A decent set of THX certified gaming speakers

Lets start with the specifications:

70 Watts RMS per channel (7 channels)
210 Watts RMS subwoofer (8")

Freq Response: 25Hz ~ 40kHz

Dimensions:
Satellite Speaker: 116mm x 145mm x 205mm
Subwoofer: 318mm x 363mm x 351mm
Audio Control Pod: 132mm x 69mm x 39mm
Wireless Remote Control: 129mm x 48mm x 23mm

Signal to noise ratio: 99dB
--

Now for a computer speaker system these specifications are pretty impressive. Lets look at what we get in the box:

7 satellite speakers with removable grills, which are all essentially all identical except that the front center speaker is wired and labeled to go on it's side (still has 1 1" tweeter and 1 3.5" midrange driver just like all the other speakers). 1 subwoofer with 8" down-firing driver which also houses the amplifier system, speaker stands for all of the satellite speakers, label kit, wiring, remote control, remote 'pod' to adjust volume and take IR input, manual. All of this packed into a rather tightly into a hefty shipping box.

Now lets see what we have in each of those components.

Each satellite is constructed of a single piece plastic enclosure with a front removable grill. Under the grill you will find the 1-inch titanium dome tweeter and a 3.5 inch midrange driver. On the back of each unit you will find positive and negative terminals color coded as well as labeled positive/negative, a threaded socket for the speaker stand thumbscrews, and a wall-hanging keyhole slot.

The speaker stands are simply Y shaped stands that hold the speakers approximately 1/2 to 1 inch off your desk and attach via a easy to twist/untwist thumbscrew. My biggest complaint about this speaker system so far is with these stands. Well, not really with the STANDS but with the little rubber feet which push into the bottoms of the stands. They quite simply DO NOT STAY IN. Step #1 when you unpack your speakers should be to cement these things in, PRONTO or you WILL lose them.

The subwoofer enclosure also houses the amplifier for the system and thus has a rather large heatsink on the back measuring approximately 6-8 inches square and about 1.25 inches deep. Plugs and terminals on the back consist of the power cord plug (2 prong, no ground), 7 speaker RCA jacks, control pod port (Along with audio out), and your audio input ports for the sound card connections (all color coded). You'll also find a power switch on the back if you wish to power-down the entire speaker system completely.

Setup was quite simple and labels were included to label the included cables which varied in length (Longer cables for rear speakers). Cable length appeared to be quite ample for a medium size den and if they are not long enough it should be a simple matter to pickup some cables with RCA connectors on one end and bare wire on the other end.

Once the speakers are connected simply connect the control pod cable and audio cable for the control pod then connect the audio input cables to your sound card Front/Rear/Center/Subwoofer/side outputs, attach your power cable and fire them up!

Which brings us to the control pod. This device measures about 2 inches by 5 inches by 1 inch and is what you can use to turn on the system remotely, adjust volume, etc. Along the front of this pod you will find LED's indicating power status (red for standby, green on, dark...is it plugged in?), Master/Center/Side/Rear/Sub/Treble (Which indicate what item you will adjust with the /- buttons on top), 5.1 to 7.1 upmix indicator and 6.1 to 7.1 upmix indicator. Also displayed is a 7 LED level indicator as well as an M-Port input, line-in and headphone out jack.

Adjusting the volume is done simply by pressing the plus/minus buttons and the level indicator will change to display the volume level. If you wish to adjust another setting such as center, side, rear etc simply press the Select button and then adjust. This can be a bit tedious and I wish there was at least an analog or analog-like dial for quicker adjustments.

The front headphone jack is quite handy for those of us with wives who seem to hate hearing explosions while we game. Plugging in your headphones will also deactivate the amplifier so that you're not wasting electricity and heating the house.

Next to the headphone output jack you have a line input jack. This is actually quite handy if you have another device you'd like to use with the speakers, perhaps an iPod, an XBOX360 or some other audio device. Note that when you utilize this input you will ALSO hear the output from your PC, so be careful of the volumes and make sure they match. There is nothing worse than listening to some nice soft music, not realizing you turned up the volume because the levels were low and needed boosting and then getting an instant message or new E-Mail and being jolted to extreme consciousness!

Next to the line in we have the M-Port adapter. I've never used this but this is supposedly something that Creative uses on their MP3 players, I suspect as an alternative line-in type of jack, don't quote me.

That about wraps up what this speaker system consists of. Overall I have been happy with the sound. The bass felt a bit heavy at first, and required a bit of toning down to bring some balance to the system. You'll want to spend some time adjusting the subwoofer/treble levels to your tastes.

Something else you will want to consider in purchasing a system like this is WHERE WILL YOU PUT THE SPEAKERS? This system consists of a large number of speakers. The subwoofer can go just about any place near your PC but the sats need to be in pretty good locations surrounding you. If you do not have places to mount these or a room to dedicate to this system and also place your PC appropriately in the center of, you may want to consider a smaller system with less speakers. With this system you will have 3 speakers in front of you, 2 to your sides and 2 behind you plus your subwoofer. If you share the room with someone this sort of setup is not easy to achieve.