lucky to have a Bose Factory Outlet Store close to you, go and buy a Bose Freestyle if theres any left! I put that thing on my computer it is like making the companion COMPLETELY PERFECT WITHOUT LIMITS! It has so much surround and bass! And the sound is so loud! It is a HOMETHEATER! Forget the Companion 3 and get a Freestyle! I can assure you not even a 7.2 computer setup can stand against the freestyle!(2 speakers with a bass module that make full surround sound.. something like the 321, but the 321 is even better, and lets not mention the 321GS which is PERFECTION!). I own many Bose products, and if theres one product from Bose that sucks, that is the Companion 3. Dont get it, let them see they got to put more efforts into it. I recommend for your computer:

1) Bose Mediamates: The best 2.0 setup, super spaciousound for movies and games.. they WILL amaze you! They have a lot of bass too. they are very nice for music too, but the companion is better for music.
2) Bose Triport/QuietComforts: You can use these headphones as your computer's speakers. the Triports are great but the QuietComforts go even further! They sound like a huge hometheater suround system! they have very nice deep bass and surround sound.. these could be your computer's speakers. Trust me, better than them is nothing and I have compared LOTS of headphones.
3) Bose FreeStyle-This is a SERIOUS system! Mix the Companion 3 with the Mediamates and the Quietcomfort and you get this! This system has great bass and you feel surroundsound out of just 2 speakers!! This is the best you can get under $500 theonly problem is its hard to find because it was discontinued.

I purchased these speakers from a BOSE dealer about a month ago and they still sound great! I can't believe the quality of sound that comes out of these puppies for such a small size. They are perfect for watching DVD's and playing MP3's.

However, I have a couple of complaints. My personal listening preference is to listen at a lower than average volume than most people. In order to get the full quality of sound, you must crank it up to a much higher than normal listening volume. The other complaint is that the touch sensitive mute on top of the "hockey puck" control is a bit too sensitive for me. I like to adjust the volume with my whole hand above the "puck" and twist. Sometimes the mute is activated without even touching it, but having fingers very very close to it.

If you play counter-strike, you will notice that the footsteps are much more faint than regular speakers. Gunfire is extremely loud, but it is much harder to hear footsteps. Ive gotten killed many more times because of it :P

With the sound, bass, and clarity these are well worth the price. Every component is made with great quality right down to the littlest of details. I'm very impressed. I'm a firm believe you get what you pay for. I feel every penny was spent well!!!

I've only looked at a few of the other similar systems at the stores and have found that these speakers sound almost as good as the "Altec" speakers but at a fraction of the cost. I highly recommend these if price is an issue. You probably will never find another set of speakers that sound this good in this price range.

The speakers that came with my HP Pavillion were pathetically poor--the sound was distorted, volume was limited, and they were filled with garbage noise. After three calls to tech help, I decided to try these Micro Innovations speakers (the return policy makes the effort foolproof.) I'm very pleased. The sound is clear and crisp (you have to adjust the controls on the speakers AND on the pc); it fills the room; there's no distortion. Of course you could buy a better system for more $, but these are truly a deal.

For the price, these speakers are great! I have them for my notebook computer at school, and they are perfect for my dorm. For the price, these speakers are excellent!