5.1 multimedia speaker systems produced by SVEN Company always stand out against a background of “plastic” competitors by their nice-looking classic design with “wood grain finish”. The last novelty of this series, active 5.1 SVEN IHOO T100U speaker system, is not an exception.
It is worth noting that SVEN IHOO T100U model is a direct descendant of SVEN IHOO T100, which, in its turn, was developed based on the legendary IHOO MT 5.1. T100U system inherited from its predecessors successful speaker arrangement, sensitive tuner, obvious display on the subwoofer, as well as an easy-to-use remote control. At the same time the novelty has several new features, among which it should be noted, first of all, stricter appearance in the “black tints plus wood” style, as well as additional interfaces for Secure Digital (SD) flash cards and USB drives for direct reading of audio content bypassing a PC.
Today's material about SVEN IHOO T100U model has been done in the prompt test format, which means at least the absence of photos with the “gutting” process of speakers and bloodcurdling details of their content. Nevertheless, we’ll try to give the maximum detailed account of the impressions about the sound quality of this system.
Let us summarize the obvious advantages of the system: they are the use of material of good quality for speaker cabinets (MDF), the presence of two dial-up (though they are analog inputs only) and the modern approach to the design with magnetic screening of speakers and the subwoofer. The declared specifications of the amplifying-acoustic section look rather well and at least they are trustworthy for the system of such class and dimensions.
Moreover, let us decide at once, what we are going to find out in this article first of all. We are speaking of the price concordance of the novelty to the declared possibilities and sound quality tested in practice. Judging by offers of the on-line Moscow retail, at the moment of this article writing it was possible to buy 5.1 SVEN IHOO T100U speaker system at the price from RUB 6,000 and higher (the main offers meet the range RUB 6,000 – 7,000). We can say right away that the price of the novelty, undoubtedly, can be really not less than that $200+ according to its appearance and the declared possibilities.
Construction and design
SVEN IHOO T100U speaker system was delivered to our laboratory in a standard retail package full completed. There is a schematic speaker system image on a 20-kilogram ordinary carton, as well as the description of all its features.
After unpacking, the complete system appears as large as life: subwoofer, central speaker, pair frontal and rear satellites, set of connection cables, antenna, remote control with batteries, User’s Manual with warranty card.
The remote control has two form factor ААА batteries. The model is not a supermegacompact one at all, but it will be lost rarer.
Wires and cables. There are three RCA–RCA jack cables and three RCA–mini-jack cables in the package, i.e. any variants for connection to 2.0 or 5.1 linear analog outputs of a computer or other consumer electronics.
Let us start a familiarity of the speaker system with the central component – a subwoofer. Its case, as well as cases of satellites, is made of 18 mm MDF and stickered with different decorative coatings: side panels – “walnut” veneer (if I am not in the wrong), the other – contrasting black plastic with fine-grained surface structure.
The overlay control panel and the phase inverter bell on the front panel, as well as the panel with slots for SD flash cards and USB drives on the top panel are made of the black semi-mat plastic.
The subwoofer front panel, you can see it on the picture below, has a sufficient number of buttons for complete control of the system. However, their number is nevertheless less than on the remote control, and due to this, it is more convenient to control the system using it.
The display on the subwoofer front panel is equipped with LED backlighting – it displays all main settings of the system, including a chosen FM-station frequency, the system’s master volume, level of low and high frequencies, channel balance, connected input, etc.
There is the whole commutation of the system on the of subwoofer rear side. You will find there on a overlay metal plate, which carries ribbed cooler of the amplifier output cascades, antenna jack, stereophonic and 6-channel analog outputs, connection terminals to connect satellites, as well as a mechanical switch of the system (the system can be only switched to the Standby mode from the front panel and remote control) and the mains power cord.
The central channel speaker has the same design: MDF “walnut” coating on side panels is combined with fine-grained black coating of the other surface.
This speaker is completed with a removable decorative panel, as well as all other satellites. Four porous material circles are fixed on the bottom surface, which serve as damping supports.
The central channel speaker has a symmetric design, at that every broadband speaker on the rear side in the magnetic system center has a corresponding phase inverter.
The central channel is not completed with wall mounting brackets; the speaker can be placed on the horizontal surface only. Connection terminals for signal cable connection has the same standard, as for all other components of the system.
The front channel speakers are absolutely identical, the high-frequency loudspeaker and the broadband loudspeaker located beneath it are centrally symmetric, so it will be impossible to confuse the right channel with the left one.
The phase inverter is located on the speaker rear side, in one third of its construction. In short, everything is invariable as far back the time of IHOO MT 5.1 model.
Rear channel speakers: one broadband loudspeaker and a phase inverter in one third of the rear plane. Everything is simple and compact, except perhaps the rear satellites have additional pre-installed brackets for wall mounting.
Listening results
It is noteworthy that the fast response of the built-in FM-tuner is not an advertising overstatement on the part of the producer, the reception of many channels with quite good quality began immediately, even without connection of the antenna to the jack.
The producer provides an optimal diagram in the User’s Manual to place the system components around a listener. The subwoofer can be really placed in any place of the room; it is confirmed even without practical tests by non-directional principle of propagation of low-frequency vibrations. However, frontal and rear satellites can be placed with considerable deviations from the presented diagram.
According to the results of practical tests in our laboratory, at least the rear speakers can be placed much nearer to the listener without great losses of surrounding sound, with greater angle to the central axis more than 110 degrees indicated in the diagram. The converse is right regarding the front speakers: they can be placed with considerably wider angles without great sound losses.
Finally, everything is adjusted rather well by the control of volume level and channel balance as may be required; so you can start out from the principle of comfort during placing satellites and to regulate the sound picture after that only, but not to catch the “ideal sound” by moving speakers.
The main and the most clear impression from the listening of SVEN IHOO T100U speaker system in practical conditions on the example of different musical compositions is the excellent sound “transparency” of the system.
Undoubtedly, it is possible to complain of inadequate power basses – they are available, but nobody will be quaking with fear due to the roar of drums, knees will not vibrate due to the sound of a contrabass, and even if neighbors of your apartment building will come running, then in no way due to LF pulsations, but rather due to excessive total volume. The low frequency tone control being rotated hardly more above zero provides rather pleasant and powerful picture, but do not wait for the crushing roar and deafening clang from the system with the cut of amplitude-frequency characteristics at 40 Hz level.
In some instances, the reproduction of upper frequency range cannot be named ideal. That is, it is possible to obtain the good sound of “high notes”, but for this purpose you will have to rotate the tone control downwards; otherwise you can easily to rotate until you get hit with hard times.
However, in spite of all these nuances, by and large the sound is very natural and clear. Such is indeed the case. Even the listening of our favorite testing “check headshot” – compositions of metallic death-/brutal Nile group – appeared as a sudden positive moment: guitars, vocal, percussion – everything sounded clearly, without attempts to make a single “mess”. Well, such sound is comparable, perhaps, with the sound, which is provided by expensive high-quality earphones: they are not able to reach strong crash “bass” in view of physical limit, but at the same time it is impossible to name such sound as low-quality or inadequate, because it is simply good specifically.
If one is to judge by the highest standards, the sound of SVEN IHOO T100U speaker system will not satisfy maybe lovers of compound music classic works, and only those, where choral parties and the strong violoncello section are involved at full capacity: there – yes, the expressiveness is not enough a little bit. However, both jazz and classic French chanson sounds with this system perfectly, not to mention hard-, pop-, sympho- and other rock music. And such a dear Fausto Papetti with his banana-vanilla saxophone seems has been created just for such sound.
Conclusions
Now it is just the right time to come to our senses and remember that we discuss 5.1 SVEN IHOO T100U multimedia speaker system with the built-in amplifier at the cost of $200+ only, which has additionally the proper FM tuner and ports to reproduce music from SD cards and USB drives.
Certainly, we can place the blame for the absence of a digital output on this system – the availability of even one HDMI for integration into the modern home environment wouldn’t be a bad thing undoubtedly. But, on the other hand, it is a multimedia speaker system only, oriented first of all to operate with home PCs, which by default have for a long time not only a usual stereo output, but the analog 5.1-channel interface as well.
It is for this reason that the SVEN IHOO T100U speaker system is beyond praise.