Why Did They Discontinue These???
Written: Jun 28 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Very clean, clear, crisp and balanced sound. Excellent detail.
Cons: They don't make them anymore!! Probably too costly these days.
The Bottom Line: If you can find this system in good condition, buy it! These are fabulous. Worth the $$$.
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| monkuboy's Full Review: Videologic Sirocco Crossfire |
Even though Videologic no longer manufactures these speakers, they sound so good I feel obliged to write about them.
I had never heard of Videologic until a couple of months ago when I was looking up reviews and forum messages for some ideas on speaker possibilities. At that time I had the Monsoon MH-702's, an excellent 2.1 system. I kept reading rave comments about the Sirocco Crossfires and the more I read, the more interested I got. I found a listing on E-Bay and acquired a used set for $240. I was the only bidder. I noticed that the seller had previously listed the speakers at a higher price and had no bids, so she lowered the price and relisted them. I also noticed Videologic stuff wasn't very popular and their more recent other models got only minimal bids from people. That made me think about letting this bid expire and waiting for it to be relisted at yet a lower price, but on the other hand, this was a rare find and I didn't want to take any chances. So I bid and won.
Briefly, the Crossfire system consists of 4 identical satellites with a 3" mid/woofer and a 10 mm dome tweeter; a subwoofer with a 6.5" speaker; and a separate amplifier. Normally the amp is housed inside the subwoofer enclosure but the Crossfires have a separate box designed to sit on top of the subwoofer. No need to be more detailed since you can't buy this anymore anyway.
When the speakers arrived, I was quite angry because they had been packed with insufficient padding. Only about 5 or 6 pages of newspaper had been used which meant the speakers had to have been clanging about inside the box as they made their journey inside a USPS truck all the way from the midwest to Southern California. There were scuffs on the components, a small dent in the grill covering the subwoofer, a slight crease in the subwoofer cone itself, and worst of all, the subwoofer had become detached from its cabinet and was hanging loose by one screw.
Initially it looked like the subwoofer couldn't be repaired and I wrote an angry letter to the seller requesting a refund. Later on, however, I noticed the screws holding the subwoofer had come loose and were trapped between the grill and the speaker so I was able to secure the speaker to the enclosure. Installation was very easy; I hooked it up to my PC via an M-Audio Revolution 7.1 sound card and tried them out. At least the speakers hadn't been damaged sonically; everything worked except the volume on the right front channel is about 1-2 db lower than the left front.
So now you know what I started off with. After giving them some serious listening time, I wrote to the seller and told her I would keep the speakers because they sounded incredibly good and I could live with the cosmetic damages.
Volume-wise, these put out plenty of sound and are capable of playing much louder without distortion than I am willing to find out just how loud. This is in a room of approximately 10 x 13. Soundwise, they are quite clean and detailed. I would characterize the sound as bright, but at the same time everything sounds in balance. No particular range seems to stand out and maybe they sound bright because they are so detailed. The subwoofer blends nicely with the satellites and puts out tight, punchy bass with no boominess. The bass notes are distinct; you can feel them as well as hear them, as opposed to their being non-musical booms or thuds. I have it set at about the 1:00 or 2:00 position; any higher and the bass gets too strong.
I listened to a wide variety of music to test them, including Diana Krall, Santana, Glenn Gould, Patricia Barber, Miles Davis, Oleta Adams, Steely Dan and quite a few others whose recordings I felt were of good quality. The most obvious trait to me is how crisp and detailed the sound is, while maintaining an excellent balance across the frequency spectrum. They give me the sense of being in the first row or even standing among the musicians.
The build quality is very nice, especially the amplifier. The speakers don't look that great but they are put together nicely. The amp has a sturdy metal casing with knobs that have a smooth, expensive feel to them.
Despite the initial scare/anger when the speakers arrived, I am very happy I took the plunge and bought them on E-Bay. They sound incredibly good (better than my hi-fi set up, I must say) and seem very sturdy - they have to be to have survived the journey!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
monkuboy
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Location: san gabriel valley, ca
Reviews written: 12
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
I'm just another person who wants to add their two cents!
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