Original Link: https://www.anandtech.com/show/651
MidiLand S4 3050M 2.1 Speaker System
by Jim Warren on November 9, 2000 12:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Mobile
Introduction
As many new features are brought into the computer audio industry, it can be easy to pursue the next best thing and fail to consider strong, economical solutions. Such is the case with the presence of surround sound for both computer based DVD playback and gaming. For music playback, or as a more economical solution for computer gaming, there still exist a number of strong products based around stereo reproduction, or a two channel system.
Many of the near field systems designed for the computer workstation take advantage of a 2.1 speaker format, in which two stereo speakers are combined with a subwoofer to extend the frequency response of the smaller drivers used in many computer speakers. This also allows for a higher powered bass driver, to provide the room filling low frequency energy without blowing out the ears of a listener in a near field situation
With 10 years of history, MidiLand continues to bring a number of speaker systems to the market. The S4 series builds on the success of their earlier S2 series, offering a variety of speaker configurations from 2.1 speaker systems up to full 5.1 Dolby certified systems. The S4 3050M is their moderately powered 2.1 system. It consists of a powered subwoofer with integrated amplifiers for the two satellites speakers. Volume, tone, and power controls all reside on the front of the subwoofer. The components all feature MidiLand’s metallic finish common to models ending in the “M” designation.
Specifications (Courtesy of MidiLand) |
|
RMS
Power
|
Total
50W
Satellite 10W + 10W Subwoofer 30W |
Frequency
Response
|
180Hz
- 20kHz+3dB Satellites
20Hz - 180Hz+3dB Subwoofer |
Input
Sensitivity
|
300
mV RMS
|
Drivers
|
2.5"
Full range satellite speakers
6.5" Subwoofer |
Power
Supply
|
External adapter
|
S/N
Ratio
|
52dB
|
Function
Controls
|
Power/volume,
treble and subwoofer |
Dimensions
(WxHxD)
|
3.30"
x 3.90" x 4.20" Satellites
7.63" x 8.50" x 13.75" Subwoofer |
Setup
The time from opening the box to listening to music for this system was incredibly short. The first thing out of the box is the users manual, which includes both illustrations and descriptions of the connections. Included in the box are two satellite speakers, the subwoofer/amplifiers, a power adapter (wall wart), two speaker cables with RCA connections, and one stereo line level cable with minijacks on each end.
The connection to the sound card is extremely straightforward—plug the green color coded plug into the green color coded jack on the sound card for front output. The only remaining connection is to plug the other end of the cable into another stereo minijack on the subwoofer/amplifier. This prevents flipping the stereo image and minimizes the number of connections, all leading to a speedier setup.
After removing the satellites from their small boxes, a choice has to be made. Depending on the listening environment, the speaker enclosures have different angles on the top (15°) and bottom (25°) faces to allow for a lower or higher sweet spot, respectively. For taller listeners, this helps get the sweet spot up to their ears, instead of just smacking them in the chest and having things sound bad as they are off axis of the stereo image. A little care is required to make sure that both are on the same angled face.
The nature of a small computer speaks induces a certain amount of directionality to the sound reproduction, as the drivers are smaller and the lower powers need to be more focus. This is fitting to a near field listening situation in which there is a limited number of people (usually one in a computing situation) listening to the system and therefore the sweet spot can be narrowed. This also benefits such 3D positioning techniques as A3D, and environmental audio effects such as EAX, whose algorithms are based on psycho acoustical perception at the sweet spot.
The satellites connect to the amplifier integrated into the subwoofer via two 4’ long RCA cables. The included speaker cables could be a little short for some setups, though they could be replaced with longer RCA cables. The cabling for the system is not the highest quality equipment—the gauge of the wire is fairly high (i.e. thin), and the connectors are molded plastic. This seems to be a sacrifice focused on keeping prices down, though at the relatively low power levels of the satellites, the wire is sufficient, though not optimal.
For speaker placement, the satellites are fairly straightforward to place. The main idea is symmetry—create an isosceles triangle in space with the apex at the desired sweet spot. Placing the speakers at an equal distance from each side of the monitor, and choosing the cabinet angle that most lines up with the listeners height will create a strong stereo image from where most computer operators work. The subwoofer fits either under the workstation, or on the desktop, as its footprint is not humongous (7.63" x 8.50").
Once the speakers are connected, the final step is to connect the power adapter. The unit uses an external power adapter, commonly known as a wall wart because of the real estate it takes up on any power strip. An inline power adapter, which has a tail for connection to the wall and to the unit, instead of integrating the adapter into the wall connection, would have been more satisfactory, though the system works as it is designed.
On the front of the bass unit reside the controls for the speaker system. There is a power/volume control, bass and treble levels, and a selector button to use the 3D simulator in the speaker system. The controls are fairly straight forward, except the home position is not evident for the tone controls beyond placing them at 12 o’clock. A detent in the potentiometer for no change would give a more positive idea of the tonal effects being imparted to the system.
So how do all of these features come together? Check out the conclusions to see how the speakers held up to a listening test, and how they performed overall.
The Sound
After listening to the speakers, it is impressive to look back at their size and street value. It is clear that MidiLand has not just put out another cheap speaker solution to fit the OEM market, but instead is offering a moderately priced system that people can be happy listening to. Overall, we were pleased with the system, with only some minor things serving as downfalls.
Acoustically, these speakers do extremely well for their size. The max volume has some force, though not enough to run you out of your chair. Also, the distortion at high volumes is less than some of the more expensive systems tested recently. The largest effects at high volume are evident in the upper midrange frequencies distorting and in some clipping in the bass.
At moderate listening levels, the sound is well balanced within the bounds of the speakers. The crossover level between the satellites and sub is 180 Hz, so some of the midrange frequencies are reproduced in the sub unit, which muddies the quality somewhat. The satellites definitely like the higher frequencies a bit more than the midrange, though they still maintain a full sound. The emphasis in the high frequencies makes the sound crisp, though not to such a degree as to detract from the listening experience.
The 3D function on the speakers is not too incredibly impressive. It changes the sound with some processing to try and simulate surround sound. Mostly what it does it turn up the high midrange and push it a little louder so it sounds like it is coming more from behind the listener. This definitely changes the sound, and after using it for a bit, comes across as being too harsh as it overemphasizes the crispness mentioned above. After using it briefly in the listening tests, it was turned off. The speakers definitely sound better without it engaged.
The near field listening layout makes the speakers excellent for listening to music while working, or for positional audio effects while gaming. The speakers fill a strong niche in the 2.1 genre as an economical ($69.95 est. street price) solution. The lower price comes with some quality sacrifices, as the signal to noise ratio is not incredibly high, and noise can be heard under some critical listening conditions, such as music with a large dynamic range.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the MidiLand S4 3050M speakers serve as a strong solution for a 2.1 listening situation. The sonic quality is a strong selling point for them, though they are definitely not the highest quality system out there. In comparison to similar systems, the MidiLand S4 3050M is a quality system that makes few sacrifices, and a good choice for a basic computer audio system that maintains sonic quality – all at a reasonable price.