Hauskaz Reviews III: Speakers and Headphones

[Hauskaz]

I don't feel like writing some faggot Java.

Altec Lansing 251
5.1 Surround PC Speakers

Total System Power: 90 Watts (45 Watts RMS)
Frequency Response: 35 Hz - 18 kHz
Signal to Noise Ratio @ 1 kHz Input: > 70 dB

I've had these speakers almost as long as I've had the PowerMac. They definitely owe me nothing. That said, they're showing signs of giving up after all the abuse they've taken.

As a 5.1 system, they do a great job of offering full surround sound, aided by the fact I actually placed the satellites properly. Games supporting surround sound bring about a gigantic advantage over everyone else wearing headphones or using 2.1 speakers. The slightest footsteps can be heard from any of the 5 satellites, and the subwoofer does a good job of delivering explosions and other loud booms. One issue with my particular set, however, is the rear right speaker. I've most definitely blown it to a degree, as it now scratches even at lower volumes. As a rear speaker, it isn't a critical issue, but it's still annoying as hell. The subwoofer also has rattle issues due to abuse, but it's not a problem when it's proportionally set to the right level with a dB meter as I have done.

I've always liked the look of these speakers. They're essentially a bunch of boxes with metal grates on them, and I like this simple design. With all the absolutely retarded-looking speaker sets out there, it's nice to have speakers that actually look like speakers. The controls on the front right speaker are less than stylish, but they get the job done and I don't really mind them.

For gaming or videos, these speakers do a great job, but for music, they don't particularly impress me. As a 5.1 set, some stereo separation is lost if 2-channel audio is duplicated to the rear speakers and downmixed to the centre. The satellites definitely rely on the subwoofer to deliver most of the power, but they are still pretty capable boxes. The response curve is passable, with the usual gap between the satellites and the subwoofer. It's a smaller gap than I've observed with other sets though, probably due to the effort I undertook to calibrate them properly. As an audiophile and a sound engineer, these speakers are not impressive. They're not bad by any means, but they just don't wow me like the next item I'm going to talk about.

Aesthetics: 8/10
Sound Stage: 8/10 (5.1) - 6/10 (2.1)
Sound Reproduction: 7/10

Verdict: Better than a lot of other PC 5.1 sets I've seen, but probably because I set mine up properly.

Beyerdynamic DT 250-80
Circumaural Field Monitoring Headphones

Handling Power: 100 mW
Frequency Response: 10 Hz - 30 kHz
Nominal Impedance: 80 Ω

Jesus fucking Christ, for $190 CAD, these headphones were a goddamn bargain. Nothing I've heard from myself or anyone else has come close to the sound reproduction of these headphones.

It's hard to detail how amazing these headphones sound. As someone who gets a hard on from sonic accuracy, Beyerdynamic is a beautiful goddess. The frequency response runs nice and level from the clear, punchy bass to the crisp, accurate treble. Properly-mixed music, which is unfortunately hard to come by these days, sounds absolutely fucking brilliant. The DT 250-80s also have an rather wide and vivid sound stage, with no phase shifting and a perfect representation of each sound's positioning in the stereo image. Perhaps the only potential flaw of any sort I can think of is that these headphones lean very slightly towards the warm side, but that just makes it less fatiguing to listen for long periods of time, and makes little difference in audio mixing. These are amazing headphones.

I quite like the look of them too. They have a very simple and almost retro look to them. I'm a fan of simple design, so this wins for me. These are very solid headphones, made of sturdy plastic and reinforced with steel. There's no fear of breaking these like what happened with the Sony MDR-V600s.

An interesting thing about these headphones is that the padding is of a felt-like material, rather than the usual faux leather. This seems to be a quirk shared by all of Beyerdynamic's headphones. At first, it was a bit odd, but after a short while of usage, I now highly prefer the felt. These headphones are a very snug fit on my head, and their fairly slim design makes prolonged wearing comfortable. The tight fit also blocks outside noise incredibly well. Once you put them on, the outside world becomes a null void. It's almost scary.

Aesthetics: 8/10
Sound Stage: 10/10
Sound Reproduction: 9.5/10
Noise Attenuation: 9/10

Verdict: Fucking buy a pair already.

MORE TO COME

[Hauskaz]

KLH Model Seventeen
Loudspeakers

Handling Power: 40 - 80 W

These speakers date back to the early 1970's. I don't exactly know where they came from, or why I have them. That said, they're pretty interesting.

First off, it's nice to listen to a system that doesn't consist of bullshit satellites and a separate subwoofer. These loudspeakers sport an 8" woofer along with a half-size tweeter. They feel incredibly powerful, something a set of PC speakers cannot achieve. The frequency range extends to a modest degree, with bass represented and treble emphasized. They're somewhat bright, but not too much. Sort of, but not really.

There's a flaw to be had with my particular set though: the tweeter is dead on one of them. This creates a noticeable treble bias on one side, and hurts stereo imaging significantly. It's hard to pick out individual instruments from the soundscape. Despite this, they're still pleasant speakers to listen to. The sonic quality is not quite there, but their size and power fill the room well enough to compensate.

My pair have seen better days as far as aesthetics go. They're encased in nice real wood, but they're incredibly dirty and stained. With some work, they could be restored to a degree, but I don't think it's really worth it. The front grille cloth is also missing on one of them, exposing the aged woofer. It's not nice to look at.

Aesthetics: 2/10
Sound Stage: 3/10
Sound Reproduction: 7/10

Verdict: They're definitely a novelty.

[Hauskaz]

JVC PC-B5K
Boombox Speakers

Handling Power: 15 - 25 W

These speakers came from a now-defunct GHETTOBLASTER. FUCK YEAH.

Despite their ridiculous heritage, they are nice-looking speakers. At first glance, you wouldn't be able to tell that they are boombox speakers. They sport a sophisticated silver metal casing, with similarly-sleek grilles over the woofer and tweeter. I like it. Why can't they make speakers like these anymore? I hate all this curvy shit going on these days. These laser-cut square boxes are vastly superior.

They may look awesome, but they sound as cold as the metal they're made with. These are incredibly bright speakers. Too bright for my taste. Treble is crisp and clear, but bass is awfully lacking. They're simply unsatisfying to listen to. Audio reproduction is great though, and the soundscape is actually incredibly impressive. The sound stage of these speakers feels as wide as my DT 250-80s. It's awesome to listen to recorded or well-produced material with these speakers. If only the low-end could be more impressive.

It's really strange how these speakers lack bass. For a set that came from a goddamn boombox, you would expect the complete opposite. A much warmer sound would be appreciated.

Aesthetics: 9/10
Sound Stage: 9/10
Sound Reproduction: 5/10

Verdict: A brilliant soundstage, but too bright for my taste.