This is the brains of the system. It includes all the controls, inputs and digital processing. The front panel has an oversized volume knob in a central position which is very pleasing to use, as it simulates a volume control on high end DJ equipment. It sports a nice chrome finish and is weighed to feel like it belongs to a big amplifier. The front face has 5 buttons which controls the functions of the system including input selection, effects, settings, audio settings and a dedicated mute button. The controls are well laid out and feel quite sturdy. Also on the front face is a 2 line backlit LCD which displays system settings. It is bright enough for daytime use, but not too bright as to be a nuisance when watching movies in darkened rooms. It is quite large allowing system settings to be adjusted by remote control from across the room.
Inputs are located to the back of the control centre, to the bottom. If right angle stereo connectors are used, it is possible to wall mount the control centre with a bit of ingenuity, which results in a very elegant appearance. Overall the control system exudes high build quality. A set of 3 stereo cables are supplied to make analogue connections to the unit.
Speakers:
Main, centre and surround speakers appear identical, although more power goes to the centre speaker which is mounted horizontally. They are very large when one takes off the grille and sees the small speaker contained. With grills removed they look spectacular on the wall. Wall mounting is a bit of a pin though as 2 holes need to be drilled for each speaker and the speakers get in the way of the mounting process. Do not be tempted to remove the bracket from the speaker to mount them as I have seen reports that it is impossible to put the speaker back on once removed. Speakers are provided with push terminals for speaker wire attachment.
Subwoofer:
This is the highlight of the system. Sub is well designed, but placement is critical especially in smaller rooms. A substantial change in sound is caused by slight changes in location. The only way to get around this is experimentation to find the optimum location, a corner usually works best. On later models, a row of push terminals are provided on the back of the subwoofer for speaker connection. This is a major advantage over speakers with RCA plugs as you can use whatever length of wier you want, and you can use the system in another location simply by detaching the wire from the speakers and sub, moving them, and using different wire at the new location. This saves removing and rerouting wires every time you need to move the system.
Power:
The power of this system is tremendous, being by far the most powerful computer speakers I have heard. The wattage has to be conservatively rated as it is louder than many home theather systems of higher wattages. I cannot play this system for periods of more that 2 mins at maximum volume without getting a headache. For testing purposes, I wore ear protection for my own safety. The subwoofer in particular is thunderous, causing strong vibrations to be felt through my concrete floor and rattle windows in other rooms. The subwoofer, rated at 188 watts and a massive 10 inch high excursion driver easily outperformed a 200 W JBL sub with a 12 inch driver and compared better to an Infinity sub rated at 400 W with a 12 inch driver.
Sound:
The system is THX certified and in most cases it lives up to this standard. Note well that at high power level such as those used for this system, a clean signal is essential. A poor sound card will result in terrible sound when the volume is turned up. Good music sources are also critical. MP3s encoded at less than 192 Kb will sound bad in many cases. This I feel is the cause of many reports of bad sound coming from the system. The control centre’s is truly a wonder containing all the processing and settings normally found on high end receivers.
The biggest downfall of the system was the subwoofer. It is a bass reflex design, with a 10 inch woofer and a flared 4 inch port. Although this design maximises power output, quality is sacrificed as the bass response does not seem to be flat across the range. This could be an effect of the environment however, and placement in different rooms does result in large changes of the bass character.
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