Sub Woofer/Satellite Systems Test

Reviews on Sub Woofer/Satellite Systems

"Stylish surround sound speaker systems for £600"

Issue: 6/2008

On test: Q Acoustics QAV, Jamo A 405 HCS 5, Mission M-Cube, KEF KHT 2005/II

Even the biggest of big-screen TVs aren't big enough to house a decent set of speakers. For this reason a dedicated set of speakers really is the way to go and what would be better than a stylish set of speakers to match that stylish new telly. → More

"Desktop Speakers"

Issue: 4/2008

On test: M-Audio StudioPhile AV 40, Logitech AudioHub, Creative Labs Gigaworks HD50, JBL Spyro

Johnny Evans looks for the best combination of price and sound quality. → More

"Logitech Z Cinema speaker system review"

Published on: 1/2008

On test: Logitech Z Cinéma

Logitech's latest PC speakers promise to offer a home cinema sound with just three speakers and an overall lack of wires, so can it? We get listening to find out. → More

"Edifier M3200 PC speakers"

Published on: 1/2008

On test: Edifier M3200

When it comes to adding external speakers to your PC, the sound quality generally tops the list but Edifier seem to think the aesthetic appeal of speakers is what drives most users. This can be seen the design of the Edifier M3200 speaker set, as they don’t have the most conventional of looks. → More

Sub Woofer/Satellite Systems

A subwoofer satellite system is a set of either two, five, six or seven small speakers and a subwoofer. This is what is needed to be able to enjoy surround sound. In such a set-up the satellite speakers provide all the main sound, the dialogue in a film or the ambient sounds in a computer game. The subwoofer is used solely for the bass, capable of reproducing the ominous sound of a peel of thunder or the explosion caused by a rocket in an FPS. A cheap system can be picked up for under fifty pounds but to experience real Hi-Fi sound quality you will probably have to invest a little more money. The volume that any speaker can output is measured in Watts, its output power. This will be measured in two ways. The first is the Peak Music Power Output. This is the number often quoted by manufacturers and is usually very high. The more realistic measure of a speaker's power is shown by its RMS value. This is the Root Mean Square, related to the mathematical concept but not used in the same way. This usually gives a better picture of what the speaker is capable of producing. A speaker may very well get up to the PMPO figure, but only very seldom, were the speaker to constantly output that power it would likely break down very quickly. It is important therefore to check the output of your amplifier and the capabilities of the speakers you intend to buy before committing, otherwise you may be left with seven rather blocky looking door stops.