Michael Graves Computer Speakers

Rating:
Summary: Waste of time & money
Review: I was not out looking for speakers, but I saw these on clearance for 14.98 and figured I would give them a try. Now that I've tried them, I wouldn't have paid $1.00! I admit I don't know much about speakers, midrange and all that stuff, but I do know that they are not supposed to sound to horribly distorted. They look nice but sound like crap. If I could give this item 0 stars, I would! Don't be tempted by the clearance price, you'll be returning these things the same day like I did!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent value for the money...
Review: I don't know what the people who are complaining about these are using these for (impedence conflict?, cranked the volume all the way? shielding issues?). I bought a set about a year ago for my home computer, and they work just fine. Now I've bought a 2nd set for my TV in my apartment and just hooked them up and they sound fantastic too. Before you buy, you need to determine if these are the right speakers for you. If you're looking for something that will fill Carnegie Hall, these are probably not what you want. If you're looking for this to crank in your low rider cruisin' down the highway, look elsewhere (Don't forget, these are 12w TOTAL - 8w for the sub, 2w for each speaker). What attracted me initially was the separate bass and treble controls, which you won't normally find on an amplified speaker set this inexpensive. Now if you turn the volume up too high, OF COURSE you will get distortion, like any amplified speaker (I'm a musician, so I know a little bit about these things). If you don't turn this up past halfway (and use your source control the volume as to not force the amp to overdrive the audio), it's fine for most any application, including desktops, laptops, portables, and even my 20-inch Emerson flat screen stereo TV with its tinny stereo speakers (it nicely fills my 15'x25' living room plugged into the TV's headphone jack - it really brings the audio to life). For the money and its features, it's an excellent value. Frankly, sound-wise, it beat the pants off the $40-$60 models I tested last year before I bought these. For something this inexpensive, compact and full sounding, with separate bass and treble controls, I'd be tempted to give these six stars if they has a little more power. Just don't expect to crank this all the way up and expect your windows to shatter...that's not what these are for. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Sounds better than it looks
Review: I, too, was not very impressed by the sound of these speakers when I first hooked them up. Good but not great. But then I hooked them up as computer speakers. And then they sounded excellent. These speakers are meant to be listened to on-axis at close range. Listen to them at the other end of the room, or from an angle, or from behind, and they have a plastic boxy sound. This is the result of sound radiating from the back of the cabinet. But listened to directly from a relatively short distance, they have excellent detail, stereo imaging and uncolored sound. I am not a great fan of Michael Graves' designs. But in this case he has matched form and function. The best speakers do not have parallel surfaces because this causes the sound to bounce back and forth within the speakers. These speakers have no parallel flat surfaces. But the sound radiates from the back of the case. This could be solved, perhaps, by adding some sound absorbent material inside, such as a fiber filling, if you want to unscrew the case, etc. Most inexpensive speakers seem to benefit from this. The sound volume is plentiful, provided you have a strong enough input. On one portable cd player, it was not enough; on the other, fine. By the way, I have read a review of a $200 flat panel computer speaker set, and they warned that they were meant only to be listened to at close range. Also, try angling the speakers toward you.