Worth every penny
Written: Jun 11 '02 (Updated Jun 11 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Amazing clarity and detail, wide, immersive sound stage with the right music.
Cons: Goofy placement of power switch and bass volume control!
The Bottom Line: If you love listening to music on your computer, you'll love these speakers. And at the price I paid, they're very reasonable.
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| rebbi's Full Review: Level 9 Sound Designs MM-702 2 Speakers |
I did a lot of shopping around for computer speakers for my new, flat-panel iMac. I had never heard of the Sonigistix Monsoon line until I read Bob LeVitus' rave recommendation in "The Little iTunes Book." It turned out that CompUSA carries them, but (and this goes for "supermarket" computer stores in general) CompUSA was no place to seriously audition any computer speakers: the noise level in the store was awful, the speakers were placed on a high shelf, and the source music was terrible. But when I found them for a great price at Buy.com, I took a chance.
As soon as you unpack them, you know you're dealing with a serious, "audiophile" product, compared with other computer speakers. The satellites and subwoofer are heavy and solidly made, and the fit and finish is lovely, the power transformer brick is massive. Ah, and that sound...
I love these speakers. Let me say that the line about them being terribly fussy about placement or impossibly directional just isn't true in my experience. Put them forward of your monitor, angle them in, and you're ready to go. I even used them once as a sound source to watch a DVD on the computer. I put the speakers on the floor, and they sounded wonderful... the sound filled the room.
Bass response is good but not muddy or overemphasized. Mids and highs are crystal clear.
And as I said in the "pros," if you're a sound stage and imaging freak, you'll love these speakers. On the right material (the Commodores song "Night Shift" comes to mind) the instruments seems to fill the whole room, extending far beyond the desktop.
The volume and muting "puck" that sits on your desk is a nice touch. My only gripe with these speakers is the moronic placement of the bass volume and power controls: ON THE BACK OF THE SUBWOOFER!?? You can get around this by plugging the speakers into a power strip, but you shouldn't have to. As for the volume of the bass module, after some initial tweaking, you shouldn't have to mess with it too much, anyway.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
rebbi
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Reviews written: 10
Trusted by: 1 member
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