IBM PC multimedia speakers

...I caught sight of the IBM multimedia speaker box. The first thing I noticed was the pricetag, a rather hefty 59.99 pounds.
I'm no pro regarding speaker specs, but a quick scan of the back of the box convinced me of their superiority over the lesser models I'd bought previously.
In particular I was impressed by the speakers range, being able to reach 16,000 hertz (close to the boundary of human hearing). And the strong 80db noise level.
...I'd like to make clear the fact these speakers are awfully expensive for what they offer, hence the 3 star rating. However, if you do seek extremely high quality sound to compliment a powerful system then by all means purchase the IBM Multimedia speakers. Perhaps after a price fall though!  ... more

Introduction

Late last month, I was asked to build a high quality PC for a friend. I don't just mean high quality internal components either, the guy wanted a high definition monitor, top class keyboard and optical mouse...and yeah you guessed it : brilliant speakers.
Being only used to purchasing speakers for under 20 quid, I was rather stumped when he asked for speakers in the 50 pounds and up range. So off I went, scouring the computer fairs of the northwest in search of some super speakers.

Eventually I came across a stall which seemed to specialise in input components and speakers. After browsing for awhile I caught sight of the IBM multimedia speaker box. The first thing I noticed was the pricetag, a rather hefty 59.99 pounds.
I'm no pro regarding speaker specs, but a quick scan of the back of the box convinced me of their superiority over the lesser models I'd bought previously.
In particular I was impressed by the speakers range, being able to reach 16,000 hertz (close to the boundary of human hearing). And the strong 80db noise level.
I was convinced, and purchased the speakers immediately.

The Speakers

So the time came to assemble the new computer, aswell as the routine testing of each and every purchased component. To make full use of the speakers ability, I also bought a high end sound card. The creative labs 24 bit sound blaster live internal model (which set me back another 25 quid).
The speakers themselves were simple to install, possessing a simple traditional green speaker jack to be plugged in the back of the tower unit.
It was in positioning the speakers on the desk I realized the first disadvantage, which ironically was located within one of the products biggest perks. The flatpanel design while taking up little space, caused the speakers to be slightly flimsy and fragile.
To put it bluntly, I wouldn't like these to accidentally fall off the desk versus a cheap & chunkier alternative.

Having said that, the flatpanel design does indeed save a heck of a lot of space, and fit perfectly beside ones monitor, thus this model is especially useful for persons with limitations on space.
Another aspect of the design which I observed while installing them was lack of any treble, bass or volume switches on the model itself. Call me old fashioned, but aren't expensive speakers supposed to have the fancy advantage of bass/treble adjustment included?

So with windows booted up and working perfectly(better than perfectly with the super-components, phew) I installed the sound drivers from the CD provided. The software install went well, being very simple and fast.
I inserted a music CD in the drive, and cranked up the volume via windows...
WHAM the sound hit my ear drums with a crash, but not in a bad way. Even with the volume cranked right up these speakers sounded utterly fantastic! After hearing my CD played utterly smooth all the way through I came to the conclusion that the speakers were rather treble alligned (as many high-end models are it seems).

This means the speakers are less than ideal for bass-heavy genres, such as rock music. But for fans of softer music, like Classical or Easy Listening their pretty darn awesome.
It was almost enough to make me want to chuck my old ones away!
Of course, the things cost 60 quid, which really is all the money for what you get, taking into consideration the lack of a treble/bess switch and the design flaws.

To conclude, I'd like to make clear the fact these speakers are awfully expensive for what they offer, hence the 3 star rating. However, if you do seek extremely high quality sound to compliment a powerful system then by all means purchase the IBM Multimedia speakers. Perhaps after a price fall though! 

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