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Review: MidiLand 8200 Speakers

by David Ross on 28 December 2000, 00:00

Tags: Midiland

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qadl

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MidiLand 8200 Speakers

All I can say is d'oh, I had just got myself a new set of B and W 602s Speakers for my Hifi when MidiLand Tech contacted me over a review. I was previously looking at getting some creative labs speakers for my PC, something like the DTT-2500s,they are very powerful. This is before I had even looked at the MidiLand range.



The top of the range model, the 8200s are a full home surround sound system. It boasts 200Ws of raw power. It is an 8 piece Dolby 5.1. The 6.5" sub built acts as the main part of this system it takes 100Ws of all the power, then the other 100Ws is split between the other 5 speakers. One for the front, one for the left, right, left back, right back.

This system is based around Dolby Digital Technology. It allows you to create a sound you like. It doesnt force you to do anything. It lets you adjust the balance, inputs, sound from each speaker. And this is one feature which you would miss on a normal set of Creative Speakers for example. This little box makes the system work like a dream.

With other PC speakers I have had, they tend to be just PC speakers and sound very poor with other sounds going through them. But with the 8200s they are more than just a set of speakers. They have been developed for everything. They are designed to be used on your computer. Or even on your TV and DVD setup. It is a true home Desktop theatre. And plugging this sort of power in to your PC makes the world of difference.

Often I go to bed whilst watching films, it is the only way I can relax. And having these speakers on my PC makes it the ultimate sound system to go with the ultimate PC. With more and more people intergrating a PC in to there home entertainment systems, these speakers have hit the market at the right time.

The cost of these speakers isn't to be overlooked, they carry a tag of $399.95 which isn't cheap but you do get a lot for your money.They are quality made wooden speakers and sure kick out some sound! I couldnt lift them with one hand I had to carry them in with two.. Also when you look at the speaker, care has sure gone in to them.

Check MidiLand.com for the Tech Specs

When I was looking at the B and Ws I was planning on getting a Storm III Sub, this is one massive beast and also has a large price tag with it! ;) But this sub which came with the MidiLand gives nice rounded bass not cheap and hollow. It also helps that it is big, I havent seen a PC sub which is as big as this. The main centre of the Sub is made of a Polly finish which is like the technology that Qef use on there floor-stander speakers. If it is set at 40Hz, it makes the floor shake. On the back of the sub there is the AMP enclosure. There is a main master volume control and also a control for the sub volume. There is also the connections for the speakers.

You wouldn't have 5.1 Surround sound without the satelites, with the 8200s, MidiLand have included the 3" surround speakers. These speakers are larger than the Creatuve DDT 2500 speakers, and also they are fully inclosed. On the back of the speaker there are attachments for the speakers (Normal connections) and also a screw hole, this is due to the fact MidiLand have sorted mounting clips so they can easily be mounted on the wall.

With the Sub doing the bass and the satelites doing the "tweeters" gives many advantages, these include the single source of bass, this can improve the overall feel and sound from the system. The problem having one point of Bass sound is that it cant produce all of the range of a human's central hearing.

The AS 2000 is the little decoder box, it isn't a massive box but for the money and quality it is the best I have ever seen for a PC. When you think about it, the PC is an expensive system and having these speakers with all of the trimmings just finishes it off ;)

When I got these speakers I thought it would be a 10 mins install, but it took a lot longer than that. There are a lot of speakers which need wiring and mounting, this is something which takes time. Black to Black and Red to Red. The system comes with all the wires and connectors which are needed for this system. It also includes high quality cabling to connect the speakers to the sub. It took about 40 mins to setup this set properly.

Unlike with Creative speakers these didn't come with any stands, nor was it easy to mount them on anything to angle for the full affect, but I did find it easier to put them on shelves which I had in the room. MidiLand are doing mounting kits for these speakers, but they forgot us! hint. I simply positioned all of the speakers around the room equal distance from the desk. I then plugged it up to the Live Platinum in the PC.

The only way which I can think of testing speakers is to use a DVD, and what DVD is better than the Matrix (Yep it is a favourite in our offices). These speakers made the world of difference in the Corridor scence, where you could hear all the dropping of shells and the bullets rattling past you. It doesn't get more realistic than this! I then went on to play more DVDs. The beauty of this system is the enhanced DVD playback, this is mainly due to the ADS-2000. It allows you to control the individual channel volume, amount of delay to the center and surround speakers, number of speakers to use, bass management. There is also a S/PDIF input if your sound card has this feature.

This set of speakers ran like a dream in all games and also playing music, you could tell how poor Mp3s are when listening to them via this, and how good DVDs, and CDs are! They are a nice and clear set of speakers without muffling in the mid range rigging. These are the best PC Speakers I have ever used. and for sure it beats the Creative labs DDT -2500, in both sound quality and volume ;)

The Sub gave a clean and deep bass which is what people want not cheap and tinny bass which you can get from some cheaper speakers. It gives an overall rounded sound and it is most pleasant to listen to especially at high volumes.

It would be nice to see the ADS 2000 fit in a drive bay, but it does its job amazingly and it sure a pleasure to use. I also think that MidiLand have to include some speaker stands with there speakers, not just the mounting systems. This would let you angle the speakers at the person using the system, not just "anywhere". This would give the best overall sourd affects.

But it has to be said that the S4 MidiLand 8200 is the by far the best speaker system I have ever used. It has taken a lot of work in development but it shows up the Cambridge SoundWorks systems. With a price tag of $399.95, the S4 MidiLand 8200 is far from cheap but for the amount of features you get, It is a sure buy if you want a quality set of speakers.

Pros
Best speakers ever used.
Excellent range and volume
Amazing Dolby 5.1 support
Excellent in game and DVD sounds

Cons
No mounting brackets or Stands