Drenched in Sound
Written: Jul 21 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Tremendous sound placement capabilities, crystal-clear listening experience for multimedia.
Cons: No rear speaker stands, no bundled software.
The Bottom Line: For a high-end multimedia speaker system the Sonigistix Monsoon MM-2000 cannot be matched in terms of sound quality and sheer finesse for games, DVD's and music.
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| mcervantes's Full Review: MM-2000 |
I recently purchased the Monsoon Sonigistix MM-2000 series from CompUSA and was so thrilled with their performance that I wanted to share my enthusiasm with you!
Being an avid pc-gamer since the days of “Pirates!” for the Commodore 64 I’ve had the opportunity to witness the rapid evolution of speaker sound systems geared primarily towards multimedia applications. The demands from both fans and game designers alike have increased the need for high-end sound systems to accurately reproduce to a large degree – and in some cases even rival – the type of sound experience provided by home theater entertainment systems. The advent of systems such as Monsoon’s Sonigistix MM-2000 series is proof that the Desktop Theater, computers that incorporate a variety of multimedia applications such as music (i.e. mp3’s, wavs and midi), DVD’s and interactive games has matured into the kind of system whose perfect complement lay in a 2.1, 4.1 or 5.1 surround environment.
It was only with the recent purchase of a brand new Dell System and its accompanying DVD player that I became seriously interested in upgrading my speakers from the existing Altec-Lansing bundled package to a high-end multimedia speaker system. My own careful research – carried out by talking to friends, reading reviews on the internet and auditioning speakers ‘in-store’ – produced a number of speaker sets that had the potential to satisfy my needs as someone primarily interested in gaming, music and movies for my PC. All the familiar names came up: Altec Lansing, Klipsch, Boston Acoustics, Yamaha, Creative Labs etc, and to be quite frank, after reading and talking so much about speakers I became overwhelmed with the variety – not only in sound quality but in price.
I was lucky enough to receive recommendations from an award winning sound designer at Pioneer Electronics, who narrowed my choices to Monsoon and Klipsch. (Quite frankly, the price difference between the latter two confused me. Why does Klipsch price their products so high in a market thats already relatively small to begin with, and to consumers who for the most part cannot afford to pay 200 to 300 dollars for 2.1 and 4.1 sound?) My selection went to Monsoon and I could not be happier. Skeptical about giving up my beige speakers and subwoofer, I was won over by the sleek aesthetics of the Monsoons, whose 4 satellite speakers are razor thin (unlike other boxy satellites) and very attractive. The MM-2000 subwoofer is also nice, small enough to be rather inconspicuous but large enough to impress your friends. In addition, the Monsoons come with a handy control input unit from which volume, fade-out, bass, mute and headphone jacks can be accessed. Setup was very simple and took less than 20-30 minutes (I took my time). This involved connecting the AC-Power cord for the subwoofer, the satellite terminal switches for “left/right – front” and “left/right - back” for each speaker and making sure the control module was hooked up to the subwoofer. Each satellite comes with its own stand, making it quite easy to position the front left and right satellites on your desk. Positioning the rear satellites takes a little bit of experimentation depending upon the composition of your own room, but playing with different positions becomes fun and informative, teaching you about your own sound placement preferences. In any case, Monsoon provides you with a diagram for standard placement. Unlike the Logitech Xtrusio’s, Monsoon does not bundle any software with their system.
The MM-2000’s are Monsoon’s premier multimedia system and they have the power to back it up. The total muscle of the system amounts to an impressive 340 watts of power with the satellite transducers weighing in at a beefy 60 watts per speaker. The sub pounds out the bottom with 100 watts. System frequency response is around 35 hz to 20khz on the low end while the crossover for satellites is 24db/oct high-pass @ 200 Hz. Lastly, the subwoofer provides the depth with an 18 db/oct low-pass @ 200 Hz.
What this all amounts to is some serious fun and mind blowing sound for your pc-environment. How about gaming? Prepare to enter a world in which the term “sound immersion” is an ear enticing understatement. My testing ran the gamut, from established favorites such as Quake III and Unreal Tournamet to funny-bone classics like Escape from Monkey Island and city-builders like Tropico. In each instance the MM-2000 shined brilliantly, taking each channel of sound and funneling it to the appropriate place while still maintaining crystal clear high-end surround unaffected by the heavy bottom many first-person shooter games require. Serious Sam, Counterstrike, and the Half-Life series gave the MM-2000’s a serious workout, testing the speakers for both their ability to provide raw, powerful sound and elegantly placed sound cues in a virtual environment. I was particularly interested in the minutiae that gamers can be quite picky about: Reloading sequences, the sound of clips locking into pistols, bullets soaring from behind, shells bouncing off the ground and explosions coming from all directions. These were among some of the small, but important criteria that I looked for in judging my gaming experience. The MM-2000 handled this with finesse that was as pleasing to the ear as it was to the trigger finger. You really haven’t experienced gaming to its utmost potential until you’ve circle-strafed your opponent with a machine gun in Serious Sam or heard the thundering cannon of your 30 pounders in Akella’s Sea Dogs.
Music testing was also quite varied, and both MP3 and CD quality formats were tested. I wanted to put my Monsoons through a tough workout that would require different responses to special genres of music. The rythmic Latin beats of flamenco guitar and timeless crooning of Frank Sinatra were followed by Metallica, White Zombie and Pantera. Midrange output was quite impressive with minimal bass distortion even at the highest volumes. Beethoven and Mozart were rounded out by numerous pop selections from the 1980’s and 90’s. My last listening tests were performed with Jazz volumes, The Beatles, Gospel and 1950’s Rock and Roll. Instrumentation, vocals and background sound all integrated seamlessly and harmoniously, especially with my CD selections. MP3’s were nearly as good, allowing for a slightly lesser degree of quality inherent in their transfer file size. An absolute audio purist might tell you that the Klipsch Promedia’s have less bottom drop out at higher volumes than the Monsoon MM-2000’s, but I’m not convinced that such a difference is worth an extra 100-150 dollars for volume areas that few people would be able to tolerate for extended periods of time. In either case, listening was a blast – fun, clear and impressive.
My final benchmark consisted of DVD movies played on my PC, specifically the French Foreign Legion battle at the opening of the The Mummy and the final ship to ship confrontation in Cuttthroat Island. The four-channel setup handled these scenes with ease, providing rich, deep reverberating tones that resonated off the walls of my room and filled the entire area with the sounds of action. What was interesting to me beyond the great sound was the fantastic clarity with which new and previously undetected sounds made their appearance. In Cuttthroat Island, clanging swords, screaming combatants, massive explosions and booming cannons could all be heard within proximity of a perfectly audible exchange of insults between the dueling antagonist and heroine. In fact, the Monsoons had a special way of highlighting certain sounds through the left and right rear channels, such as the distinct ping of clashing steel gently floating over a mid-battle conversation settled over yet another blanket of sound: the rumble of gunfire and cannon, each sound complementing the other at their respective range. Ditto with The Mummy, where the cacophonous gunfire of legionaries pierced right through the steady thundering approach of horses hooves pounding the desert sand. Such a distinct and precise listening experience enhanced my movie viewing experience tremendously, and is sure to put new life into old classics.
With Monsoon’s introduction of the MM-2000, the standard for high-end, superbly enhanced 4-point surround sound speaker systems has been permanently raised to the next level. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the improved level of sound and immersive experience that these speakers have provided and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone interested in a premier speaker set for multimedia entertainment.
Miguel Cervantes, Age 23
Recommended:
Yes
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mcervantes
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