CA 5.1 Amplified Speaker System: Packs a Punch at Half the Price
Written: Feb 21 '05 (Updated Feb 23 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Sounds great. Very simple and stylish.
Cons: Terrible user/installation manual. Had some installation woes the first try.
The Bottom Line: If you would like a great sound system without having to break the bank, this is the best set to start out with.
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| sangria808k's Full Review: Cyber Acoustics CA-5001 5 Speakers |
For almost 2 years already I've had a 5.1 Dolby soundcard but have never had the 5.1 speakers to accompany it. It wasn't until I graduated this past December that my sister decided she would fulfill one of my wishes.
About the CA 5.1 Amplified Speaker System
Note: Forgive me if I use the incorrect terms. I am no sound system guru, but will attempt to describe it in much detail as I can.
The "5.1" part of the name means there are 5 surrounding speakers (2 front speakers, 2 rear speakers, 1 center speaker) and 1 subwoofer (or 6 channels of output [Thanks, Paul]). The speakers are black and fairly compact in size. The front and rear speakers are just about 9" tall, 3" wide, and 3" in the deepest part (the actual rectangular speaker part is a flat panel). The center speaker is about 5" wide, 5" tall, and 3" deep. The subwoofer is 12" tall, 9" wide, and about 10" deep. The whole system consumes 80 watts of power.
It comes packaged securely in styrofoam molds and covered in plastic and a user manual. The speakers also come with 3 wall brackets to allow the 3 front speakers (or 2 back speakers) to be mounted to a wall.
Installation
I must admit, installation of these speakers weren't "plug-in-and-go" for me I had expected them to. While I am no expert, I can easily get into my computer and troubleshoot hardware if necessary so I figured these speakers would be a piece of cake to install.
Getting all the speakers networked was easy using the color coded wires and on-subwoofer receptacles. It was actually connecting them to my soundcard that made the task difficult.
Tip: Make sure you have your sound card manufacturer's manual handy. That was what would've saved me some time on this part.
Now that I think about it and look back, you ought to be able to easily match the color coded wires to the receptacles on the back of the soundcard without any problem. Perhaps it was just my hastiness to get it up and running that caused me to overlook those things.
Also, the installation/troubleshooting booklet and connection guide were pretty sad if you ask me. Don't expect to get much help on that end.
Sound
In my opinion, these speakers sound great. At least in comparison to the 2.1 set I had before.
Comparing these 80 watt speakers to other 120 watt speakers on the market, you would probably think the 120 watt was better but to be honest, these work perfectly fine for someone who likes to listen to music a lot and will probably play an RPG game every once in a while.
The subwoofer sounds great as well and has a volume control behind it if you need to manually adjust it. I had to take the subwoofer off the floor for fear that my downstairs neighbor would be disturbed by the intense rumbling.
The center, front and rear speakers sound crisp as well. The rear speakers have cords long enough to stretch 7 or 8 feet for the full surround-sound effect and don't detach from the speakers themselves, only from the subwoofer. The front right speaker has the power button, the fade slider, and the volume slider, all within reach of the PC user (but probably not the DVD/CD-player user).
Added Functionality
According to the box, these speakers could easily be hooked up to a DVD player or CD player creating an inexpensive in-home theater. I've never tried this myself, but I imagine the quality of the sound wouldn't change when using these methods.
However, for some reason, the connection guide doesn't offer instructions to connect these speakers to a DVD player. Unless the manufacturer assumes a user would assume to use the CD player connection instructions.
The Mounting Brackets
Installing the mounting brackets was a piece of cake. Place the brackets in the area you feel you would get the most out of them and then screw in the brackets using the provided screws. There are holes for 4 screws so it won't be going anywhere. The speakers are so lightweight, you really don't even have to worry about them testing the sturdiness of the brackets. The arms of the brackets hook around the neck of the speaker in a U-shape and have protective front hooks that prevent the speaker from sliding forward.
Tip: If you're picky about placement, you might want to use a laser leveler to make sure they're both at the same height.
To Sum Up...
This is a great set of speakers for someone who wants better sound than just a 2-speaker or 2.1 speaker arrangement but doesn't want to spend over $100. Even though I've only been using them for a month, I haven't run into any problems, but rest assured I will update this review if any come up.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
sangria808k
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Member: Kristine
Location: Dallas, TX USA
Reviews written: 55
Trusted by: 8 members
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