Speakers Reviews

I bought these speakers for my PC ... after reading up on them on KLH's and other tech websites. I bought a used set ... from an ... affiliate. Got the speakers, had to attach 5.1 phone connectors so that they would fit into my PC's 5.1 soundcard. The speakers sound great! The only problem is that my soundcard cannot push enough power to them! When turned all the way up, all I get is a "normal" listening level. ...sells these under computer speakers, but never buy these for anything other than home audio.

I didn't have alot of money to spend, but I needed home theater speakers. I was very surprised at the high quality of these speakers. I plan on buying another set in the near future for my second TV room. For the price, you can't beat them. I definitely recommend their purchase.

I'd never heard of KLH until I bought a pair of large bookshelf style speakers for general audio purposes. The speakers were KLH's and they blew me away. How could I get a pair of speakers that sound this good for under [$]? Which is why when I looked for a home theatre set I went straight for the KLH's. This set is extraordinary. I've had them for well over a year and every time we watch a DVD we're still enamored by the sound these things produce. A 6 piece home theatre set for under [$]sounds ridiculous. It's not, if you're buying KLH.

These speaker put out lots of sound for the size and price. The sub will thump hard for a 4" and the tweeters sound sweet. The only complaint is the midrange which is lacking. These speakers came with my gateway 5 years ago and they're still going. When I had them cranked last summer at 4 in the morning I got several noise complaints from the neighbors, and the cops said they could hear it for a block easy. If you're looking for decent sound out of a small package that will last a long time these are the speakers for you, although I can't find another set for the new computer that came with Harmon/Gordon's.

I originally purchased these speakers... about 1 year ago. They were on sale.... Being an avid Boston Acoustics fan, I was not disappointed with the sound of these little giants. The little subwoofer (with 4" driver) really pounds out some bass! This setup could easily out perform most home stereo systems. Hook up to anything with a 1/8" stereo line or headphone output (or other with adapter). Below I will list pros and cons:

PROS:

-Big sound from small speakers

-Very realistic sounds, from highest highs to rumbling bass

-Volume control on speaker (some MM systems have a wired remote)

-Easy connection with color-labeled wires

-At this price, A [good deal]!

CONS:

-Factory set length between L&R speakers

-Not "portable use" friendly (like some CSW models with battery)

-Large power supply "brick" which is external from speakers

HINT:

To get the best sound with the subwoofer, place on the floor, near a wall or the corner of the room. This will accentuate the output and leave you wondering how such a small speaker can deliver so much bass. Just don't expect TOO much from the subwoofer, a 4" driver can only do so much. If you still have those [inexpensive] speakers that came with your computer, do yourself a favor and upgrade to some REAL speakers. Trust me, one listen and you will become a Boston Acoustics fan for life!

Awesome sound these little babies shoot. No noticeable distortion when cranked at full volume, and the subwoofer is pretty powerful, specially at low and medium ranges. Great crystal-clear sound. These + a laptop/CD-MP3 player and a good CD/MP3 collection can be used as a great small-party sound system (i.e. hotel rooms or small activities where music is a must). Don't let the tiny size fool you, they sound even better than some bigger 4-speaker systems that I've seen.

With this product, Boston Acoustics delivers... again and as usual.

I just received my 3 Speaker System, and let me tell you, this is a great buy! I put my Subwoofer under my desk and it makes a 100% difference in the sound quality. My sound is now rich, and full. These speakers work great, and they are made tough. : ) I would highly recommend this product to anyone looking to spice up their sound for an affordable price. I give Cambridge a 5 star rating!

Want the best possible sound for your machine? Well these may not be the BEST but for the price they are. The speakers may look small but they pack a ton of sound, I don't even use my giant six speaker stereo component system anymore, these two little speakers and the minimal subwoofer have replaced it completely. The sound is PERFECT I wish I could elaborate more but I can't really describe how good the sound comes out. The subwoofer is superb, it's completely adjustable so no burping instead of thumping with certain kinds of music. The speakers are very compact and small, you can place them anywhere almost, the length of the cord is very long and offers great dynamic capabilities. The sound is great without the bulkiness of a big six or seven peice set with very short cords. I know all about that. All in all for the price you would be hard pressed to beat this great deal, especially if your not a millionaire but would still like a computer with great sound.

I love these speakers! I have had them on my computer for some time and could not be happier. The base can rattle my loft and the sound from the little side speakers is remarkable. They even make my lower-quality MP3s worth listening to.

No better speakers for the [money].

I bought Wharfedale 8.3 for $ 200 after reading all these reviews last year. I paired it with HK AVR 51 amp, and Marantz CD player. Just yesterday I finally go so pissed off with the wharfedale that I went and picked up infinity Studio Monitor SM 205's. They are an older model which they dont make any more but I got it unused from a store. And what a difference. the wharfedale could not handle bass, and music with fast heavy bass. The kevlar woofer in fact does not even recover from its instroke in time to start the next outstroke of bass. And mine is perfectly fine, no damages. Wharfedale is a sweet sounding speaker if you listen to only norah jones, and at low volumes.try switching it to a infinity sm 205 to really hear quality music, the frequency highs and lows, in pure, unrestrained way.no comparison, i really dont know why people are raving so much abt wharfedales. i will now have to donate my wharfedale to someone, since if i play it together with infinity, it is distorting the quality of infinity sound too. i myself believed that wharfedale was very good, till i noticed it was not taking bass at good volumes. try with Shaggy.now i really know the difference, and also the fact that it is not for someone for whom music matters a lot.

I agree with James Michalak's review and give these speakers 4 stars. I was looking at surround sound speaker sets: either cubes and a sub or "real" speakers. I purchased the Wharfedale Diamond 8.3 towers, the Wharfedale Diamond centre, the Wharfedale Diamond 8.1's for the rear, and a Paradigm subwoofer.

I wanted our speakers to do double duty: movies and CD's. The speakers perform admirably in both. For the price the sound is superb; the highs and mids are crystal clear and the bass is punchy and fast.

It is true that you won't get copious amounts of bass from the 6.5 inch woofers. However, what you will get is accurate sound reproduction. Our music tastes range from AD/DC to jazz and classical. We can "crank" the volume to an almost uncomfortable level on our AC/DC and have ample bass, as can we on our classical, jazz etc. The key is to not adjust the bass control on the receiver beyond the mid or neutral point. Beyond that there is too much bass anyway. In addition, speaker placement makes a difference too. We experimented for a few days before finding the best distance from the corners and furniture.

Where the bass is somewhat inadequate is in surround sound movies, but then that is what the subwoofer is for. In the first two Lord of the Rings DVD's there are parts with deep and prolonged bass. Again the speakers can do the job, but they really benefit from the subwoofer for the lowest, house shaking lows.

In the end, you can probably buy cheaper, higher bass producing speakers than the 8.3's. However, what you gain in bass you may likely lose in accurate and clear sound. These are excellent consumer level speakers with a very reasonable price (in fact, all 6 speakers cost less than some of those cubes/subwoofer sets). If you don't want to take up huge floorspace with giant towers, but still want a quality sounding speaker, these speakers should be on your potential purchase list. The longer we have them, the better they sound.

Actually, I just wanted to upgrade my Technics 770 mini-system to something more. And didn't wait anything great for such price... I bought pair of Wharfedale 8.3 for about $220. And was surprised on it's clear and strong sound (reciever Kenwood 8060). May be bass isn't enough for movies, but I think subwoofer can easily solve this problem. Movies are 5.1, aren't they :) I think it's really good choise for it's price segment.

P.S.: Sorry for terrible english, not my native language.

I bought Wharfedale 8.3 for $ 200 after reading all these reviews last year. I paired it with HK AVR 51 amp, and Marantz CD player. Just yesterday I finally go so pissed off with the wharfedale that I went and picked up infinity Studio Monitor SM 205's. They are an older model which they dont make any more but I got it unused from a store. And what a difference. the wharfedale could not handle bass, and music with fast heavy bass. The kevlar woofer in fact does not even recover from its instroke in time to start the next outstroke of bass. And mine is perfectly fine, no damages. Wharfedale is a sweet sounding speaker if you listen to only norah jones, and at low volumes.try switching it to a infinity sm 205 to really hear quality music, the frequency highs and lows, in pure, unrestrained way.no comparison, i really dont know why people are raving so much abt wharfedales. i will now have to donate my wharfedale to someone, since if i play it together with infinity, it is distorting the quality of infinity sound too. i myself believed that wharfedale was very good, till i noticed it was not taking bass at good volumes. try with Shaggy.now i really know the difference, and also the fact that it is not for someone for whom music matters a lot.

I agree with James Michalak's review and give these speakers 4 stars. I was looking at surround sound speaker sets: either cubes and a sub or "real" speakers. I purchased the Wharfedale Diamond 8.3 towers, the Wharfedale Diamond centre, the Wharfedale Diamond 8.1's for the rear, and a Paradigm subwoofer.

I wanted our speakers to do double duty: movies and CD's. The speakers perform admirably in both. For the price the sound is superb; the highs and mids are crystal clear and the bass is punchy and fast.

It is true that you won't get copious amounts of bass from the 6.5 inch woofers. However, what you will get is accurate sound reproduction. Our music tastes range from AD/DC to jazz and classical. We can "crank" the volume to an almost uncomfortable level on our AC/DC and have ample bass, as can we on our classical, jazz etc. The key is to not adjust the bass control on the receiver beyond the mid or neutral point. Beyond that there is too much bass anyway. In addition, speaker placement makes a difference too. We experimented for a few days before finding the best distance from the corners and furniture.

Where the bass is somewhat inadequate is in surround sound movies, but then that is what the subwoofer is for. In the first two Lord of the Rings DVD's there are parts with deep and prolonged bass. Again the speakers can do the job, but they really benefit from the subwoofer for the lowest, house shaking lows.

In the end, you can probably buy cheaper, higher bass producing speakers than the 8.3's. However, what you gain in bass you may likely lose in accurate and clear sound. These are excellent consumer level speakers with a very reasonable price (in fact, all 6 speakers cost less than some of those cubes/subwoofer sets). If you don't want to take up huge floorspace with giant towers, but still want a quality sounding speaker, these speakers should be on your potential purchase list. The longer we have them, the better they sound.

Actually, I just wanted to upgrade my Technics 770 mini-system to something more. And didn't wait anything great for such price... I bought pair of Wharfedale 8.3 for about $220. And was surprised on it's clear and strong sound (reciever Kenwood 8060). May be bass isn't enough for movies, but I think subwoofer can easily solve this problem. Movies are 5.1, aren't they :) I think it's really good choise for it's price segment.

P.S.: Sorry for terrible english, not my native language.

You can't go wrong with these set of speakers. I'm using it for my PC. These match my setup perfectly with the silver and black color tones. The subwoofer has a low deep bass sound for how small it is. Fit's nice under my corner desk. Like the specifications state, there is a sub volume on the back of the subwoofer, which I have at the lowest posible point and it still is boomy. Satellite's are crisp and clear, and the right speaker has an on and off switch with a green light that is lit when it is on. The headphone jack is also on the right satellite.
The only complain I have with these speakers is that when your using the headphones, the volume control on the right satellite speaker does not control the volume of the headphones, unlike what the instruction say. I have also verified this with Logitech over their technical support line. Not such a big deal, but you have to use the master volume on the PC or the particular application your running to adjust the volume. Now these speakers come with a patch cable to hook up a video game system like the X-box or PS2 also, but I wonder if you wanted to use the headphones, how you would control the volume?

Hey, they're 50 bucks. What do you expect for that price? For this price, they provide decent sound, play loud enough for most environments, have good bass response, and decent highs. It's hard to criticize for the price. If you think you're an audiophile, you shouldn't be buying $50 speakers anyway. Break out some serious greenbacks and buy something that is designed for your "discriminating ear".

logitech does a nice job of creating the x-220's. I first learned about the logitechs excellent sound when my brother had purchased the Logitech Z340's and MAN did they sound good! these speakers are the new versions of Z340's!

The speakers are very well made there not so big a bulky such as other sound systems. They have a unique look to them unlike some sound systems how they all look the same. The subwoofer on these have a total of 20.4 watts JUST In the SUB
The satalites have a total of 11.6 watts. Which is a total of 32 watts. The sound is very clear thats the 1st thing you will notice about the system. You have the option of turning the bass down/ but not off! the bass can go down a very good amount. The sub woofer is made of pure solid wood which makes for good sounding entertainment. Logitech also throws in a game adapter which allows you to play xbox,gamcube,ps2,and ps1! the satelites are wall mountable which means you may place them up on the wall if you dont have space on your desk.

Creative and logitech have been long rivals for there awsome sound systems. When I purshased my Logitech's at best buy I had a hard time choosing between the logitech x-220 and the Creative T2900. The logitech I personally thought were much more appealing and stylish. The sub on the logitech's have 20.4 watts as the creative T2900's only have 17. Satelites the creative had 12 watts total while the logitechs had 11.6 total. But all together the x-220's from logitech has 32 watts while creative has 29 watts! the output power was also more powerful than creative. The x-220's had 64 watts of output power while the creatives had 60 watts. And sound quality the Logitechs price and sound cant be beat.

This is ONE excellent sound system! I'm tellin ya the performance is incredibile. The only problem is the logitechs sub like ALL subs as a rattleing sound! I dont know why but when there are certain beats the sub rattles. But the Creatives T2900's sub has been known to just BLOW OUT!!!! which is a heck of alot worse.

Logitech x-220's are WELL worth the money due the high performance, style, and the adapter. You can connect these speaker to almost anything that has a head phone jack! Hope you choose to buy these amazing speakers you wont be dissapointed!

I also have known of Apex's good reputation. That's why when I discovered this home theater system, I couldn't pass it up. It's well worth what you pay. The sound quality is excellent. Although 150 watts may not seem like much, it is more than enough to make the walls in my living room rattle when turned up halfway. I was also impressed with the quality of the DVD player. The AFF feature is a nice touch but stretches some movies out of proportion, which may not bother some people, but it sure did bug me. Luckily you can turn it on or off with one-button.

Unfortunately, I have to agree with the previous reviewers who said there is no 5.1 support for input devices. I was disheartened when I tried plugging in my XBox only to find sound output was analog and only came from 3 of the 5 speakers. For the price, though, I can't complain too much. The Apex HT-150 is a terrific budget home theater system that perfectly complements a small living room or dorm room.

This is a great low-budget 5.1 system. However if your wishing to connect any other components up, it's not going to happen in 5.1 format. It has an input for 1 analog device. Unfortunately only the DVD player itself is played in 5.1. That said, I enjoy this system, and it really enhances the movie watching experience. For anyone looking for a decent 5.1 setup, without spending all the cash, this is the way to go.

I don't own this particular item, in fact I don't have a home theater system at all! What I do have is the Apex 1600 and also the Apex 2600 DVD players. They were easy-as-pie to hook up and learn to use. The prices were unbelievable, too! As for most TVs having the S-video hook-up, I own 4 TVs ...uh huh, and only the 1994 (the newest of the 4), RCA 27" one has the S-video gizmo. Yeah. I have an almost identical 1993 RCA 27" that does not have it. My oldest TV is a 1980 13" Hitachi (with a dial for channels 2 thru 13)...uh huh, but I've hooked it up to an inexpensive VCR player and access the other cable channels that way. It is just in a guest bedroom at my cabin getaway.I really love reading what your reviewers say about the products here...because they help me an awful lot. I'm not a techie by any stretch of the imagination. But I pick up a little info here and there, read the instructions (sometimes again and again and again) and eventually get things to work. Anyway, I'm almost sold on this product. Of course I'll hook it up to the newest TV (ha ha ha)...and it sounds as tho maybe only 3 of the 5 speakers will work with my older TV. I'm waiting for the prices to come down on HDTVs...and also for more HDTV channels before I buy a new TV.Thanks to all your reviewers!

These speakers may be alright to some people. They were the first 6.1 computer multimedia speakers on the market, but they were NOT the best. Klipsch, Logitech, and even Cambridge are all working on high-end speakers that support 6.1 digital sound. Why avoid these speakers? Because even for the price, they don't deliver a good enough quality range! The lows are VERY dull due to the low quality subwoofer and the highs are very squeaky due to the paper-cup-type cones for the speaker's drivers. Since there is not much 6.1 audio available to the general public right now, there isn't much value added to these speakers just because there are seven speakers instead of six. Truthfully, I wouldn't listen to Creative. If you bought these speakers beacuse Creative said they paired well with the Audigy 2, I suggest you return them. These speakers will not sound any better than any Logitech or Klipsch speaker system that you install into an Audigy 2. Take that HorsePlop creative tells you and throw it into a can. These speakers are not worth the value or the bundle with the amazing Audigy 2 sound card. If you REALLY want a 6.1 system that can play 6.1 digital sound for all your music, games, and DVDs, wait for a newer 6.1 model from a high-end provider such as Klipsch, Logitech, or Cambridge. These speakers are no more than a trick to get un-aware buyers to think that these speakers paired with an Audigy 2 will sound phenominal. Not true folks! Don't buy them!

Although in the past I have appreciated Creative Lab products, these speakers had to go back after a week because of the continual, and quite audible, hissing noise they made when no program was running, even at low volume levels. I have a Dell machine with an Audigy 2 sound card, and I tried to troubleshoot the problem by swapping out four sets of speakers on the machine, including some that are over 6 years old. No other speakers demonstrated the hissing problem. I am not sure if this is a quality control issue, or a poor shielding issue, but having three speakers constantly hissing within 18 inches of your ears gets old pretty quick.

I would describe the sound quality as very good considering the price point. Don't expect tremendous quality, but you also won't be breaking the bank.

I spent months looking for an adequate 5.1 speaker set to go with my system without having to break the bank!!
I looked at the Logitech Z640 (boy that stuff sells like cheap dirt), I also looked at the inspire 5200, altec lancing and Monsoon 505-H.

Well after listening to them all; the inspire 5200 caught my attention because of the quality of its sound reproduction and clean base.

The monsoon could be turned up all the way with out loosing it quality but it did not sound as good as the inspire though it had good base and looked cool (depending on your taste).

The Altec Lancing sounded great also; the Logitech had the worst sound quality (like cardboard paper was used to make its speakers). Its base was not bad though.

I finally settled on the 6600 because it was 6.1 even though I was not going to buy an audigy 2 card, I figured that I will finally be able to squeeze everything out of my SB live 5.1 digital. I am not using the center rear speaker.

The 5200 sounded great and since the 6600 is more modern, more powerful and cost approximately 20.00 more, I went with it.

These speakers sound great.
It is quite loud 1/2 way up.
Games like UT2003, Jedi Knight 2 and NOLF2 sound great with 5.1 enabled.
I have not tested them with a DVD movie yet but the base from my VCDs sound excellent.
The base is not going to rock your house, but the speaker set will definitely bother your neighbors if turned up 70% of the way.

...

If you don't want to break the bank and want to be sure you get the most resent technology from creative get these; you don't need the audigy 2 unless you are interested in 6.1 surround sound, 5.1 is what is supported the most today.

I got a $200.00 gift certificate to spend at Amazon.com and needed surround sound speakers, so I bought by price... Now I wasn't expecting Bose quality here, and my expectations were not exceeded. For the money I got a great subwoofer and decent center channel, but the four satellite speakers were pretty weak on sound quality... about the same as having four clock radios around the room. So, my advice? Save up a little more and buy at least the next grade up.

For the price of this set, you absolutely cannot go wrong. I have this set hooked up to my Kenwood VR-305 receiver, and I cannot believe how good these sound. I have been using surround sound for about 6-7 years now, and this complete set matches, in fact surpasses in a lot of ways, my prior speakers which a mix of Infinity and Sony. I used to have 2 large front speakers w/12 inch woofers that combined did not put out as much clean bass and overall clarity as these KLH's do. The subwoofer has all the adjustments you could need to get it soudning good, and the satellites do a splendid job in reproducing the high and mid ranges. You do have to fiddle around to get the right balance between the speakers and the sub, but once you do, you will be sincerely impressed. The center channel matches the quality of my Infinity center channel (I paid 150 for that one alone). If you are an audiophile you probably could find some faults with it, but for the music and movie lover like me who likes good, rich, clean sound, I dont see why you would spend more on another set...unless of course you could afford or would be willing to spend hundreds upon hundreds of dollars for speakers (I cant, and even if i could, i wouldnt!). The only reason I dont give this set 5 stars is because the "auto" power on the sub (which is supposed to kick the sub on when audio is detected) is not very sensitive, and the power sometimes shuts off at lower volume levels. So for low levels you just have to leave the sub on and take the little extra effort to turn the sub off when you're done using it. Otherwise, I would not hesitate to recommend this set anyone. Its probably the best value on a speaker package you'll get for this price.

When I went looking for surround sound speakers there were 3 things I wanted: K-L-H. This system has not let me down. Even at a low setting, the sub-woofer makes everything so much clearer and just rocks the house. My teenage son is rediscovering all of his music with a center speaker and a sub woofer. We live in a one-story house of about 900 sq. feet and anywhere you are it sounds like the speakers are inches away. These speakers may be small but they deliver pure power. And Amazon.com's price just made it soooooo much sweeter

I'm a long time Koss fan, and I'm afraid I have to say I'm very disappointed with those phones for portable devices listening. Currently I have a mach7 (from 1989) and a R90 (from 1999) in this price range. I purchased this one after looking at the tech spec. Everything seamed to be right on. But the actual sound quality is not good, compared to the previous models. This one is dull and lack detail. What you should be looking on headphones is the stereo image that you get mostly with the high end of the spectrum. Portable players today don't have tone control. They only give you a bass boost (if that much). The UR29 does not have clear highs at average volume. You have to crank this thing up to listen to highs, if you don't have a tone control. So the first impression you get when you try those on is that they are "dull". You might get used to it after a while, and they deliver quality for the buck. But compared to the R90 (in the same price range) the R90 is superior in sound and comfort. Even the cheap mach7 sounds better. Looks? Ok, this one wins, but unfortunately my ears don't see...

For this price range, the UR29 may be agood choice. Still, I'm giving a bad review because Koss did make way better products in this price range in the past, and I'm disappointed they have slipped the high grade quality for this one.

If I've tried those on a store, I would not have purchased them.

The UR-29 is of the new Koss product mission. This mission appears to be in no way related to the TD nor -Pro (portable headphone series) mission.

I personally have not had an extremely pleasant experience with these headphones. I have been listening to Koss headphones since the TD-60s and am convinced that the UR series of headphones employ a totally different driver engineering. The "Koss sound" is not prevalent in these drivers. Furthermore, the touted 101db/mw rating is misleading in the fact that the nominal impedance of these headphones are 100ohms. Surely, 100ohms puts to rest any idea of listening to these headphones in a portable fashion, for the 5mw continuous output rating of a good amount of portable players is for a 16ohm impedance.

Taking this idea and applying it to these headphones, you won't even induce 1mw from your player's amplifier. Why? Well...
16ohm=5mw
32ohm=2.5mw
64ohm=1.25mw
128ohm=0.625mw
And if everything is linear, just for the sake of argument, you'll scratch 1mw with the volume turned to maximum...which includes distortion and clipping. Thus, these headphones are more suited for computers and other items that plug in with stronger amplifiers.

As everything comes down to sound quality, it is far from worth it. Again, the Koss sound is totally absent from these headphones... Voices sound hollow, treble sounds scattered, and bass sounds tuned. It's an overall bad experience.

Shame on Koss for releasing these headphones.
I am presently waiting for my TD-80s to ship to me so that I can right this wrong that I have committed.

Peace.
Gen.

PS. The Three Stars are all based on their being Koss headphones, and the fact that I could've purchased a defective pair.

Awesome pair of headphones! You will not find a better pair even among those in the next "higher" price range! They're that good!
I use them for at home Music and Computer gaming.
I have to say, if anyone out there is looking for a pair of headphones to enhance your computer gaming expeiriance, these are your phones! And my music CD's sound great too!
There is only one thing I would change on these headphones. The tightness of the band. It's flexible and I can wear them for hours. But I would much prefer them to be looser. They fit a bit too snug. But I can put up with it, there just isnt another pair of headphones out there that can match their sound quality and price.