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Introduction:::...
Take
the cleanest, purest, most harmonic sound, then feed it
through crappy speakers. What do you get? Crappy sound!
With
modern PCs and even relatively cheap DVD players, the potential
to fill your house with the clearest of highs, the richest
of mids and throatiest of lows is huge. So what's stopping
us? Well in most cases what's stopping us is a pair of rather
pathetic little speakers on the desk that came bundled with
the PC. They probably claim to be able to output a smirk-inducing
500watts or something equally ridiculous, but realistically
produce something that doesn't even make it to double figures.
Then to add insult to injury, the limited sound they do
manage to create sound simply awful.
If
you've read any of the speaker reviews on the 'Net you've
no doubt realised that good speakers cost good prices. The
old adage that you get what you pay for is particularly
true when it comes to PC speakers, while those designed
to turn your living room into a mini home cinema often carry
ludicrous price tags.
So
what can you do? You're fed up with lifeless, tinny sound
but you really don't want to lay down in excess of £150
for the privilege of something that only seems to matter
to you when you've got a film, MP3 or music CD on.
Well,
there is a range of cheap but reasonable speakers on the
market. The problem is that there's also a range of cheap
but God-awful speakers on the market too. The secret is
to pick from the right group.
The
speakers I have on the table today come from a company many
of you will have heard of. Mercury are fairly widely known
for their no-fuss, low price products. Established way,
way back in 1978, parent company Kobian have stuck to their
objectives for reasonably priced products that place as
much emphasis on price as they do on quality. In a world
where not everyone want, or can afford the best around,
it's companies like Mercury who try to cater to the budget
restricted without forcing them to miss out completely on
what those with a little more cash are enjoying.
At
under £40 the word is "cheap", but does
cheap mean trash? Let's see.
First
the specs.
-
Real 5:1 Channel, compatible with AC-S, DTS & THX
- Magnetically Shielded Speaker
- 6200 W PMPO Sub-Woofer System
- Stereo Audio through Six-Channel Speakers
- 8W RMS Per Channel - Satellite
- 50W RMS Wooden Sub Woofer
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