Insignia 2.1 Computer Speaker System NS-PCS21 Review

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(More customer reviews)I got a great deal on these speakers, just under twenty bucks at BestBuy Canada for use with my MacBook Pro along with a 24" widescreen monitor. At this price point, I was preparing to be underwhelmed and, to be honest, I was not very pleased with my first impressions of the sound quality. It sounded rather flat with dull highs and muddy bass.
Then I remembered (duh) that the MacBook Pro has an equalizer for both iTunes and iDVD (accessed through the "Window" menu of these applications). Once I selected a preset equalizer setting (for example, "Jazz") the sound quality from the speakers improved substantially! I further custom tweaked the iTunes equalizer using some reference acoustic and vocal jazz tracks and was able to make these speakers produce a pretty nice midrange and clear highs. Moreover, it is actually able to do some halfway decent stereo imaging right on my desktop. (I suspect that it uses a class D switching amplifier chip which are pretty detailed, accurate and have linear frequency response).
There is a slight break-in period and treble and upper mids do get smoother after a few hours. Top end treble does roll off, so don't expect audiophile-like bell shaped treble decays from cymbals - remember these are computer speakers! When the sub's volume is set correctly the bass response is pretty decent. It sounds integrated and goes as low as about 90Hz, which is fine for jazz, classical and most kinds of rock - but not, perhaps, good enough for bass heavy Hip-Hop. That said, the bass is considerably better with the subwoofer placed on the floor, as opposed to on the desk.
With the Equalizer properly set, I was actually wowed by the sound from some of my well recorded jazz CD's, for example Patricia Barber's "Fortnight in France", which includes vocals, piano, acoustic and bass guitars and kick-drums.
DVD Movies with good sound tracks also sound great, but I expect these speakers probably won't do well for gaming or with action movies which have a lot of thunderous explosions.
So, to be clear, these speakers are NOT suited for loud, head-banging music. If you push the volume beyond medium levels it will start to distort! And don't expect thunderous bass either. If you want a speaker that need to do that, look elsewhere or move up to the Insignia 2.1 Computer Speaker System NS-PCS41 4 Piece With Subwoofer.
All in all I am very pleased with my purchase. For those of you considering buying this model, please note the following caveats:
- Your sound source needs to be of good quality! For example, these speakers sound much better with my MacBook Pro than with my Acer Netbook.
- Make sure you tweak the sound through an equalizer. (iTunes and iDVD on the MacBook Pro have an equalizer).
- Position your speakers correctly according to the instructions. There should be no obstructions in front of the satellite speakers. The subwoofer is best placed on the floor.
- Definitely use a power strip that has power conditioner to plug in the power adapter. It will considerably reduce noise and make these speakers sound clearer and make more subtle details audible.
- Don't crank up these speakers too loud. They are not meant for room filling sound, just for your desk!

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