Yes, a £30/$35 2.1 loudspeaker system which I think has several things in common with the Linkwitz Orion! Has my mind taken a walk off the map? Well, no, because I don't claim this is any more than a toy - although if you read on you'll discover it's a toy you might be able to use somewhere in the house.
Here is a piccy from which you tell this a tiny 2.1 loudspeaker:
http://images.maplin.co.uk/full/a25ha.jpgYou get two satellite speakers (SurfaceSound DML NXT panels) each driven by a 3W amp channel and one 'woofer' 4 inch driver in an open baffle driven by a 9W amp channel. There is a line input via stereo 3.5mm socket only.
I don't trust the written/online specs. First of all they say the woofer is a NXT panel and it looks plainly like a regular driver (although open baffle as mentioned). Second the specs say there are two NXT drivers in each speaker and I have just a hunch this is also incorrect. But in any case the specs say two identically sized drivers so, either way, I believe there is no crossover involved.
The first thing I discovered when I tried this system: it has NO bass. The sound is totally anemic and just horrible out of the box. However by using the EQ facility on my Rio Karma, or Inguz with my Squeezebox, or EQ on Linux (caps LADSPA plugin), I boosted the bass by 20-25db and achieved a sound that sounds right in overall tone. (The exact figure depends on taste, the EQ facility and whether you can position the woofer nearer to you than than the satellites, which I recommend highly although it reduces your sweet 'area'.) This offsets the natural roll-off of an open baffle woofer. If you can't or won't use such EQ, seriously just forget these speakers since they are
UNUSABLE without it. Of course the application of such EQ limits the output of this loudspeaker (very limited to begin with) and doesn't solve the lack of bass extension (very limited because of the drivers). But it does enable you to listen to music on it.
So, on the face of it this is a dipole, active system that needs EQ to make it workable. All three descriptions apply to the Linkwitz Orion (although the Orion's EQ is done for you - it's integrated into its active Xover). Out of respect to Siegfried Linkwitz, I should say this is a little toy and although it shares architectural aspects with the Orion it's on a different planet in terms of results!
So what does the Genius sound like? Well, it's a £30/$35 system for crying out loud! Much less than most of you would consider on an interconnect! Don't expect too much. However it's a very cheap way to play with the advantages of "boxless" sound, advantages which shine through despite this low-tech implementation. There is an open quality to it sometimes which is actually hard to put my finger on. The bass is seriously lacking in depth and extension but for acoustic drums and bass it sounds interesting. IME open baffles have "clarity" and "resolution" in the bass which are terms applied normally to higher frequencies. The Genius Slab does exhibit commendable speed and definition in the bass - considering its cheap driver. In its strong departments will it beat a decent 2.1 media speaker? Partly. In its weak departments will it beat a decent 2.1 media speaker? It will lose horribly. Does it outperform other
cheap dinky 2.1 media speakers? It depends on your tastes, but in terms of the things I listen for, yes! For me it's quite musical and relaxing. Rated at 10% THD I can only guess that the types of distortion present are ones that don't annoy me. In fact I'm listening to music on it now fed from my Linux laptop.
The summary. If you like the idea of open baffles, NXT panels and no crossovers this is a curious toy I can recommend. But remember heavy bass EQ is
ESSENTIAL even before you start. And even then, this is no system for rock or electronic bass. Its interesting face shows more with acoustic music/bass at low volumes for the computer or bedroom.
Darren
PS: There is an 800 version with a bass control - don't know how it works or what it costs because I've not been able to find a retailer that sells it!
http://www.hardwarezone.com/news/view.php?id=11881&cid=2
