Most prominent to the design of the SW-Flat 2.1 is the flat paneled face of the left, right and subwoofer speakers. The design gives a sleek look to the speakers, although it is not entirely apparent that they are flat when you are directly facing them. The flat panel model slightly reduces the amount of desk space that is needed, although they are small to begin with --- as are most 2.1 computer speakers on the market.
The glossy black finish of the speakers also contributes to their modern appearance, but makes it easy to get smudges and fingerprints on them. If you move the speakers around very often you will also find yourself needing to wipe fingerprints and smudges off the surface to keep the speakers clean.
The left and right speakers use a small base, with slightly backward-angled alignment of the drivers, to sit atop any flat surface. There is no rubber or other material on the bottom of the units, so they slide easily once placed on your desk.
Out of the Box Setup and Controls
All of the speaker connections go through the rear-side of the subwoofer unit. The central location of all of the connections makes it easy to get the speakers set up, as you just need to connect the left and right speakers, plug in the AC power adapter and finally plug in the 3.5mm jack to both your laptop and the subwoofer unit. Assuming that you don’t get any of the cords tangled together, the setup only takes a few minutes.
If you want to switch from using the speakers to using headphones, there is a line-out headphone jack that can be used. Plugging in your headphones works very well if you want to keep others from hearing your music, although the speakers do need to be powered on in order for the audio to pass-through to the headphones.
In addition to powering the unit on/off, the wire remote control allows you to adjust the volume and the bass output using small control knobs. A bright blue LED light is used to indicate that the unit is powered on. I knocked the left speaker over multiple times as I was trying to move the wired remote to an easily reachable location. Both the left and right speakers are very light, so they slide and tip very easily when any of the cords bump into them.
Performance Testing
The sound quality performance evaluation using Genius SW-Flat 2.1 800 speakers was done by listening to MP3s stored on my laptop. The laptop uses an internal Realtec audio chip for sound processing. I listened to a number MP3s with bit rates of 128kbps and 320kbps. A wide selection of classical, rock, alternative and hip-hop music was used in the evaluation.
With the bass volume knob turned half-way up, my first impressions revealed the SW-Flat 800 to have a sharp, almost edgy sound quality. The high notes and even the mids are very pronounced and much more prominent than the low-end frequencies. The highs are clear and blend well with the vocals, but the lack of bass is quite apparent.
Turning the volume up revealed how lacking the bass is – the subwoofer does not dig very deep at all – and lacks punch. Turning up the volume to near full power resulted in some heavy distortion, so do not expect to fill a room with sound using these speakers. The high frequencies also become very shrill and unpleasant sounding.
Specifications
- RMS (Watts:) Total: 15
- RMS (Watts): Subwoofer: 9
- RMS (Watts): Satellite: 3 watts x 2
- Woofer: 4", 4Ω
- Satellite: 40 x 70mm, 4Ω
- Frequency Response: 20~20kHz
- Signal-to-Noise ratio: 74 dB
- Volume: Yes
- Bass: Yes
- Headphone jack: Yes
In the Box
- One subwoofer
- Two satellites
- One AC adapter
- One stereo audio cable for desktop or notebook sound card
- Multi-language user’s manual
1 Year Manufacturer Warranty
