CA-3062 2.1 Speaker System - Impressions

I'm not regretting getting this pair (er... trio) of speakers from Staples for $25. For 50% off, they are indeed an excellent value. The speakers pump out a full 30 watts, and come with a well-powered sub. For a small room, this will more than fill it with sound. It also has a few nice features, like a small wired remote that you can place independently of the rest of the system. It's a small puck that includes a power switch (something that my out-going set lacks), volume control, bass control, and aux & headphone jacks. Very handy. Plus the polished black plastic looks pretty slick.

Cyber Acoustic, however, is not a brand in the same class as Logitech, Altec, and Bose and it is *almost* readily apparent why. At extremely low volumes the left channel cuts out before the right. It's something I've also noticed on a cheap, decade-old set I'm using downstairs. Not sure why, maybe they're a little less stringent on making sure volume controls are identical for both channels.

Also, I have the impression that the range of the speakers isn't properly balanced. True, this set is light-years better than a set without a sub. But having a sub doesn't guarantee good sound. It seems like the ranges of the satellites and the sub don't overlap too well, leaving the mid-tones washed out. I could tweak iTunes to compensate... but I'm not quite that desperate.

The wiring situation is tolerable, though could be better. The wired control puck-thingy can't be detached from the sub, so that's one extra wire you have to worry about when moving the sub. It also meant I had to pull out my desk to get the puck behind it, and on top of my desk instead of being able to snake a wire down. The satellites are both connected to one plug, like Siamese twins, so they will always have to travel together.

But like I said, with 50% off this week at Staples, I'd be hard pressed to even *find* a 2.1 speaker system from other manufacturers for the price so I can't complain too much. It's a much better fate than those poor dorm saps who still listen to music through laptop speakers.