What this review is about- first impressions of the Corsair SP2500 & the Creative X-fi USB SOund Card ( which from now on will be referred as X-Fi)
What this review is not about-detailed accounstic analysis of the SP 2500 & the X-fi.
First a bit about myself:
I admire some of the truly great audiophiles in this forum, I stand nowhere in terms of their technical brilliance. I listen to a lot of music - not restricted to any particular language / genre, as long as it gets me grooving.
For me there are three things about my music I would like to share-I love to hear it loud all the time(even beyond 2am),i dont like the details compromised(even at full volume),the bass has to be tight & punchy at the same time.
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi USB
I would recommend this usb sound card to everybody out there who thinks desktops are the new dinosaurs. Corsair too recommends a good sound card to utilize the full potential of the SP2500. Apart from the usualy decoding capabilities ( like dolby digital etc, this baby is THX certified.
The setup was a clinche, the device powers over usb so no external power required.I have to admit creative has been stingy with the accessories, it would have been nice to have an aux cable & wireless remote bundled along.
The design is minimalistic and there is only the volume knob to play along with, for everything else you need to launch the bundled software and play around with it.
YES-for me the sound card makes a pronounced difference even for the MP3's that i play along ( movies are in a all together different class of their own).I also did notice that with the sound card I was able to play the songs much louder( more on that below) without compromising fidelity ( if anything things sounded better), compared to the onboard audio.
In the end 4k,well spent.
There will always be naysayers who would argue that the difference is minimal, but then an external sound card is only for people who want an uncompromised experience.
For detailed reviews of the sound card, google is your best friend.
Corsair SP2500
Asthetics-The speakers are designed in such a way as to not invoke an extreme responses, simple design, top notch construction materials for the speakers, wired remote sub & the cables. (as pointed out by engadget)The packaging too has been thoughtfully designed, to not only protect the equipment but also simple enough that you easily can pack the equipment just like it had arrived. I would also like to mention that the box doesn't feel heavy to carry back home, i did walk for about 10mins without any discomfort.
The sub has the inputs for the power cable, satellites, vga connector for the wired remote and an aux connector.
Below is the picture of the cable that connects to one of the satellites.
The wired remote comes with a 1.8" LCD of acceptable quality(no retina display here), an input for headphones and aux. You can adjust the volume,bass,eq and input source from the wired remote.The firmware of the remote ( which houses the dsp for the eq) is upgradable for which there is a micro-usb port.
I also like the unconventional stands for the satellites-neither do they hinge / stick / slot. Its just a fine piece of plastic with infused rubber which you place below the satellites and orient them at the angle you prefer.
Sound quality:
Every review on the www has gone to great lengths in praising the SP2500, so I would recommend you google if you want to lookup the numbers.
But there is something I would like to mention-these speakers have been designed to bring a smile( before your credit card bill shows up) on your face.I am happy to say that corsair has made no compromises on the single most essential reason for buying these speakers- Sound quality. Corsair claims that these speakers are usable at 100 % of the volume without compromising the sound quality-i put this to test for a variety of songs ( all day) and I have to admit, that this a genuine claim.
The Bass response from the colossal sub is terrific and never seemed to overpower the satellities, which are in a league of their own.
I always ruined not buying the MX-5021 ( which i think was the best in its time), but these I can confidently say ( i have heard the MX 5021, and I respect your opinions on comparison of the two) best the MX-5021.
Price:
The speakers are available in SP road Bangalore ( Golccha Computers is where i got it from) for 12.2k+taxes=12.8k, which in my opinion is a fantastic price.
What this review is not about-detailed accounstic analysis of the SP 2500 & the X-fi.
First a bit about myself:
I admire some of the truly great audiophiles in this forum, I stand nowhere in terms of their technical brilliance. I listen to a lot of music - not restricted to any particular language / genre, as long as it gets me grooving.
For me there are three things about my music I would like to share-I love to hear it loud all the time(even beyond 2am),i dont like the details compromised(even at full volume),the bass has to be tight & punchy at the same time.
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi USB
I would recommend this usb sound card to everybody out there who thinks desktops are the new dinosaurs. Corsair too recommends a good sound card to utilize the full potential of the SP2500. Apart from the usualy decoding capabilities ( like dolby digital etc, this baby is THX certified.
The setup was a clinche, the device powers over usb so no external power required.I have to admit creative has been stingy with the accessories, it would have been nice to have an aux cable & wireless remote bundled along.
The design is minimalistic and there is only the volume knob to play along with, for everything else you need to launch the bundled software and play around with it.
YES-for me the sound card makes a pronounced difference even for the MP3's that i play along ( movies are in a all together different class of their own).I also did notice that with the sound card I was able to play the songs much louder( more on that below) without compromising fidelity ( if anything things sounded better), compared to the onboard audio.
In the end 4k,well spent.
There will always be naysayers who would argue that the difference is minimal, but then an external sound card is only for people who want an uncompromised experience.
For detailed reviews of the sound card, google is your best friend.
Corsair SP2500
Asthetics-The speakers are designed in such a way as to not invoke an extreme responses, simple design, top notch construction materials for the speakers, wired remote sub & the cables. (as pointed out by engadget)The packaging too has been thoughtfully designed, to not only protect the equipment but also simple enough that you easily can pack the equipment just like it had arrived. I would also like to mention that the box doesn't feel heavy to carry back home, i did walk for about 10mins without any discomfort.
The sub has the inputs for the power cable, satellites, vga connector for the wired remote and an aux connector.
Below is the picture of the cable that connects to one of the satellites.
The wired remote comes with a 1.8" LCD of acceptable quality(no retina display here), an input for headphones and aux. You can adjust the volume,bass,eq and input source from the wired remote.The firmware of the remote ( which houses the dsp for the eq) is upgradable for which there is a micro-usb port.
I also like the unconventional stands for the satellites-neither do they hinge / stick / slot. Its just a fine piece of plastic with infused rubber which you place below the satellites and orient them at the angle you prefer.
Sound quality:
Every review on the www has gone to great lengths in praising the SP2500, so I would recommend you google if you want to lookup the numbers.
But there is something I would like to mention-these speakers have been designed to bring a smile( before your credit card bill shows up) on your face.I am happy to say that corsair has made no compromises on the single most essential reason for buying these speakers- Sound quality. Corsair claims that these speakers are usable at 100 % of the volume without compromising the sound quality-i put this to test for a variety of songs ( all day) and I have to admit, that this a genuine claim.
The Bass response from the colossal sub is terrific and never seemed to overpower the satellities, which are in a league of their own.
I always ruined not buying the MX-5021 ( which i think was the best in its time), but these I can confidently say ( i have heard the MX 5021, and I respect your opinions on comparison of the two) best the MX-5021.
Price:
The speakers are available in SP road Bangalore ( Golccha Computers is where i got it from) for 12.2k+taxes=12.8k, which in my opinion is a fantastic price.
