A remarkable desktop loudspeaker (for multimedia, cd-rom, etc.)
Julian Vrieslander
a pair of desktop units to install next to a Macintosh, for use in
testing some sound synthesis software that I am developing. Getting
speakers with built-in amps seemed liked like a good way to minimize
clutter on a desk that is already infested with too much electronics. I
also plan to use these speakers with CDs and CD-ROMs, so sound quality
was an important factor. After listening to quite a few products, I
picked the Sony SRS-88PC. These puppies do *not* match the performance
of a good full range monitoring loudspeaker. But considering their size
and price, the Sonys do some things astonishingly well.
There are two variants of this product, and the only difference is color
as far as I can tell: the SRS-88 is dark charcoal grey, and the SRS-88PC
comes in universal computer beige-grey. The enclosures are nondescript
9" high quasi-cylinders. Each unit contains its own power supply and
amplifier, and on the top of each is a power switch, volume control pot,
and a second pot that controls the level of electronic frequency
equalization. There is only one driver, a 2.6" cone working into a
miniature bass reflex enclosure. The cone has a rolled rubber surround
to allow large excursions. Magnetic components are shielded to allow
speaker placement next to a video tube. Street price is about $150/pair.
I was able to arrange (non-blind) A/B comparisons between the SRS-88 and
several other self-powered speakers, some of which are considerably more
complex, with subwoofers, multiple drivers, DSP circuits, etc. Some of
these other products have advantages over the SRS-88:
- The Apple Powered Speakers have a better control layout (volume and
balance controls on one speaker) and a cleaner package design.
- The Acoustic Research AV-622 Powered Partner system has substantially
more extended bass response, and will play louder without overloading.
- The Altec Lansing ACS300 system has controls for bass and treble, and a
DSP circuit that can add an adjustable level of artificial stereo
effect.
- The Sony SRS-170 (discontinued model?) will play louder and has more
bass.
All of the above models were more expensive than the SRS-88, but I much
preferred the sound of the little Sonys. To me, the other systems
sounded like boom boxes of varying quality levels. The Sonys could,
with good source material, and within their limited frequency range,
show the kind of clarity and stereo imaging that I associate with a very
good home audio system (my "other" speakers are full range
electrostatics). There is not much bass, but the near field listening
environment seems to give an illusion of more bass than what's there.
I'm not sure why these speakers have such an appealing sound. Maybe
it's the coherence that is obtainable from using a single full range
driver. Maybe the electronic EQ is shaped to produce a non-flat but
euphonic frequency response. All I know is that when I have these
things playing while I work, I often get distracted and drawn into the
music in a way that did not happen with other mini-speakers that I have
had around. I have to turn off the tunes to get any real work done.
I suspect that some folks will take a listen to the SRS-88 and come to
different conclusions. If you like a "rock-em-sock-em" kind of sound,
or want something to use for computer game sound effects, or you need to
fill a room with sound, then look elsewhere. But if you want small,
cheap, self-powered near field monitors that sound very transparent and
natural on music, check these things out.
--
Julian Vrieslander
Neurobiology & Behavior, Mudd Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca NY 14853
INTERNET: julian_vr...@cornell.edu BITNET: eacj@crnlthry
Neal Tollisen
and was _very_ disappointed in their cost and quality.
Several years ago, I bought a Yamaha music keyboard, and the
music store threw in a pair of powered Yamaha speakers for
free (retail price was $100-150 for the pair; I don't remember
for sure...). Each speaker has an AC cord, a push-button on/off
switch, and a volume pot. They each take a 1/4" phone plug.
Each speaker simply has one 4" driver, but they are fairly hefty,
so they have a pretty good frequency response.
For what it's worth, I'd suggest checking music stores for
alternatives to the lousy sound of PC speakers!
-----
Neal Tollisen n...@plaza.ds.adp.com
Chaim Manaster
This group is reserved by it charter ONLY for material that
relates to the publishing of cdroms.
Please do not abuse the time of the regular readers of this group by
poluting it with unrelated subject matter.
Sincerely
Henry Manaster
--
***************************************************************************
Henry Manaster * EMail: mana...@yu1.yu.edu
Brooklyn, NY *
*
Disclaimer: The above is not necessarily MY opinion nor that
of anyone else :-) ????!
****************************************************************************
Glen Rosendale
: I recently prowled the market for small self-powered speakers. I needed
: a pair of desktop units to install next to a Macintosh, for use in
: testing some sound synthesis software that I am developing. Getting
: speakers with built-in amps seemed liked like a good way to minimize
: clutter on a desk that is already infested with too much electronics. I
: also plan to use these speakers with CDs and CD-ROMs, so sound quality
: was an important factor. After listening to quite a few products, I
: picked the Sony SRS-88PC. These puppies do *not* match the performance
: of a good full range monitoring loudspeaker. But considering their size
: and price, the Sonys do some things astonishingly well.
< stuff deleted ...>
: --
: Julian Vrieslander
: Neurobiology & Behavior, Mudd Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca NY 14853
: INTERNET: julian_vr...@cornell.edu BITNET: eacj@crnlthry
Actally, I bought a pair of the Sony SRS-88PC's and returned them within
a day: although the sound reproduction was fine, they had a fatal flaw in
their automatic power-down feature. Every time they powered up (e.g. a
typical system beep after many minutes of silence) they would skip the
first few milliseconds of sound; and they made an audible "pop/click"
sound.
This was horribly distracting, and as far as I could see there was no
way to disable auto power-on/off. Not even with the AC adapter installed.
So instead I went with some "Labtec" units that don't have the sound
quality I would have liked, but are usable for typical use.
Just my 2 centidollars,
glen rosendale (gl...@netcom.com)
David Robinson
As a footnote to Julian's notes on the Sony SRS-88/88PC speakers:
There is one major difference between the two models *not* mentioned in
his article. The SRS-88 is *not* magnetically shielded for use near
computer monitors. The SRS-88PC *is* shielded.
Sony seems to be designating their magnetically shielded speakers with
the suffix "PC" in its model numbering system.
david
--
My opinions belong to me...and vice versa. They're not copyrighted;
third party thinkers should feel free to clone them at will.
da...@agora.rain.com
da...@3cpu.rain.com (just in case!)
David Holcomb
: Please find a more appropriate newsgroup for this thread.
: This group is reserved by it charter ONLY for material that
: relates to the publishing of cdroms.
: Please do not abuse the time of the regular readers of this group by
: poluting it with unrelated subject matter.
I have never seen the charter for this group, but if it only deals
with the *publishing* of CDROMs, then it has been named incorrectly.
"Multimedia" != CDROM, it is much more vast than that. I think a
post commenting on the type of speakers that people are likely to
use in a _multimedia_ presentation belongs in a newsgroup called
comp.multimedia. A post dealing with publishing CDROMs belongs in
a group named comp.cdrom or comp.publish.cdrom.
IMHO,
David Holcomb
hol...@csugrad.cs.vt.edu
Glen Rosendale
: Just my 2 centidollars,
: glen rosendale (gl...@netcom.com)
Oops... color my face red and call me embarrassed. I went to Fry's Electronics
tonight and looked at the speakers that gave me grief; they were Sony *SRS-58PC's*,
not 88-C's. The 88-C's do indeed look like fine speakers, albeit a little beyond
my price range.
Sorry for the misinformation.
glen rosendale (gl...@netcom.com)
Issa El-Hazin
Hi,
I found this on the internet a few weeks ago... you might find
it worth reading if you're shoping for stereo spearks for the PC.
Enjoy.
-------
I have been shopping for desktop stereo speakers. These will be used for
monitoring the output from some Macintosh sound synthesis programs that
I'm developing, and also for playing tunes from the Mac's CD-ROM player
(or a separate WalkPerson). I see that there are other netters
considering these products, so I thought I'd share the info I've found
so far.
Desktop speakers (also called "multimedia" speakers) have some specific
design requirements. They should be magnetically shielded, if used
close to a video monitor. The acoustic response should be optimized for
near field listening. Their footprint should be small enough to fit
on a crowded desk. Many of these products are self-powered (they have
built-in amplifiers and require only a line level input signal).
The 8/93 issue of Windows magazine has a comparative review of 6 self-
powered multimedia speakers, written by David Ranada, a staffer from
Stereo Review magazine. He measured free standing and tabletop
frequency response, and also included his subjective ratings of sound
quality. Here is a synopsis of the product descriptions, and a synopsis
of Ranada's ratings. All the speakers have level controls. Prices are
list for a stereo set.
Acoustic Research Powered Partner AV-622, $349
2 satellites plus separate subwoofer. Bass and treble controls. Best
overall sound quality (rating = A), good bass, plays loud and clean
Altec Lansing ACS300, $400
2 satellites plus separate subwoofer. Bass and treble. Adjustable DSP
phony stereo/spatiousness enhancement. Disappointing sound quality
(rating = C). Bass-heavy, congested. Amp clipping?
Apple Appledesign Powered Speakers, $179
2 pieces. Electronic equalization. Neutral sounding at high and low
listening levels (rating = B). Frequency response not as extended as
some other models, but rather flat.
Koss HD/6, $100
2 pieces. Bass boost button. Anemic bass, depressed midrange, harsh
when played loud (rating = C).
Labtec CS100, $150
Single enclosure for placement under monitor. 2 tweeters plus
downward-firing woofer. Tone control. Minimal stereo separation, not
much bass, mechanical resonances, easily overloaded (rating = C).
Roland MA-12C, $290
2 pieces. Bass and treble. Plays loud without strain, good bass and
high-frequency clarity (rating = B).
So far, I have managed to obtain demos of the first three products on
this list. But these demos were at computer megastores (Comp USA, etc.)
and some of the set-ups were less than ideal. The speakers were far from
ear or desk-level, or the subwoofer buried inside a deep cabinet. To get
meaningful evaluations of these puppies, I'll have to find a dealer
willing to offer a home trial.
With those caveats, I will say that my initial impression of the Altecs
was more favorable than Ranada's opinion. Perhaps I played them
at lower levels. The ARs sounded boomy at two different stores, but that
might have been due to the set-ups. I heard one demo of the Apples that
sounded quite nice, and another demo where their lack of bass relative
to the Altecs was quite noticable. I also had a brief demo of the Sony
SRS-88 ($155, 2 pieces). These sounded very open and smooth, but did not
have the bass of the Altecs and ARs.
I don't need to play very loud - but I'd like to find speakers that have
minimal distortion and coloration, with bass down to 100 Hz or better.
Any suggestions?
--
Julian Vrieslander
Neurobiology & Behavior, Mudd Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca NY 14853
INTERNET: julian_vr...@cornell.edu BITNET: eacj@crnlthry
------
We are using a pair of Labtec SS-100, Bose 201, and Sonys. The Bose
speakers are connected to a sony amp/mixer and thats what we usually
use. I personally think they sound awsome, but I can also get used
to the Labtecs.
Issa
Geoffrey McGaughey
wrote:
Another set of speakers in the Sony line which I haven't seen mentioned,
but certainly worth a good word, are the SRS-D2's. I bought this package
for $150 at one of the major discount merchandise stores. I did a
side-by-side comparison with the SRS-58's and 68's (didn't have the 88's
I've seen mentioned in these articles). There was NO comparison, primarily
because this is a three- piece (sub-woofer) system. I like the sub-woofer
system not only because of its depth of sound, but it also allows the
satellite speakers to be smaller so they take up less space on your
computer table. These measure about 4x4x6H and they look good too! I put
the sub-woofer/amp unit on the floor beside the table (sounds better there,
up against the wall). Anyway, they have plenty of power (20 watts total)
and are magnetically shielded. One other feature that I really like is
that it has two inputs with a A/B switch on the front. I like to listen to
music while I work so I can switch between my Centris/CD-ROM and my Walkman
for background music. No substitute for options! I know sound quality is
quite subjective, but for my ears, I am thoroughly satisfied.
Geoffrey S. McGaughey
---------------------------------------------------------------------
You cannot propel yourself forward by patting yourself on the back!!
======= === ======= === ======= === ======= === ======= ===
Expressed expressions are expressly self-expressive... g mcgaughey
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Geoffrey McGaughey
Vrieslander) wrote:
>
> I recently prowled the market for small self-powered speakers. I needed
> a pair of desktop units to install next to a Macintosh, for use in
> testing some sound synthesis software that I am developing. Getting
> speakers with built-in amps seemed liked like a good way to minimize
> clutter on a desk that is already infested with too much electronics. I
> also plan to use these speakers with CDs and CD-ROMs, so sound quality
> was an important factor. After listening to quite a few products, I
> picked the Sony SRS-88PC. These puppies do *not* match the performance
> of a good full range monitoring loudspeaker. But considering their size
> and price, the Sonys do some things astonishingly well.
>
Another set of speakers in the Sony line which I haven't seen mentioned,
but certainly worth a good word, are the SRS-D2's. I bought this package
for $150 at one of the major discount merchandise stores. I did a
side-by-side comparison with the SRS-58's and 68's (didn't have the 88's
I've seen mentioned in these articles). There was NO comparison, primarily
because this is a three-piece (sub-woofer) system. I like the sub-woofer
system not only because of its depth of sound, but it also allows the
satellite speakers to be smaller so they take up less space on your
computer table. These measure about 4x4x6H (they look good too!). I put
the sub-woofer/amp unit on the floor beside the table (sounds better there,
up against the wall). Anyway, they have plenty of power (20 watts total)
and are magnetically shielded. One other feature that I really like is
that it has two inputs with a A/B switch on the front. I like to listen to
music while I work so I can switch between my Centris/CD-ROM and Walkman