Shootouts

Aural Showdown - 2.1 Multimedia Speakers Shootout

By Kenny Yeo - 14 Mar 2009

MP3 Testing Results

MP3 Testing Results

MP3 Testing Results
Speaker Model / Test Tracks Altec Lansing MX 5021 Creative Gigaworks T3 Bose Companion 5 Edifier S730 Klipsch ProMedia GMX A-2.1 Logitech Z-Cinema Razer Mako
Hotel California - Eagles 3.5 4 5 4 4.5 5 4.5
Sail on Soothsayer - Buckethead 4 4.5 5 3.5 5 4.5 4.5
Melt my Heart to Stone - Adele 4 4.5 5 4 5 5 5
Tiesto - Elements of Life 2.5 3.5 5 3.5 5 5 5
Overall 3 4 5 3.5 4.5 4.5 4.5

The Altec Lansing MX5021 speakers' soft bass was painfully apparent on Tiesto's Elements of Life, as it made the track sound lethargic. Even after maxing out the bass output using the wired remote control, the track continued to sound flat and unexciting. We experienced the same feeling on Hotel California. It sounded much better, fortunately, on the instrumental Sail on Soothsayer and the jazzy Melt my Heart to Stone. Vocals, especially, seem to be the MX5021's strongest point, as Adele sounded smooth and warm.

The Bose Companion 5 really shone when it came to MP3 testing, as it showed itself to be exceptionally capable when it came to music. Hotel California was pure ecstasy, as the drums were punchy and tight, and we could almost make out the individual guitar strings being plucked and strummed. The same goes for Buckethead's Sail on Soothsayer. The Companion 5 also made the vocals of Adele sound honey-smooth, and on Tiesto's Elements of Life, it fully demonstrated its awesome bass control, albeit being a little light on bass. Considering its 5.25-inch subwoofer unit, Bose has done a great job in tuning it to its maximum potential.

While the Creative Gigaworks T3 sounded great on our CD test tracks, it started to show some shortcomings. The most glaring of all, is its bloated bass. On Hotel California, the drums sounded it had punch, but it wasn't tight and it sounded airy, as if Don Henley was hitting a giant air balloon. This was also apparent on Elements of Life, where the bass was overwhelming and muddy. We had to adjust the bass levels downwards to get the best out of it. This looks like it's squarely the design choice of using triple woofers in the subwoofer unit, thus a bass level setting for one type of usage might not bode well with another. Elsewhere, fortunately, the Gigaworks T3 sounded open and smooth.

The Edifier S730 sounded very average, despite its not-so-average size. That is not to say that it is bad, but it doesn't make you stand up and take notice. We also noted that it sounded somewhat grainy on Sail on Soothsayer, taking away some of the smoothness of Buckethead's fluid guitar playing. This graininess replicated itself too when we put on Adele, as she didn't sound as smooth. Finally, Elements of Life was sorely lacking in bass, but when turning up the subwoofer volume and bass levels degraded the quality of bass quite substantially.

The Klipsch ProMedia GMX A-2.1 continued its fine showing here, proudly showing off its audiophile roots. Overall, we thought it sounded very much like the Gigaworks T3, but with far better bass control. The bass slam from the opening sequence of Hotel California was tight, unlike that of the Gigaworks T3, and it has very smooth mids and highs. In fact, it was as good as the awesome Bose Companion 5, but was let down (comparatively), only very slightly, in terms of overall sound refinement and soundstage.

Not to be outdone, the Logitech Z-Cinema proved itself to be a capable performer here as well. It handled vocals beautifully, but where it really shone was on Tiesto's Element of Life. Its powerful sound and awesome bass really makes you feel like getting up on your feet and dance.

The Razer Mako is yet another outstanding performer. It sounds impressive, but slightly less so than the Bose. It is a good match, but loses out ever so slightly as the Bose was crystal clear and smooth. But where it loses to the Bose in terms of clarity and precision of the mids and highs, it makes up by being the absolute King of bass. At neutral, the bass was already sufficient and it was punchy and supremely tight. Maxing out the bass volume degrades the quality only by the tiniest bit.

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