Another hardware marvel from Microsoft

I am what you would call an audio guru, not quite as overzealous as an audiophile but I do like high fidelity sounds. That said, I first came across these speakers hooked to a display machine in a local PC shop and was amazed how a 50' x 60' room was filled with sound coming from two small satellites and a modest sized sub. I came to find out that they were from Microsoft and that they were digital no less. Wanting to buy them on the spot as they put to shame all of the Altec, JBL, and Labtec speakers available at that time. (They STILL challenge most of todays systems too!) They were being sold for $299 which was too much for me. I brought a friend back to the store to hear them and he couldn't believe his ears.

I found several weeks later that Electronics Boutique was selling them for $119 so both my friend and I picked one up. In the box are the three speakers, (left, right, & subwoofer) the software CD, and all the required cables. If you are hooking it up to your sound card then you don't need the CD however, this unit really shines in digital mode which requires a USB port.

The CD includes the driver software and a demo program to show off the system. I tested the system with several music CD's ranging from classical to R&B and the renditions were excellent. You do need to utilize the preprogrammed EQ settings because the digital aspect makes the music "too pure". Changing the settings to match makes them warmer. I also played sever 192khz mp3 files which were also flawless. People who came by while it was playing thought the sound was coming from my 350w Aiwa system when in fact it was the teeny 80w DS80!!

The satellites deliver ear shattering mids and highs and the amplified sub with Phillips wOOx technology pumps plenty of bass. So much bass that the sub volume stayed at 1/3 in order to not vibrate the whole computer desk!! Even the master volume never went past 1/4 otherwise you could hear it in the parking lot of my apartment complex!! I have nothing but praise for this system and the only thing that I am disappointed by is that Microsoft no longer sells it. I have not been as impressed by anything on the market since.