Price : $64.99
Product Description
Fans of aggressive bass will enjoy this pair of parallel-wired subwoofer system that hits harder, deeper and more accurate than ever. Increased surface area is key to producing sound pressure level previously impossible from a subwoofer this size. Audiophiles will be delighted by its crisp highs, refined midrange and punchy lows that only high quality components can provide. This high fidelity, 3-way loudspeaker system offers full spectrum sound that is accurate, images well and is noticeably more detailed and dynamic than you could expect from conventional speakers.
Customer Reviews
I believe the best way to tell two speakers apart is by listening to them side by side so I know their strengths and weaknesses.
Each of the speaker is hooked up to an HTPC that I have setup for each person in my family, in their own room, over the years. Granted, some of the older PCs had nicer audio add-on cards (unlike the newer machines all use built-in audio on the motherboard) and each room has different furnitures affecting the accoustics and all that technical mumble jumbo, but I made sure all were sending line-level audios without any EQ adjustments. I also played back using the same movie LOTR for consistency.
Here is how I would rate my speakers:
Expressionist volume B, treble A+, midrange A, bass B (about 119 dollars)
AR506 volume B, treble A, midrange A, bass B (about 59 dollars)
Z4 volume A, treble B, midrange B, bass A+ (about 99 dollars)
Companion2 volume B, treble C, midrange C, bass C (about 89 dollars)
To my ears, the AR506 sounded very good thru most of the movie. The highs (Nazgul screeches) were clear but not as bright as the Expressionist (here the Expressionist wins). The midrange (most of the vocals and foreground music) was excellent, rich and natural. The lows (background war drums, rumbles, etc) were tight ; deep but lacked the raw power of Z4 (here the Z4 wins with thunderous lows but they sounded a little bit loose/boomy). The worst performing speaker of all these was actually Bose which sounded muddy, what a shock! In terms of volume I would say all speakers offer more than adequate OOMPH for a normal sized room of about 20x20 feet with 5 people sitting in it.
Update 7-15-2010 I just had to revise my review to reflect the following NEGATIVES:
1 Wires. Although they are standard RCA type (not proprietary like altecs and logitechs) but they are short! I had to buy another set of RCA cables so I can separate the satellites beyond 6 feet. They are only $2 a pair in local radioshack but Eagle should have made them longer.
2 Remote. The wired remote continues to throw me off even after 4 months of use. When I plug in the headphone jack on the wired remote, I must press the MUTE button located on the side. The volume dial has no effect while I am using the headphone jack. Errr...Why? I don't know, it's just strange like that.
3 My last set of speakers was the AR504 back in 2009. When I bought them, I thought there could not be a better sounding 3-piece speaker under $50. In my opinion, that still holds TRUE today. The AR506 does sound very good but I miss AR504's wireless remote and digital EQ, which allows me to boost the treble ; bass when needed. Tuned properly, the AR504 can sound better than AR506. In conclusion, I still think AR504 offers more bang for the buck.
4 I told my friend to get one because these sounded great. BUT to my (and his) surprise the speaker NO longer has the headphone input. The wired remote bottom is completely SEALED. Looking at the user manual and package content description, it is obvious that there are two versions of the products so BEWARE
I hope ya'll Amazonians find this review helpful. Share your thoughts and help others make informed purchase decisions.
For the price, the sound is excellent. You could hardly do better if you are on a tight budget. As others have noted, this system was designed as computer accessory and it is very good for gaming applications. After playing with it for awhile one can see that the sweet spot for the satellite speakers is about 3-4 ft away on a table top when they are spread as far as their cables will allow. The bass is designed to "rock" you even though it is under the table.
In my opinion, for general use as a stereo or in an entertainment center, the bass is disproportionately loud relative to the satellite speakers. This may be why some have complained of a muddy/mushy sound since the treble range can be drowned out by the bass. You can mitigate this problem if your source has some equalization functionality (an iPod Touch/iPhone, for instance, has a "Reduced Bass" option in its settings). You can also turn the woofer sideways or place it behind something. It also really helps to get speaker extension cables to improve channel separation. Once you get the volume and separation balanced for the sweet spot your targeting, the sound is pretty impressive.
Product Details
- Product Dimensions: 13.2 x 11.6 x 13.2 inches ; 15.4 pounds
- Shipping Weight: 15.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
- Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
- ASIN: B0039NM52Q
- Item model number: ET-AR506-BK
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