These speakers are very well-suited to home or mobile computer recording studios. (They also make excellent PC speakers). At this price, nothing else comes close in either sound or features.
Performance
The 3"woofer and 1" tweeter deliver crisp, punchy sound over a broad spectrum. The bass boost ( 4.8dB at 100Hz) works well and delivers respectable low-end for this size speaker. The cabinets are ported and I think that helps tremendously. They must be ultra shielded because I have them within inches of my laptop and I get exactly zero interference or hum. They are active, meaning they have built in amplification, but at 10 watts, they won't rattle your walls if that's what you’re after.
They required no setup or driver installation at all. When I plugged them into a USB port on my laptop (running Windows XP), they showed up immediately as a sound-card. I DID run into a little trouble when I tried connecting them to my USB hub. They tended to simply cut out and not come back until I rebooted. I know that audio devices are finicky and it's always best to plug them directly into your PC - case in point.
The 88db (weighted) signal to noise ratio is better than many speakers in this price range, especially desktop PC speakers. But it's not as good as even slightly higher priced monitors. The 80hz to 20Khz frequency response is average. Digital resolution is at 16 bit, 44.1kHz or 48kHz.
Features
These speakers have more functionality than anything I've seen in any desktop monitor. The big draw for me was the USB connectivity. But they also have a 1/8" TRS input (for your iPod, etc); stereo RCA inputs; two unbalanced 1/4" input jacks; as well as a TRS headphone out. That covers about any modern audio interface out there (except XLR). Also, the headphone jack and power/volume knob are on the front which makes them very convenient. All other controls and jacks are on the back.
Another HUGE benefit to these speakers is that anything you plug into them is available as a sound source in your computer. So if you plug the mains from your board into them, and plug them into your USB port, you can then manipulate it, record it, sample it, etc. on the PC. Same is true for a CD or tape player, DJ console, guitar, keyboard, and on, and on. No other PC speaker that I know of offers this feature.
Overall
The speakers are compact and solidly made. The connections are well-seated and don't feel at all wobbly like some cheap computer gear. Great sound and super functionality. These are terrific for a project studio or as computer speakers. They take up very little desk space at (W x H x D): 6.0 x 5.0 x 7.5 inches.
Go to Modal Music Theory for some cool stuff.
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