The MSDSS80 Is a serious contender...

MY STORY
I got this Microsoft Digital Sound System 80 a very, very long time ago. Way back when Windows 98 was the top-selling operating system. I got them for $100 after a $50 rebate. I've had them to this very day, and they have worked absolutely perfect! I think I'd trust Microsoft with another speaker system. Trouble is, they've never come out with a single speaker system other than this one. And you may not believe it, but this system incorporated Philips' patented wOOx technology when it wasn't even available in home systems. To this day, THIS IS THE ONLY COMPUTER SET WITH wOOx.

PROS
Great sound for a $100 speaker set
Sub enclosure contains a 5.25" sub and 6" bass 'radiator'
Powerful bass, nice and clean highs
Powerful yet easy-to-use software

CONS
They don't make 'em anymore
Very scary digital volume control

SET-UP
Setup was a breeze. Unpack everything from the cardboard carton, set the small front speakers where you like them, and get to the cables. First you plug the right cable to the sub. Then you plug the left cable to the sub. All the cables are different sizes so you can not mess up. The right plug is of the PS2 sort, and the left is like a mini plug. From the sub, you plug the audio-in cable to your computer, then the USB cable (optional, for the software) and finally, the power.

SOUND
The sound is amazing. The only way to word it is that. Amazing. For 100 bucks, this is BY FAR the best system you could get. Probably even today, I'd pick this from all those other systems. The software controls many things. The Sub Volume, also available on-speaker, the Volume, again something on the speaker, and mute which is *also* on the speaker. You also get an adjustable EQ with many presets AND a ton of User-Defined, and a "Microsoft Surround" control (ick!). My gripe: the volume is scary. Period. If you want to raise the volume a bit, don't try holding the UP button: once in a while it will 'stick', and it's not the hardware, must be a glitch in the speaker/software itself. The result? Volume that will constantly increase until (a) it hits max level, or (b) you stop it by banging on the mute button. I'm sticking to *click* *click* *click* *click* *click* from now on. Back to the sound: for whose of you who are wondering, wOOx is a bass-radiator technology. The bass radiator produces a lot of air movement and overall helps the bass sound, but it won't put out much sound at all on its own. On the bottom of the sub unit, there are 2 speakers: one is the traditional sub, pretty basic. The other speaker looks like a speaker from Mars. It's got 2 huge rubber rings around a flat cone. The sub is a whopping 44 watts and the sattelites are a big 16 watts each. Overall sound is very clean. Highs are pronounced, mids are there, lows are definitely not absent.

QUICK FACTS
Number of speakers: 2
Output power per speaker: 16 watts
Subwoofer: 1
Subwoofer output power: 44 watts
USB compatible?: yes
Sound controls: mute, volume, bass

Conclusion
This is a very good speaker system, really worth the money. The touchy volume control can be a bit scary at times, but if you can overlook that, you have a really good 2.1 speaker system in your hands. Well, maybe on the floor and the desk. :)