Sony Srs-Zx1 Stereo Speakers (Silver) Review

When I was searching for speakers, there were a few important points on my checklist. First, I wanted speakers thatwould sound great at low to medium volume, because that's how I listen to it 99% of the time. Second, it must besmall, because I don't have much desk space. There's a large UPS behind my monitor, so I can't fit asubwoofer.Third, I wanted a remote, and this one has a very basic wireless IR. Maybe it's a bit too basic. I would have likedto have a fader so I can balance the volume between the two sources. I have a small TV and my PC hooked up to thesespeakers, and it would be nice to fade the TV when viewing a video online.

I'm up late working, or playing games, and I don't want to disturb anyone, so the speakers must sound clear at lowvolume. With the sony, the sound is clear, and the bass is audible without disturbing others. The bass port is veryeffective at boosting the bottom end. Looking into the reflex port, the small tube is lined with felt, a nicefunctional detail. The bass output is decent for such small speakers. They can reproduce a sine wave down to 45 Hz.At 40 Hz, the sound is barely audible. My Bose Mediamates could only reproduce a sine wave down to 60 Hz. Whenplaying the Deadline Dissident CD, the bass was clearly audible, but it did have trouble reproducing the deepernotes of Bill Laswell. When playing music at high levels, the bass just could not keep up, and the sound distorts.So, I would not recommend these if you expect to fill a room with music.

Another thing I like about these speakers is that the housing is made of thick aluminum. They do not suffer fromthat hollow plastic sound, where the enclosure resonates sounds. The surface has a rich satin finish, with polishededges that give it an elegant look. The metal case probably adds a lot to the cost of the unit, but it really is anice departure from all the plastic speakers out there. These feel as if they were engineered to last. If you arenot bothered by the price, and you want a clean, clear, and natural sound at low volume, then these speakers arefor you. I was lucky enough to find these on sale at a local store for less than $150. At the price I paid, I gaveit five stars.

I wish these had a headphone jack, and a fader control. Having separate bass and treble controls might help, butit's not critical, since the sound is fairly balanced. When compared to the Bose Mediamate speakers (also 2.0), theSony sounds natural, and the music seems as if it's coming from much larger speakers. In contrast, the Bose soundsbrighter, because the the upper midrange is coming through loud and clear, but the bottom spectrum is weak. TheSony sounds more like a hifi than the Bose, which sounds very thin. The thumping of the bass drum will go throughwalls a lot easier with the Sony, so you'll need to be a little more careful with the volume control.

Out of curiosity, I decided to pull out the old Cambridge Soundworks Microworks (3 piece system). I've forgottenhow great these sound. It fills a room with rich, and dynamic music. The sub will produce a sine wave down to 25Hz, and is loud enough to make any music sound so much richer than the diminutive Sony. Unfortunately, when youturn down the volume, it sounds awful, most of the spectrum drops off except for the lower midrange. This is wherethe Sony really shines, all frequencies come through loud and clear. I'm glad I brought them out, because I can usethe CS remote as a volume control for the TV.

Overall, these speakers sound very natural, and clear. It lacks the bottom end of larger 2.1 systems, but at lowvolume, it sounds as if you are listening to larger speakers from across the room. Doing a frequency sweep revealsa smooth response across the entire spectrum. It's true that a 2.1 system will sound better than this unit, but ifyou don't have the space, and you're looking for speakers that sound good at low volume, then you should considerthese.

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Product Description:
Sony SRS-ZX1 is a powerful (40W) 2.0 channel speaker system ideal for desktop PC and laptop computer with additional input for your MP3 player. Enjoy the deeper bass and full-range of audio frequencies that Mobius Duct and Turbo Shift technologies provide.

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