 Hercules XPS 2.0 30 Multimedia Speakers a Good Buy |
| Review Date: April 20, 2010 |
| Reviewer: R.S.J., CA USA |
With the recent purchase of an LG M237WD-PM 23-Inch Class Widescreen Multi-Function LCD 1080p Monitor/HDTV with a great price and picture quality but terrible sound (as is the case with most small, thin LCD HDTVs), I needed some good quality, but moderately priced powered speakers without the cumbersome subwoofer for TV listening. The choice was between the popular, well-known Creative Labs Inspire T10 2.0 Multimedia Speaker System with 5 watts RMS per channel or the similar but lesser known Hercules XPS 2.0 30 Multimedia Speakers with 6 watts RMS per channel and a lower price. Hercules has been around since the early days of PCs setting a standard with its graphics cards, so I felt confident opting for the Hercules XPS speakers even though almost no reviews were available.
The Hercules XPS 2.0 30 Multimedia Speakers are made in China with a sturdy, decent-looking plastic enclosure. They are powered by a 12 volt, 26 watt external power supply. The frequency response is given as 80-20,000 hz (the same as for the Creative Labs Inspire T10.)
The supplied 3.5mm stereo cable plugs right into the LG M237WD headphone jack for input to the XPS speakers making them ready to audition. My first impression of the XPS speakers was that the sound of human voices was annoyingly "boomy" especially during newscasts. The single tone control only controls treble and not bass. (The single tone control on the Creative Labs Inspire T10 only controls bass and not treble.) To determine what frequency imbalance was causing the boominess problem, I happen to have a parametric audio equalizer which I hooked up between the LG M237WD and the XPS speakers. I found that lowering the gain at 200 hz frequency centered over a 2.0 octave range greatly improved the sound quality of the XPS speakers and eliminated the boominess. This is basically the same as lowering the gain of a bass control which, of course, is not an option with the XPS 2.0 30 speakers. However, bass levels can be adjusted on the LG M237WD.
The LG M237WD has 5 sound settings, each sound setting having its own bass and treble adjustment. So the bass must be adjusted 5 times for each of the 5 sound settings. On a scale of 0-100, the LG M237WD bass settings which work best with the XPS 2.0 30 speakers are in the 16-20 range as opposed to the LG M237WD factory bass settings near and about 50. With the LG M237WD bass settings appropriately adjusted, the XPS 2.0 30 speakers sound very good and quite acceptable for speakers in their price range. It would be nice to have both a bass and a treble control, but that's the sacrifice to keep the price down. If cost were not a consideration, I would go for the Hercules XPS 2.0 60 Multimedia Speakers which do have both bass and treble controls plus 15 watts RMS per channel.
With the bass and boominess problem taken care of, the sound of these Hercules XPS 2.0 30 Multimedia Speakers is very clean and undistorted, even with the volume turned all the way up. There is no hiss or hum or any noise at all when there is no audio input. Because there are bass ports on the back of the speakers, the speakers need clearance from walls for full sound. I also note a slight improvement in sound if the speakers are set atop small platforms about 4 inches tall, like a tissue box. While peak volume won't blow the roof, the speakers are plenty loud enough for enjoyable HDTV and music listening. Music sounds great on these speakers. Explosions, gunshots, crashes, and big drums all sound clean, undistorted and impressive with plenty of punch. These are great speakers if you are on a budget. With that consideration, they rate 5 stars.
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High Quality Speakers
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| Review Date: June 20, 2010 |
| Reviewer: jgfb415, |
I was looking for some good 2.0 speakers because I don't have room for a subwoofer. Even though these speakers didn't don't have a whole lot of reviews (2 on this site, 1 on another) I decided to take a chance on them and was pleasantly surprised by their excellent sound quality and clarity.
They were a bit "boomy" like one of the other reviewers was talking about but it is easily adjusted, no extra equipment needed. Also I kinda wish that the bass and treble control had separate nobs. Otherwise well worth the money I spent for them. |
Nice Speakers, Priced Right
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| Review Date: July 13, 2010 |
| Reviewer: J. Skilton, Portland, OR USA |
No two people ever agree on 'good' sound, so take this as one guy's opinion. Nice looking speakers. Size and a little heft suggests quality, and the rubber feet are a pleasant surprise. Totally easy to hook up - although there is the ubiquitous wall transformer, so make room on your power strip. I'm hearing good bass for their size, and crisp highs without making vocals sound scratchy. They seem to go plenty loud for a typical room. And the price was right. If you want a noticeable step up from the typical little kit speakers that adorn most desktops, these are a good bet.
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Surprised
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| Review Date: July 31, 2010 |
| Reviewer: William A. Robinson Jr., Farmtown, Cowhampshire |
| I read the reviews on these speakers, and they appeared to be what I needed for my garage. I didn't have room for a 2.1 system, so I needed something that had some good bass qualities. The Hercules fit the bill. They are literally "plug and play" As others have said, it would be nice if they had seperate bas/treble controls, but they do well anyway. I needed something that would work off of the head phone jack on the TV, and these do. I can now hear my TV in the entire (34' x 44') garage. |
Great Sound at a Lesser Price.
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| Review Date: February 21, 2010 |
| Reviewer: That Review Guy, Florida, the sunshine state. |
I have been shopping for some time for better speakers with a 3.5mm headphone plug-in and these were the perfect deal at 40 bucks.
the sound is very loud and clear. music sounds great and the bass is better then the other reviews had me believing.
I was using the Logitech-S120-Multimedia-Speakers and while they produce clean decent sound,
these speakers are Vastly Superior for laptop, pc, tv, and videogaming sound. (I use them on my LCD tv and Impressive!)
I am 100% Pleased with this item.
3.5 mm plug in
30 watts amplified.
tuner for bass/treble
tuner for balance
power cord and all cords included.
4 out of 5 stars.
durable, loud, and clear speakers. will not bring the house down.
hence 4 stars instead of five but I got Exactly what I was looking for. |
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