Cyber Acoustics - it's a brand name that you probably associate with cheap speakers and headphones with boom mics. But wait! ...
While at Office Depot looking around for speakers, I was actually looking for something along the lines of the Logitech Z-5500 5.1, or perhaps a similar stellar package in a 2.1 form.
I ran into
Logitech's Z-4 and Z-2300 as well. Both did not impress me much. After asking the sales person what he thought was the best sounding of the bunch, he pointed to the Acoustic Research A-3640A.
It was already installed on a PC viewing The Island on DVD. I asked if I can use it on my
MP3 player, and was given permission to.
The Speakers The satellites are weighted pretty well, and are 2-way units. A cloth-over-plastic grill cover the drivers, and as far as I can tell, is cannot be removed. At least I couldn't anyways. The base is plastic, but has a fake carbon fiber look. The connectors are standard RCA-type, so you can extend the 7-foot cables if you needed with RCA extension cables. The left and right are the same, but have different colored connectors for you so you can tell which goes where.
They connect to the rear of the subwoofer, where the remote goes too. The sub is large, heavy, and ported. According to a sticker on the rear, it is not shielded, so be careful not to put it too close to anything that can be affected by magnetic fields, such as video/audio tape, diskettes, and hard drives. A mini-jack cable goes from the sub to the sound card.
The remote is interesting. It is back-lit by blue LEDs that never turns off, even when you turn off the speakers. It is well-weighted so it won't fall towards the tension of the cable, and its shape resembles a mouse, complete with two scroll wheels for sub and volume controls. A mechanical power switch is also located here, as is a headphone jack.
The Test I have used several kinds of music to test - some bass-heavy hip-hop and rap, some wailing Queens of the Stone Age, middling Interpol, and some classical music (along with the game "Prey" soundtrack Volume 1).
I was surprisingly shocked to experience what I heard. First off, the bass is tight and powerful. Overall, the satellites and sub compliments each other without one overpowering another. Unlike other satellite speakers that belts out flat midst and no highs, these speakers were able to reproduce midst and highs very well. The sub reproduced the bass very well, and can shake the room in some of the thumping hip-hop passages. The bass was very powerful, but doesn't seem to over do it. All in all, very clear and crisp.
The rock music was just as stellar, reproducing drums and vocals ecstatically. Guitar riffs were loud and clear over the satellites, while the drums are kicked out without too much power over the subs, unlike the hip-hop sample.
Classical and orchestral music (Prey soundtrack) was simply amazing. The satellites handled the highs admirably, while the moody low sections were felt as well as heard from the sub.
Turning up the volume caused no distortion, which is amazing considering the low price and unknown/cheap-brand status.
I never heard of the brand name "Acoustic Research", and when I went online, I found out they were a line of speakers Cyber Acoustic made! I was shocked and awed, and here to review what I found.
The Verdict I read user reviews that ranged from bad to good. However, all of them have one thing in common - they all agreed that these speakers sounded great, and was amazed at the low sub-$100 price. However, some say it lasted a long time (owned them for 3 years without a problem), while others say it failed from anywhere between 1-2 years. The ones who had theirs failed said that Cyber Acoustics were very responsive and have sent replacement units, only to have those fail in around the same time.
If anything, these speakers sound like (and reminded me of)the now $230
Klipsch Promedia 2.1 speakers, and some have said even Klipsch had issues with quality. I don't see any reason not to try out the Cyber Acoustic. Keep it if you agree with the sound. It seems to have the same reliability issues as Klipsch at more than half the cost.
Technical Specs from Cyber Acoustic's Website System power output - 110 watts total
Satellites - 25 watts x 2
Subwoofer - 60 watts
Satellites - 3" dynamic radiators
Subwoofer - 8" Power Pro Series driver
- Tuned port
- Wood enclosed cabinet
Frequency response - 40-18K Hz
Power - Internal power supply, UL/UCL approved
Cables - 7’ Cords to source, satellites, and subwoofer
- Complete cable assembly included for immediate set up
- Gold plated 3.5mm plugs
Dimensions: Satellites - (H) 8.00" x (W) 3.50" x (D) 3.50"
Subwoofer - (H) 14.50" x (W) 14.50" x (D) 14.50"
