Decent Low End 2.1 Speaker System

I was looking for a decently sounding speaker system for my computer in the $40-$60 price range. I was also specifically looking for a 2.1 system, and after comparing a number of speaker systems I ended up buying Cyber Acoustics CA-3550 2.1 amplified speaker system.

Here is why I ended up choosing this particular model over other speaker systems in this category:

1. Quality of sound which is very clean and natural. As a matter of fact this speaker system sounds much better than many other speakers that are twice as expensive!

2. Exterior design. This is definitely the best looking speaker system in this price range. The subwoofer looks like a real thing and not just a little imitation subwoofer for a computer system. The 2 flat satellite speakers are very slim and elegant, and sport very cool looking blue led lights.

3. The power output is just right for what I was looking for: it peaks at 68 watts and packs just enough punch for a small amplified speaker system, yet doesn’t bring the house down. And the wood enclosed 8” ported subwoofer provides very adequate lows.

4. All the cables are long enough, and just the right length. This includes the cable from the right satellite speaker to the source, the cable that connects both satellite speakers together, the cable from the satellite speaker to the subwoofer, and the power cable from the subwoofer (a regular power cable without any external power supply).

5. One of the satellite speakers provides a very convenient jack for the headphones. I couldn’t detect any headphone sound quality degradation when plugged into the satellite speaker versus plugged directly into the computer.


Well, despite all these, Cyber Acoustics CA-3550 is still a low end speaker system, so here are the drawbacks to consider:

1. The bass needs to be carefully adjusted, and with too much bass the subwoofer starts “booming”. However, if adjusted properly, it sounds just right.

2. All the controls are on the right satellite speaker and they look very flimsy and are somewhat hard to control. I am yet to see how long they are going to last.