Genius SP-HF800A Wood Speakers look great with any PC system
Genius has been making its way into the US market by designing and importing innovative yet well-priced PC peripherials. The SP-HF800A “3-Way Hi-Fi Wood Speakers” are created to look great and sound good while taking up little space as they will probably sit to either side of your display in what is especially recommended for a compact PC system.
What is impressive are the SP-HF800A’s good looks. They are a miniturization of classic-looking floor-standing loudspeakers, and the Maple wood as well as the copper speaker cones and inserts are an elegant touch – all for only about $50 for the set at Newegg.com. You can find them online as well as at Sears, Walmart and at Best Buy and perhaps you can even audition them before you buy. Of course, usually the most important thing about any speakers is their sound and we have been able to audition these speakers for well over a month from a variety of sources.
Genus calls these speakers, “three-way” although there is only one crossover for a single tweeter and two identical midrange speakers. Technically they are three-driver, “two-way” speakers although there is no standard and some car audio speaker manufacturers call similar speakers, “2.5-way”. The reason for using a second midrange speaker is to reinforce the bass, and there is also a port on the back of each speaker which makes them “bass reflex” also – the port is tuned to maximize whatever bass is produced inside the speaker box and to reinforce it for the listener. The cables on the back keep one from placing the speakers directly against the wall, so you don’t have to worry about covering the ports.
The SP-HF800As are bookshelf speakers which means that they are designed to sound better sitting on a bookshelf – ideally in some sort of corner placement. That is where you will get the most effective bass response and the best imaging.
The SP-HF800As do look great and their style sets them we above most plastic-looking generic PC speakers in their price-range. However, it is important that PC speakers sound decent – one does not expect audiophile quality from fifty dollar speakers nor should one expect thundering bass from even multiple 2″ drivers without a subwoofer. We have had these speakers for well over a month as our main PC speakers and we have listened to all of our music, watched movies and played many PC games on them.
Genius duplicated their shipment to ABT and we received two pairs of the same SP-HF800A speakers to evaluate. That brought up the idea of using them in a Quadraphonic 4.0 array in surround for movies and for PC gaming, and also “stacked” – each pair placed next to each other in a stereo configuration (as above) to see how they image and also if the bass response will increase with a total of 8 drivers devoted to the midrange and mid-bass as the speaker is specified to reach down to 80Hz (at -20db and 10% THD).
We used it together with our Compaq notebook’s integrated sound, our desktop PC with an EVGA Z77 motherboard with integrated sound as well as with a Diamond Xtreme Sound 7.1 USB Sound card.
Although the next standard for BluRay is 11.1 audio, the very best audio systems in the world – genuine audiophile systems – are stereo. This editor got to evaluate and own many high-end systems in the 1970s. A favorite stereo system included two pairs of stacked, mirrored and imaged Dahlquist DQ-10 speakers, a Mark Levinson modified Harmon-Kardon Citation tube pre-amp, Great American Sound amplifiers bridged to 1000W per channel, a Thorens turntable and a Grado Signature cartridge. Many years ago, this kind of system was far more affordable; nowadays a similar system might cost a hundred thousand dollars.
Working as a consultant in high-end audio, this editor soon found that most specifications for audio are ridiculous over-exaggerations as most speakers and other audio components never come close to their advertised specifications. A genuine audiophile system has no tone controls – the preamp is a straight wire with gain and neither are there balance controls which would add distortion to the pure sound. CD audio is still quite deficient sonically when compared to analog vinyl records according to audiophiles.
There are no shimmering transients to hear from CD as there is with analog as CDs are under-sampled and some of the sound is left out and the imaging may be gone. From listening critically to a high-quality analog recording of a good live performance played back on a high-end system, you can not only tell where the piano is on the audio stage, you can tell its orientation and its size as the sounds become fully 3-dimensional. And MP3s are no use to the audiophile as the compression is annoying, exhibiting aural artifacting and “breathing” even at the highest bit rate. Only DVD audio has finally caught up with the analog recordings of decades past.
Eventually this editor lost some of his ability to hear the extreme high-frequencies and returned to playing music in the background without listening critically. A Cambridge SoundWorks quadraphonic system has been used for gaming since 2001 (below, connected to a notebook) and is still in use. As you can see, the typical PC speakers are “hidden” because they tend to look cheap, plastic, and generic.
A Klipsch v200 PC audio system lasted this editor for about 10 years. It looks much nicer than the Cambridge system but is also very expensive in comparison. Klipsch’s speaker faults include a very bright and almost shrill tweeter and somewhat of a ‘hole’ in the midrange although the bass is impressive for a PC speaker system.
Sound systems tend to last a long time and one should have a system that is not only pleasing to the ears, but to the eyes also, and they should fit in with the decor. Getting the “look” right is something Genius has excelled at with the SP-HF800A speakers.
Specifications, Features & Important Information
Genius classic wood speaker set, SP-HF800A has an elegant design which delivers clear and balanced sound. A maximum of 20-watts RMS total output (at 10% THD – Total Harmonic Distortion) is generally sufficient for an MP3 player or iPad, a tablet PC, desktop or for a notebook. The 2-inch high-performance speaker units cover the full-spectrum of sound down to about 80Hz and the one-inch tweeter gives these speakers clean treble.
The copper coating is primarily for looks and Genius suceeds. The following images are from the Genius website:
The SP-HF800A speaker pair just looks great beside a PC because of its classic look. There is some customization for changing the tonal balance by diminishing the treble or the midrange in relation to each other. For real convenience, the SP-HF800A also has a secondary line-in jack on the front panel for connecting to any playback device with 3.5mm jack without disconnecting the speakers from the PC.
FEATURES
- Total output power 20 watts (RMS)
- Ultra-rigid MDF board cabinet
- 1” tweeter for soft and smooth treble sound, 8 Ohms
- Two 2” woofer drivers for extended bass, 4 Ohms each
- Adjustable Volume and Tone controls
- Secondary line-in jack, 3.5 mm
- Dimensions: each satellite: 94x224x130 mm
- Box: 165x262x268 mm
- Weight: 2,142 g
- pcs./ctn.: 4
- Genius item-no.: 31730997100
-
3-Way Hi-Fi Wood Speakers
RMS (Watts) 20 Driver unit-Satellite Two 2”, 4 Ohm; One 1”, 8 Ohm Signal-to-Noise Ratio 75 dB Frequency Response 80~20K Hz Bass/Tone Tone Volume Control YES Line in jack YES Package Contents:
- One pair of speakers
- Multi-language user’s manual
Let’s unbox them and then audition the SP-HF800A as a pair and then in a quadraphonic array.
The Speakers, the Setup and the Sounds
Here is the SP-HF800A box. Dual inputs, enhanced bass, tone controls and 20 watts are emphasized:
Here is the other side of the box which has the the speakers’ features in English and several other languages.
And the end flaps give you a further illustration of connecting to a portable unit:
One end has the specifications which includes the frequency response of from 80Hz to 20,000Hz (at -20db).
The contents are well-packed for shipping and both pairs arrived in perfect shape and ready to plug in and listen to music.
There is a quick installation guide which shows the end user how to set up for music.
The two speakers compliment each other and the right side has the tone control, volume knob and line in as it contains the amplifier which powers both speakers. The back of the right speaker has the power cord, input RCA plug as well as an RCA plug for connecting to the left speaker. The right speaker is much heaver than the left.
The bottom of the speakers have plastic grips which keep them from sliding and from scratching the furniture.
The back of the speakers have the bass reflex ports – they are cardboard tubes about 3 inches long and they act to reinforce the bass produced inside the speaker boxes with the bass produced outside by the speaker directly.
The left speaker has the RCA plug to connect from the right speaker.
Installing the speakers is simple as it is plug in, turn on and play music, a movie, or a game. Check out your setup and make sure that you have the highest quality sound available. Here is this editor’s notebook’s integrated sound at its highest settings.
Next set up your speakers.
Here is the 5.1 configuration we chose on the left for our two pairs of SP-HF800A’s plus an additional powered Diamond speaker for the center speaker so that we could get the full benefit of DVD movies. On the right, you can see what a 7.1 system looks like; you would need two additional speakers over a 5.1 setup.
Generally we used a quadraphonic setup for gaming, an additional powered speaker for 5.1 movie sound, and stereo for music – “stacked”, a pair of SP-HF800A’s right speakers side-by-side and a pair of the left speakers also side-by-side. There is a noticeable increase in overall volume and a lesser but audible increase with the bass response from adding a second pair of speakers.
There is one issue that we discovered that may be a problem for some users. The speaker wire and the connecting cables are quite short for a quadraphonic system, only a little over six feet, and they may limit placement even with a stereo setup.
Listening Tests
For our listening tests, we used the well-recorded DVDs of Steely Dan and Carlos Santana that this editor is very familiar with. We also compared with our old Cambridge 4.0 system. Of course, we ran the usual audio synthetic tests and naturally they showed some differences but they absolutely cannot tell you how either of the speaker systems actually sound like when playing music. That is what trained ears are for!
First up, we used our Cambridge quadraphonic system; it is 4.1 which means that four surround speakers are used: the Front-out and Side Speakers-out are used on the USB Diamond soundcard’s front; the .1 stands for the subwoofer, a fifth speaker. We then decided to make our 4.1 into a 5.1 system by using a Diamond self-powered mini-speaker as a sixth speaker – for the front center channel missing in Quadraphonic systems and sometimes important for 5.1 channel DVD movies.
Next we compared our Cambridge 4.1 (and 5.1) PC audio with two pairs of the SP-HF800As also in a 4.0 quadraphonic system for games and a 5.0 system (using an additional self-powered Diamond speaker for the center channel but without a subwoofer) for movies. Both systems provided decent surround sound and positioning but the overall sonic edge went to the system with the subwoofer as the Genius speakers simply did not provide deep bass.
For music, the Genius speakers sound better overall depending on what kind of music that you play. If it requires heavy bass, then you would probably prefer a system with a sub. For Jazz and for general listening, the Genius speakers were clear and not tiring.
For gaming, the 4 Genius speakers in a quadraphonic configuration provided good positional clues although again, bass is on the light side. “Stacked” with the speakers side by side, they gave a good stereo stage with fair imaging and slightly more bass than that provided by a single stereo pair.
Of course, neither of these systems are “audiophile” and are not even close to high-end, yet the Genius speakers did reproduce music very decently over their range with no bad surprises. For a fifty dollar pair of great-looking PC speakers, we would have to say they sounded very good.
Conclusion
Pros
- The looks are extraordinary for small PC speakers. The Maple wood side panels, the black and copper on the face give these speakers a classic look
- Good sound for their size and price
- The additional line in on the front of the speakers is very useful – you can listen to your MP3 player without unplugging from your PC.
- Use of a second pair for a quadraphonic system for movies or games is possible and sound positioning is good. They also sound good “stacked” – the bass increases and the music’s imaging doesn’t suffer.
Cons
- SP-HF800A speakers are perfect for a compact PC or tablet system but the cords and wires may prove to be too short for a large PC desktop system.
If you want to listen to music with a very good looking pair of PC speakers that “fit in” with almost any decor, these speakers are a good choice.
The Genius SP-HP 800A retails for $60 and is available at Best Buy, Sears and online for $50 and you can check them out before you buy if you wish. They sound as good as any other similarly priced PC speaker with the additional value of looking great! Recommended.
Next up, expect a Newer Technology USB 3.0 dock mini-review.
Happy Gaming!
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