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| Review Date: September 27, 2007 |
| Reviewer: The DINK, Upstate SC |
I was looking for some 2.0 speakers to use as a travel system and to use with my mp3 player and roland stage piano. I tried the Creative GigaWorks T20's, but took them back because there is a serious bass falloff. The creatives are fine except for the bass end. If you listen to anything other than maybe classical, you will be disappointed.
I saw the Groove PM20's at BestBuy for $80, so I decided to try them out. Wow...I mean WOW! First off the sound is very clear and detailed. They show their home theater system roots by the exact placement of sounds within the sound field...if you set them far enough apart you can pick out where each instrument is. And the bass is nothing short of stunning. I have a creative labs 6.1 system on my pc, but these 2.0 speakers rival and may actually beat them for bass (unless I turn the subwoofer vol way up). The volume level is fine for my 10X12 bedroom. You really have to hear them to believe them.
Don't let the size of the box fool you, they are a good deal smaller than you would expect from the box. Each speaker is roughly the same size as 5 regular sized DVD cases stacked together.
Not everything is great about them, though. There may be some mid dropout towards full volume...I'm not entirely convinced the problem isn't with my mp3 player, but be aware that near full blast the sound may get a little thin. There is only 1 knob to control all the settings, but there is no display and the knob doesn't have a stop point so you just have to guess what level it's at (full blast means turning the knob round and round until it stops getting louder). You turn it on/off by pushing the volume knob in (turning it off resets the volume to a default level). Holding the volume knob down for 3 seconds accesses the bass level control (which is something you won't know unless you read the manual because there is no indication of there even being a bass control anywhere on the speaker). Then there is the LED...it's a very bright blue. It changes to red when you cut the speakers off, so there's always that little light coming from the 1 speaker. There is an aux and a headphone port, but I wish they'd put them on the front instead of the back. It would certainly make them easier to get to.
The bottom line is that the faults are mostly minor design problems while the audio is top notch (that's what really matters isn't it). And trust me, you won't even miss having that big clunky subwoofer around. |
Amazing speakers!
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| Review Date: November 22, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Ferrari 1, |
| I do not use to write reviews, but I want to share my experience with this one. I was not certain about this product brand and its quality, so I read the reviews where possible. Almost all of them are positive about the good product quality and performance. I took my chances and bought one from Amazon and this was one of the best things I have made. You will experience a very impressive sound for the size of the speakers, which is also convenient for your home desktop computer place. No interferences, just nice sound for enjoying music. It is not a cheap product, but if you can afford it you will not regret it. |
Bass You Can Feel...when used properly!
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| Review Date: October 24, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Richiemagoo, Rural Kentucky |
I am totally impressed that these small speakers with just a single driver and bass port and no tweeter, can produce such full sound and truly AMAZING bass!!
Now, do understand that these are PC speakers, and thus, they are meant to be listened to while facing you and at not much more than arms length away. I have mine on the hutch of my computer desk, just slightly above ear-level, an arms length away and they sound great, and you can actually feel the bass!!
Being PC speakers, the bass does not carry far though- as it is not meant to. These would be great if you live in an apartment and wanted to play music at a decent volume, without the bass disturbing your neighbors. Although you can hear them just fine across the room or even a few rooms away...the bass fidelity is lost as soon as you move more than a few feet away- so you would not want to use these as party speakers, or for home theatre, etc- but for computer speakers, they rock!- literally!
In my opinion, these are the best all around PC speakers for under $150- and a steal at $60. Now of course, for little PC speakers for $60, we are not talking audiophile perfection...but these babies are BETTER than my JVC home stereo speakers that have 6" woofers!!
The bass is tight and accurate, even down near 30Hz at reasonable volumes. Overall, all but the very lowest bass holds together quite well even when quite loud. All frequencies are quite good, even with no equalization- but if you really want to get great sound, a little EQ will make them really sing! and just a little EQ will really bring out the treble/highs. Mids are rich and full(even competing against such full bass) and can be improved yet more with a little EQ.-Just amazing for the price and size!! (I mostly listen to classical, muzak and 70's oldies these days...but these speakers have incited me to start listening to my old funk and disco stuff again! Can you say Parlaiment and the Peter Jacques Band?)
While these speakers will work with an MP3 player- they are not the best choice for that use, unless you have a pre-amp/amp, [as is the case with any 2.0 system]- as they will not achieve their full volume capability nor their true fidelity by just plugging them into your iPod -Although they will still sound a good deal better than most other 2.0's doing that duty.
But for listening in front of your computer....these speakers are just unsurpassed in fidelity and great bass.
Aesthetically, the cases are made of a very high-quality plastic, which is smooth and shiny- and looks like it will stay that way. They look great on your desk if you have any other black components.
All connections are at the rear of the speakers.....but that is O-K, as the bass port is also facing rearward, and therefore you would not want to put these right up against anything...but you'd need to allow a few inches space, anyway.
Some have complained about the transformer (power brick) being quite large. It is only slightly larger than the standard outlet-mounted ones...and being an inline one, with a generous cord to the outlet on one side and to the speakers on the other, it is quite easy to tuck it unobtrusively away.
Those who say that these speakers don't have impressive bass, must be using them for purposes for which they are not intended- as I stated before....they are meant for close listening...not across a room or throughout a house- and they are quite loud when connected to a PC, for that purpose.
I love these speakers! Evewn without any EQ they are great...and with an EQ...they are near perfect for me.(I'm not an audiophile...but I am quite fussy, and I know good sound when I hear it)- You will not find anything close to these in this price range.
Oh, and don't forget: All new speakers need to be "burned in" (used for a while, to soften up the drivers to the point where they will acheive their full sound)- so remember..although these will sound great right out of the box...they will sound even better after you've used them for a while!
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Way more than I expected!
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| Review Date: December 17, 2007 |
| Reviewer: FISHAWN, Olympia, WA |
| I purchased these for my son, for his computer & ipod. He hooked them up in a couple of minutes & then dad had to come in & remind him his little brother was sleeping!.......THEY ROCK!....Powerfull, good bass-mids-high end. I was really impressed! They are fairly portable also, so I think they would make a great music source for a cabin, kitchen, shop, etc. They plug into just about anything with a headphone jack, so they are very versatile. I highly recommend this product. |
Great sound from these little guys
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| Review Date: November 12, 2008 |
| Reviewer: P. Madden, Chicago |
Purchased on Amazon. Was quite surprised by the quality of sound from these little speakers. Nice full range. I don't understand the comments of weak bass, I found it clean and strong, punchy without being boomy. Great value.
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