[SerialListener]

Hi everyone,
 
First thread here, and the reason I'm posting here is I'd like to talk about Corsair's first speaker system's musical performance.
 
I read really positive reviews around the internet, so I decided to buy them because I needed new speakers. I chose the 2.1 format because I don't have a lot of room and didnt feel like going with 5.1 or 7.1 (and also have limited budget). I had a 2.0 "computer" speaker before.
 
Actually I was using Sony's CMTCPZ3 as computer speaker before. They have a really satisfying sound for the price. They provide good sound for music, games, anything. But since I recently moved I left them in my previous location and so had to look for new speakers.
 
Ok, so I got the Corsair speakers yesterday in the mail. The box is quite big. The subwoofer is indeed big.
 
The design and build quality is ok. The design is nothing special, but I wasnt looking for anything special. It's black and simple.
 
Corsair have a good reputation for computer parts, I built my own PC and have a Corsair power supply which has worked fine so far. But when it comes to speakers, they have no references.
 
I plugged the speakers and played a Weezer song. The sound was metallic. Trying other songs and types of music, I was disappointed by the musical performance. It sounded cheap.
 
I know these are branded as "gaming" speakers, so I should'nt expect outstanding music. But I thought that they should sound at least as good as the Sonys, since they're more expensive.
 
I started playing with the settings and equalizer to see if things could be improved. First, reducing VLC to 75%, Windows sound volume to 45% (a little less than half) and increasing the volume of the speakers seemed to reduce the noise and hiss. I was hearing a lot of hiss and noise the first time I plugged them in. It is a bit surprising, because I have HD Audio on the motherboard (Realtek audio) so the sound coming from the PC should be ok. Also, I'm using only lossless files (FLAC).
 
In the Realtek HD sound setup I tried the 5.1 setting with muted central and side speakers. It didnt change much, so I switched back to the default stereo setting.
 
I tried setting the subwoofer 2 bars above the overall volume, because it seemed like I could only hear the subwoofer at very loud volumes. It was a bit better, but the low frequencies are making me dizzy pretty fast.
 
With all these tweaks, it definitely sounded better, almost ok, but still the music seemed "flat". Especially the mid-range seemed really weak. And the bass was only powerful at really loud volumes, where I had to be out of the room to bear it.
 
Then I tried changing the equalizer using the corsair remote provided with the speakers. I had read in an online review that these settings were useless and only made the sound worse, so until then I had not bothered changing the default settings.
 
Well actually switching the "program" setting to "dynamic pop" seemed to really improve the listening experience. With that setting, the sound is similar to what I experienced on the Sony speakers before. Maybe just a little less clear and detailed.
 
Other than that, the subwoofer is really powerful. A fun thing to do is disconnect the two smaller speakers, put the volume very loud, and play a bass heavy track ("Onslaught" by Mind Vortex is a good one for that). You can then use your subwoofer as a deadly vibration beam! It makes various things shake in the next room, depending on the exact frequency being played.
 
Hope this was helpful for those interested in these speakers. Also, if you own them, let me know of your experience and settings!
 
UPDATE 2011 08 22 : Just bought the M-Audio Audiophile 24/96 sound card. I have to say the sound is crystal clear now. So the answers below suggesting that the reduced quality comes from the Realtek HD Audio onboard chipset seem to be correct.
 
Even at high volume, the sound is perfect. So my new conclusion : this is a very good set of speakers, high fidelity. HiFi also means that if you feed them crap, they will output crap... Using FLAC and the M-Audio soundcard, it's incredible sound quality, I am re-discovering my music. And best switch to "Program: none" and "EQ: reference"
 

 

[ohaider]

Thanks for the first impressions.
 
I saw a video of unboxing/review for these speakers and the guy didn't mention any of the problems with hiss, etc that you mentioned - are you sure you didn't get a faulty unit or something?
 
Nevertheless, it's disappointing to hear that they didn't sound very good because they really do cost quite a bit (like you mentioned). 

 

[SerialListener]

The problem with professional reviews is that 1) the guys make a living of out of them and 2) they don't pay with their hard earned money for the products they review. Add to this that they might be somehow financially dependent on your reaction to the review, either because of ads on their website, or because there are affiliate links on their website for the reviewed products. => Bias.
 
Back to the speakers, they don't sound bad at all, they're just not music oriented, which means you need to tweak them to get the sound you want from them.
Yes, at the first listen, I thought I had wasted my money. But with the tweaks described above I get a sound similar to what I had with the Sony CMT CPZ1 that I was using before. I read other reviews on the internet saying that you should select "dynamic pop" program setting if you want the sound to be warmer and if you find the default setting to be boring.
 
Maybe you just need to break-in new speakers, like with new shoes. These speakers really show their strength at very high volumes and with bass oriented music.
 
Bottom line : I'm satisfied with this purchase, my neighbours are not!
 
 

 

[Roller]

Realtek? Odd software volume levels that mess with dynamic range? I don't think you're doing that much justice to the speakers in the first place. The minimum you could do was getting a clean source, not onboard chipsets.

 

[SerialListener]

I was using exactly the same source before with the Sony speakers, and the sound was crystal clear.
 
It's not the source.
 
Anyway, I said the problem is sort of solved by setting the DSP program to dynamic pop.
 
Read the complete thread before replying

 
 

 

[Roller]

Oh, I read. And I'm very sorry for your Sony speakers, having to put out sound from an onboard chipset, which is basically the furthest you can get from a clean source. Seriously, do yourself a favor and get a DAC as soon as possible, any speakers and headphones you listen to will sound miles ahead of what you have right now, no matter what Realtek chipset you have.

 

[Roller]

What I'm saying is that despite the Sony speakers sounding ok, you really don't know how good they can sound until you feed them clean pristine sound, which can't be achieved through onboard chipsets.

 

[acme15]

No offense but you can't really criticise the performance of a speaker when using realtek HD audio as the source.
It is absolutely terrible. The only way I can briefly describe it is that it makes music sound dead. It just sucks all the life out of it and presents you a flat durgey mess.

 

[WarOfGears3]

I'm running the SP2500 with my Claro Halo XT and the sound is fantastic for a sub $400 CDN setup.
 
If you're serious about getting these speakers, it's definitely worth it to invest in a quality sound card too.

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

Have you heard Realtek HD ALC889 chip? It's not really that bad, previous ones were though, it even faires quite well in benchmarks.

 

[acme15]

Quote:

Have you heard Realtek HD ALC889 chip? It's not really that bad, previous ones were though, it even faires quite well in benchmarks.

 
My motherboard has ALC 892 with THX Tru-Studio enhancement. And it is TERRIBLE :L

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

Quote:

 
My motherboard has ALC 892 with THX Tru-Studio enhancement. And it is TERRIBLE :L

 
Well I'm liking my ALC889 so much I decided to sell Titanium HD and ASUS D2 cuz they didn't bring any noteworthy improvement. The Realtek chip even got the best balance out of those 3 (Titanium HD too warm and D2 was on the cold/analytical/bright side) and Realtek chip fits right in-between, sounds best balanced. I don't use speakers tho so can't comment on that. What exactly is terrible?
 
 

 

[Chogin]

Hi, i would like to get this out there for everyone who owns an Sp-2500 and those who are considering these magnificent speakers.
 
To get the most out of them, it should be self explanatory to use a decent soundcard or good onboard audio, especially a dedicated audiophile class soundcard as it will have more dynamic range and greater signal to noise ratio.
 
I highly recommend checking if there is an impedance differance between your sound card and the SP-2500 as the SP-2500 is built on the -10dBv standard, mismatched impedance may cost you dynamic range if you have too turn down the volume in order too not have the DSP clip the signal. If they are mismatched, try adding a preamp to your system.
 
One of the most important aspects of getting the most out of the speakers is that when listening to music, your soundcard should be turned way up to 100% to allow for max dynamic range and greater fidelity. These may sound like fancy words, but in the real world. It means more transparent sound, more depth, a more pronounced difference in loudness as dynamic range is a fancy way to say how big the difference between the loudest and the lowest sounds are, which again will help music come to life.
 
However, there is a flipside and an annoyance. Some Soundcards have a line out signal which is in the range of +4dBu which is too "hot" for the SP-2500. The SP-2500 is more at home with -10dB and will attenuate or "clip" away all peaks which are too loud for the DSP. Some will advice you to just turn down the volume, but that WILL cost you dynamic range and will make the sound seem distant and closed.
 
In short, if using a high grade Soundcard with "studio" grade specs. Using a preamp/receiver to control the input volume will allow you to set your soundcard to its maximum performance level whilst not overwhelming the speaker system and as such acheive the best sound.
 
As for preamps or receivers, any basic one will be better than none with a high ouput card such as the Essence STX. I myself prefer a tube amp as even though i have a good DAC, the output signal is not completely analog, and the tube will smooth the sound and take away some of the harsh characteristics.
 
ough...
 
Not a very tidy post, but hopefully people are able to understand some of it. Hope some will find it useful.

 

[tw34ker]

  Hi, i would like to get this out there for everyone who owns an Sp-2500 and those who are considering these magnificent speakers.
 
To get the most out of them, it should be self explanatory to use a decent soundcard or good onboard audio, especially a dedicated audiophile class soundcard as it will have more dynamic range and greater signal to noise ratio.
 
I highly recommend checking if there is an impedance differance between your sound card and the SP-2500 as the SP-2500 is built on the -10dBv standard, mismatched impedance may cost you dynamic range if you have too turn down the volume in order too not have the DSP clip the signal. If they are mismatched, try adding a preamp to your system.
 
One of the most important aspects of getting the most out of the speakers is that when listening to music, your soundcard should be turned way up to 100% to allow for max dynamic range and greater fidelity. These may sound like fancy words, but in the real world. It means more transparent sound, more depth, a more pronounced difference in loudness as dynamic range is a fancy way to say how big the difference between the loudest and the lowest sounds are, which again will help music come to life.
 
However, there is a flipside and an annoyance. Some Soundcards have a line out signal which is in the range of +4dBu which is too "hot" for the SP-2500. The SP-2500 is more at home with -10dB and will attenuate or "clip" away all peaks which are too loud for the DSP. Some will advice you to just turn down the volume, but that WILL cost you dynamic range and will make the sound seem distant and closed.
 
In short, if using a high grade Soundcard with "studio" grade specs. Using a preamp/receiver to control the input volume will allow you to set your soundcard to its maximum performance level whilst not overwhelming the speaker system and as such acheive the best sound.
 
As for preamps or receivers, any basic one will be better than none with a high ouput card such as the Essence STX. I myself prefer a tube amp as even though i have a good DAC, the output signal is not completely analog, and the tube will smooth the sound and take away some of the harsh characteristics.
 
ough...
 
Not a very tidy post, but hopefully people are able to understand some of it. Hope some will find it useful.

Do you think switching to onboard sound would improve the quality? I have an expensive new motherboard I am about to put in, it has an inbuilt sound solution called "Purity Sound 2" and is based on the ALC1150 chip. Seems to have a lower but still respectable 115db SNR; I think my current is 120db and an otherwise very nice Auzentech Meridian 2G. The other option is to go with another lower spec Creative card as I would prefer to not have to complicate this setup any further.

I think sound quality is good, however subjectively I think you might be onto something with having the sound card at 100 percent. I limit the sound card currently, but I find myself having to turn up the sound using VLC or Winamp. Haven't had much of a difference in sound but obviously it is far from ideal.

PURITY SOUND LINK:

http://www.asrock.com/news/index.asp?id=1263

I've also heard good things about this chip from users at this forum.

 

[samhain1969]

I know this thread/review is a bit old, but I could not help but laugh my ***** off when reading where the OP tested the Corsairs (or any speaker for that mater) with a REALTEK onboard chip...  Amazing!
 
At least pick a decent soundchip/souncard/dac when doing so, friend.  As the OP stated later, results vary/changed when using a quality sound source...  This has been common knowledge for years in audio testing.
 
Best advice for anyone reading reviews of any PC hardware, take a look at ALL of the hardware included...  What's used can and will make a difference in actual test measurements and any perceived results.