Sooner or later it occurs to a user of a PC equipped with a pair of pennyworth plastic speakers with plastic sound that it’s time to upgrade the acoustic environment to a decent level. Certainly, the most logical and affordable way is to buy a 2.1-channel speaker system, a set consisting of a subwoofer and two satellite speakers usually providing more than decent sound quality for playing video games, watching movies and listening to music with a PC.
And it’s really true, which can be confirmed with the sales of this kind of equipment: consumers vote with their money and most often choose the optimal combination of 2.1-channel quality with minimum cost. Finally you get a curious appliance reminding in its shape and size of miniature music systems that were so popular quite recently.
Here is the simple speculation leading to the logical idea of uniting PC speakers and a home mini-system into one device: once you spend your money on а 2.1 PC speaker system anyway, why not combine it with other useful functions?
Perhaps that this is right the way engineers from SVEN company were thinking creating the new MS-2000 2.1-channel digital music system. Which of the sources of high-quality sound can be called as up-to-date as to deserve to be placed in such a system? Audio cassettes became useless long ago, so can CDs be considered an outdated anachronism. But high-quality radio broadcasting at ultra-short waves within the FM range is still up-to-date, as well as any digital music recorded on really popular storage devices. Probably this is why MS-2000 called a “music box” by SVEN has acquired a built-in FM tuner and a multimedia player supporting USB data sticks and SD cards.
Let’s view the design of the SVEN MS-2000 music system more closely. The set consists of a subwoofer with integrated electronic stuffing, two satellite speakers, a remote control powered by 2 AAA batteries, a signal cable, an antenna wire (for the tuner), a satellite wall-mounting kit, an operation manual and a warranty card.
The subwoofer and satellite enclosure is made from eco-friendly MDF boards with plastic-decorated front panels and, naturally, magnetic shielding. The color of the whole system is strict black, though painted wood is matt, and plastic is glossy and so difficult to take photos without flares.
And now – the necessary minimum of the specifications. The subwoofer driver 133 mm in diameter, bass-reflex enclosure, and frequency range of 50 – 150 Hz. The full-range satellite driver 80 mm in diameter, frequency range of 150 – 20,000 Hz. The subwoofer output power (RMS) is 18 W, the satellites have 2 × 11 W. The dimensions of the subwoofer are 140 × 273 × 280 mm, the satellites are 95 × 152 × 95 mm, and the total weight of the system is 4.3 kg.
Almost all the switching is located on the rear side of the subwoofer: there is a power switch, analog audio inputs (line and PC inputs) and output jacks for the satellites and antenna. The rest – a USB port and an SD card slot – are located on the subwoofer front panel’s right.
The decoration of the subwoofer front panel is a LED display with big red 7-segment digital indicators showing the current time, number of the playing track, number or frequency of the radio station, etc, depending on the mode. The display brightness can be adjusted for the nighttime. The operation mode (MP3, FM, AUX, PC) or the clock in the Standby mode, equalizer settings are shown with blue LEDs above and below the digital indicators. An easy matter, in fact.
The system is controlled with huge buttons under the display – one in the center and four around it. They allow scanning radio stations, adjusting the volume and timbre, switching between the inputs, etc. But it’s much more convenient to do all this with the included remote control: it’s light and convenient; it has a separate button for nearly each function and even a numeric pad. What’s especially convenient is the Clock button you can press if you want to know the current time. Besides, the Sleep mode is quite useful, too – it lets you set the switch-off time.
Certainly, SVEN MS-2000 music system is not only PC-compatible but can also operate with any other analog sound source, be it a player, TV or a tablet. According to the results of the sound quality testing, SVEN MS-2000 distinguishes itself with high-quality and solid approach to reproduction of the lows and mids. Generally, it sounds whole and balanced for its price, but the strong point of this system is juicy intense bass. So, what it copes best with is providing sound for video games, as well as action movies and, sure, playing the signal of radio stations.
As for the FM radio, the built-in tuner has suddenly surprised us with high sensitivity and even selectivity, managing to catch lots of stations even without connecting the antenna. The tuner has a memory for 30 stations, so you can tune it once and then select your favorite channel by the numbers on the display.
The total power of the 2.1-channel SVEN MS-2000 speaker system is 40 W. At maximum volume, non-linear distortions of the signal played are more than noticeable, but believe me, you’ll never want to set full volume on this system, because it’s honest 40 W (RMS), and it’ll be too much both for you and your neighbors.
Finally, the verdict on the price-quality ratio. Today the SVEN MS-2000 system is available online at around $70. It means that paying for a usual 2.1 set you get a universal music system with two inputs, a built-in FM tuner, a clock, a remote control and possibility to play music from flash cards and USB flash drives. Not bad at all!
What’s missing? Maybe Wi-Fi, but I’m sure if it was added to SVEN MS-2000, the price wouldn’t be so tasty. But, as you see, it’s very, very pleasant for such a universal system.