Sound good?
Setup
Setting up the speakers is fairly easy.
Decide whether you're using analogue or digital optical, set the sub and speaker switches up appropriately. Then, plug the relevant cable in between the speakers and your PC, then connect to the speakers to the subwoofer. Got that? Right, next section...
Testing
We say testing, and by this we mean we tried the iDome speakers out in a few different scenarios to see how they performed. We can only provide subjective opinions, of course. We couldn't care less whether the speakers are completely digital; they could use a rope and pulley system to generate sound. For testing, all that we care about is how they sound to us.
We first tested the iDome system out in a room that was about 5m x 4m in size, representative of a small-to-medium-sized lounge. Hooked up to a mighty Shuttle SN21G5, there was no optical out so we had to settle for analogue.
We tried various media experiences, including television, CD and MP3 playback, along with DVDs. At full volume, the speakers weren't all that loud. They were enough for movie watching in the room, but if the room had been larger, they might not have been. Still, at full volume, the sound remained clear and precise, abit going for clarity over outlandish volume levels.
The bass from the speakers alone is sufficient most of the time. Turning up the bass on them above 1/2 to 2/3, when the volume is set to max, will make them struggle, however. So, if you want to feel the earth shake during an explosive movie, you will need the assistance of the subwoofer.
2.1 might not be ideal for movie watching or game playing, but despite this, the iDome speakers did a very good job. Even in quite busy audio scenarios, the various elements within that audio remained distinct. For example, background sounds were subtle, yet clearly present beneath conversations and such, making films immersive.
We also tried the iDomes out in a smaller room, in which they were definitely powerful enough, unless you have a need to annoy your neighbours big time. This allowed us to hook the iDomes up over digital as well as analogue (thanks to, by chance, an abit AN8 Ultra motherboard). Swapping between the two and listening very carefully, there wasn't a great deal of difference between S/PDIF and analogue RCA. The full range of audio was perhaps slightly clearer over S/PDIF, but analogue was still good. If you have optical connectivity, use it. If not, no worries, the speakers will still give you a nice sound.
The uGuru SFX knob is worth fiddling with. It provides noticeable EQ changes which do suit different scenarios, so give it a fiddle when you change what you're listening to and a difference will be heard.
