Starter speakers preform great for non-audiophiles

Beginning my baby steps into becoming an audiophile I decided to buy some cheap speakers with a subwoofer and I was lucky that I found these for 35 dollars on sale. Without a doubt, this is a purchase I do not regret and would repeat over and over again. I'm starting to understand why some people get so stressed out about 5.1 and quality audio experiences that aid to the atmosphere. Well I don't know if I'll ever become that obsessed with audio :p But now I can't go back to the standard crappy laptop speakers after having a taste of 2.1 goodness straight from Philips.

The contents of the box include: left and right speakers, subwoofer, the appropriate cables, and changeable face plates. Set up is fairly easy, although there are too many wires for my liking. The right speaker plugs directly into the subwoofer and controls the volume and power options. The left speaker plugs into the subwoofer as well. Also included is the power supply which is almost as big as one of the speakers. Lastly, there is an audio-out jack that is sized for a 3.5 audio jack (like your standard headphones jack). Philips was even nice enough to include an adapter that allows you to plug in the red and white stereo sound cables from your DVD player your video game console into the 3.5 audio jack so you can hook this thing up to your console without buying something else.

As you can tell in the picture, the standard color on these speakers is blue. But these speakers also include green covers that can be used instead of the blue ones, so if your using this for your Xbox 360 (or if you green is your preference) then you can match. The only problem I found with this is that people have a tendency to pick up the speakers and subwoofer by these plastic pieces which can come off very easily. Of course when I first got them though the blue plates were basically glued into place and I struggled to get the off and actually broke on, but its not to big of a deal since I can fit the whole thing in there without it being noticeable that it is broken.

When I first opened the box I noticed how small the speakers were. Specifically the subwoofer. Maybe its because I was comparing it to my friend's but the subwoofer is pretty tiny. That doesn't mean it doesn't pack a punch though. No, this thing works quite well. Its loud, heavy, and clear. I should probably note that this is my first 2.1 speaker set for my PC/video game consoles. With that in mind, these speakers and subwoofer certainly produce clear and crisp sounds whatever the task may be. Although it did take a while to adjust the subwoofer right because it is fairly small and not the best you can get. The audio quality becomes very distorted for me when I turn the subwoofer all the way up so you half to turn it down a decent amount. The stereo sound quality is superb and works well when I listen to music, especially those songs where you can hear the music "circling" around you, or when I watch a movie. The explosions in Transformers come out so clear and perfect that I don't think I can go back to my regular laptop speakers. And in games, wow this thing packs a punch. It works so perfectly. I played Crysis with these on and it made the explosions sound better than they look. The 2.1 speakers also help induce the creepy atmosphere that a game like Bioshock provides. I didn't know how much difference quality speakers and a subwoofer could make in games but I don't think I can go back now. The same thing can be said for music as well since the music is so clear and intense coming from these speakers. Songs with a heavy bass sound great but not quite perfect unfortunately, although it is still a ton better than your standard speakers.

Like I said before, Philips includes an adapter to let you hook up your video game console into these speakers and they certainly prove themselves here. For example, I was playing the shooter called The Club and I was having such a great time because it is full of loud gun shots and explosions with heavy bass. I just wanted to shoot for fun to listen to the ear-shattering sounds that came out of my speakers. Even when I turned it up quite loud it didn't get distorted at all. Another game I played on my 360 was Rez HD, a music/rhythm game that centers around its mood low, heavy beat. I could clearly hear the heart-pounding beat being played and I was entranced by the beautiful colors on the screen and the amazing sound perpetuating from these speakers. Guitar Hero II is another game I tried with these speakers and wow. It makes the game even more worth it, it resembles a concert a lot more than the standard T.V. speakers do. Truth be told, I think that these speakers work better when hooked up to something like a video game console or DVD player than a computer, but maybe its because I mess with the options to much.

Now I'm no audiophile but these speakers do sound better than standard speakers I have used before. These are great speakers for first time users of 2.1 audio sound. It enhances the experience more than I could have imagined it could. On top of that, these can go very, very loud! Although the bass can be weak and distorted if its to high or not set to that "sweet spot." Overall though, the stereo and and subwoofer combine to make crisp 2.1 quality that can make all mediums more enjoyable, music, movies, or games.