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Recently I'd grown quite tired of having a 5.1 setup on my desktop.Switching to ATI HDMI audio outputting to my LCD TV monitor left much to be desired, so I purchased these speakers as a replacement to my setup.To be short and to the point:Sturdily made.Excellent performance in ALL aspects.Nice looking.Easy to set up.Absolutely worth the cost.
I returned these and bought the Promedia again--twice the sound for half the price ($150). Although low in distortion, you can't "feel" it. Also, the base is found wanting.
Unfortunately, they recently broke. I know the sattelites are downward firing to create a three dimensional hearing space. I have been a Klipsch Promedia 2.1 owner for six years.
In doing so, the highs get lost. I should make it clear I am not a gamer and use these only for music. After reading the technical specifications for these speakers, I decided to purchase them.
Within moments of hearing them I knew I had made a mistake.
Fortunately, I was able to return the Mako system. Basically, when I layer 3 or 4 towels on top of my Bose system, that's how the Mako sounds. The mako is decent, but the Bose blows it away and costs just a few bucks more. I bought the Bose Companion 5 and this system which are both around $400 and have a similar size footprint. I must say as a disclaimer that I am a musician and that I do not use my computer for gaming at all and exclusively for music. Most importantly, however, the sound quality of the Razer wanes when compared to the Bose Companion 5. As many reviewers have stated, the dial pad on the Mako system is somewhat difficult to use (even if you follow the instructions and touch inside), and the Bose's pad is vastly superior in terms of ease of use and choosing your exact volume. The bose appears to be in a level of its own, with much clearer sound, deeper bass, and a much sharper sound.
The same was true for speakers. Small/compact yet powerful with a total of 300watt output and very good frequency response. The bass was strong but not overbearing (you can definitely feel the bass)and the mids sounded rich and vibrant. I'm using these in a typical office sized room which suite these speakers perfectly. It does take some time to get used to (you can't press it hard, and need a gentle touch).
I found the razer to be the best of the bunch and here are the reasons why.First and foremost, these speakers are very easy to setup and are beautiful. The downshooting speakers make the sounds rich and filling for both the subwoofer and satellites. I had old logitech speakers before these, and I am proud to say that I am very happy with the razer mako. These are better than the bose companion 3/5's as well for the mako produces much clearer mids and highs.
The mako does need a flat hard surface for both the sub and sats because of their down firing design.and carpet below the sub is not really good because it gets muffled. Let me say that I'm very picky about all products which I buy, and many times return numerous items before finding the right one that I like. Razer along with THX has made a quality product here. The highs are very clear and crisp, but perhaps alittle on the softer side. Couple of downsides to the speakers.first I wish they had a digital input because many newer soundcards and A/V's have digital outputs.
In all aspects it shined. I recommend hooking these up to a good sound card or an AV system for best performance. If you want a good 5.1/7.1 setup, then you are going to have to get a real A/V setup going. I would describe myself as a technophile.
Even then, those computer surround sound systems sound pretty bad, so in my experience I would rather get a quality 2.1 system for the computer. At nearly $400, some might say that these are too expensive for a 2.1 system. They don't produce rich sounds and lack the punch/omph across the spectrum. Second, like many reviewers pointed out, the control pad is not the best. But in all honesty, most people can't properly fit or setup a 5.1/7.1 system in their computer room.
The Mako, while more expensive, is a much better speaker. The Harmon Kardon Soundsticks II are considered by many to be good 2.1, but I found them to be cheap sounding. These are truly one of the best sounding 2.1 computer speaker systems available today. These are the best 2.1 setup you can get for the money right now.off course if you spend alittle more you can get the audioengine a5 and add a nice little subwoofer to that as well, but then your spending more money.
I hooked these up to my computer, which was very easy, and played games, music and watched movies on it. Third and final point is the price. If you are thinking about putting these in a larger room, I would say look elsewhere. I bought and returned numerous items from Edirol MA-15d monitors, to audioengine a2, to creative 5.1 systems, to soundsticks II, etc.
You can use an EQ to make it sound just right.
It takes some tweaking of the bass to get it just right otherwise it can sound a bit "boomy".but once dialed in these little speakers can pump. Now the important part the sound. With the sub on the floor the two small satellites are fairly inconspicuous.Not cheap.but worth the money if you are looking for great audio in an awesome looking package. Needless to say the speakers look incredible. The setup is quite easy and the wired remote control is quite intuitive.
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