It is very difficult to surprise and make happy a spoilt buyer by the modern assortment of inexpensive and beautiful speaker systems of quite good quality. Taking that fact into consideration producers began searching for nonstandard solutions, which would extend the scope of habitual things. The integration of a media-player of full value with support of USB drives and SD-cards, as well as FM radio, into some models of speaker systems was, undoubtedly, one of such successful solutions by SVEN Company. As the result of that, we have a musical center of full value, which must not be connected to a computer at all. Naturally, during the process two other no less important constituents were not forgotten, i.e. the appearance and sound. Affordability? This is also as right as a trivet; you can make happy yourself or your friends with a gift in the form of SVEN MS-300 even, if you are “really strapped for dough”. We will add only one thing before starting the direct review, the speaker system is produced in a popular and easy-to-use format 2.1.
Package contents
So never getting used to the new blue color of the box (recently devices of SVEN Company were supplied in red boxes for more than 10 years) we pull out of it the carefully packed system (separately satellites, separately a subwoofer).
A compact and flat remote control is packed separately. Rather widespread CR2032 lithium battery is used for its power; however, you will hardly have to think about its replacement in years to come.
All required documents are available as well, at that Russian Operation Manual is very detailed and well translated.
Construction and design
The satellites and subwoofer have a uniform style thanks to the common black-silver gamut and open cones of loudspeakers.
The subwoofer has MDF cabinet. Its thickness is small, but taking into account the subwoofer dimensions, this thickness is quite sufficient. Nipping on ahead, we will note that the system has not any unpleasant overtones, so the cabinet quality is rather high.
The satellite cabinets are plastic. Front panels of both the subwoofer and satellites have many common features.
The plastic is glossy, but it collects fingerprints moderately. In any case, you will not have to touch the speaker system too frequently – the remote control is used for this purpose.
Small supports, which provide the necessary inclination angle of satellites for the correct sounding, have been already built-in in their construction. You can notice the phase inverter ports on the rear side of satellites, which can be successfully used for their mounting to the wall. However, shelf or table mounting is more preferable.
Loudspeakers, as we have already written, are not closed. Because dynamic heads of the so-called Scandinavian type are used, their cones are coated with silver composition and have a concave shape, we have quite good designer solution, and we’ll have not to worry for integrity of loudspeakers. Unless there is an active child-experimenter in the house who like to stick sharp objects into all incomprehensible things. But then even the grill of the speaker system will not save…
The similar solution was applied in the subwoofer as well. Though the silver fringe was added there, and this creates something like a megaphone. Such a subwoofer is definitely not for the floor mounting, it should be placed on a table; besides aesthetic considerations the system will be controlled much more conveniently in such position.
As we can see, the loudspeakers are shielded from inside and in general have imposing appearance.
There is on/off switch, bass volume control, as well as the output to satellites on the rear panel. The cable to connect a computer is stationary.
No less important thing, namely FM-antenna, is thoroughly folded at the rear. In unfold condition its length does not boggle the mind, but for reliable reception of radio stations in a city the antenna is more than sufficient.
The slot for SD-cards and USB-port for flash- and other storage devices are housed unnoticeable on the subwoofer right side.
Operation
There is a small digital display and control buttons on the subwoofer. They are used to switch tracks being played from carriers, operation mode, volume, radio settings. All of them are doubled on the remote control, but it also has additional easy-to-use digital keyboard for rapid selection of tracks or radio stations and the button to select the equalizer operation modes.
By default the system in turned on in AUX mode, i.e. the operation with a linear output. It will be necessary to connect a jack to a sound card only to use it as an ordinary computer speaker system.
The Mode button pressing will select the storage device mode of the multimedia system. A USB flash drive or a memory card are identified very quickly, MP3 files are played in alphabetical order with regard to folders. Taking into account the absence of a graphic display, ideally a track number must be at the beginning of a file name number, then albums will be played correctly. Music is played automatically as well, if a storage device or memory card is inserted. A memory card or a USB flash drive, if both of them are inserted, is also selected with the Mode button, at that SD or USB is displayed on the screen.
If no carriers are inserted, then the Mode button selects the radio mode, otherwise you will have to press the button twice. Radio is tuned to stations very quickly by pressing “forward” or “back” buttons, radio stations are memorized and then they can be called back by the direct entry of a number. All FM radio stations in Minsk have been found, and the reception quality is just excellent, so the apprehension regarding the short antenna were vain.
Sounding
Being frankly glad, that I purchased SVEN with so rich functional, a qualitative and interesting design for 40 US dollars only, I supposed surreptitiously that the sound would be, at the best, average. Fortunately, the apprehension did not come true at all.
SVEN MS-300 sounds perfectly for its price category. It is not necessary to assign overwhelming tasks to the system, something like an attempt to hear the third violin in the second row during the record of a grand symphonic orchestra, but pop music, rock and most light electronic genres it plays without problems. The sound is quite pellucid and clear in spite of single-lane satellites, and that indicates the sufficient amount of the highest frequencies. The medium is very “vivid”, thorough and rich, that becomes apparent particularly good during vocal playing. When the system is placed correctly, it is able to create quite good volume, stereo panorama. The degree of details of the system becomes apparent during a simple test – you can distinguish easily MP3 files with bitrate 128 and 320 kilobits, whereas many decorative speaker systems play them just the same.
Small subwoofer dimensions do not allow playing the lower bass, but there are no problems at all with an attack in the field of midbass, as well as with its amount. The absence of unpleasant overtones makes everybody glad. The volume reserve of the system is not very great – engineers decided that the sound quality without distortions was more important than too large volume level. So, we recommend the system for a workplace, bedroom, kitchen (where the radio mode will make happy particularly) and for other premises with small volume. It is better to look for something more powerful to a TV set as a home theatre.
Eight modes of the equalizer are really useful in this speaker system – you will be able to obtain more expressive sounding of a certain genre or a musical composition.
ЗNote that we wrote nothing about its specifications, hertzes, percents and watts. Because all these figures are not needed at all during the description of impressions of similar systems. They are not expensive studio monitors, the sound of such a system you either like or do not like. I liked the sounding of SVEN MS-300. Well, it did not play every test track ideally; a trained ear will certainly find what to nag at. But a quite unusual thing was there during the listening, after turning on this speaker system in the “background mode” I discovered after a while that I was listening to the music having been distracted from my work and I enjoyed it. And it turned out in the evening, that the speaker system had been played non-stop for 8 hours causing neither fatigue nor desire to switch on the adjacent full-size Hi-Fi system, during the description of which I certainly would mention both watts and hertzes and percents with coefficients…
Conclusion
SVEN MS-300 turned out to be very successful set of a speaker system with additional functions. Actually, for $40 we buy a musical center of full value with radio, MP3, support of USB drives and memory cards, without compromises regarding sounding. Manufacturing quality makes us glad too, the times of cheap plastic and MDF with peelable film have passed. Do not try to substitute a home theatre of full value with the help of 2.1 speaker system – and it will make you happy for many years. As log as engineers will not find a method to build in any “delicacy” into a speaker system.