Gaming
- Call of Duty 2
- Call of Duty 4
- Infernal
Most would prefer surround for gaming but stereo gaming can provide just as much enjoyment to many. The speaker system sounded quite good when imaging large environments in COD2 through EAX 2. These games were also tested using the Essence STX to see how the responded using different in game effect routines. The tests were positive for the most part with one incident of “bottoming out” when the subwoofer was set a bit too high and a very loud explosion was heard the subwoofer seemed to have a bit of trouble producing that much lower bass energy. However the subwoofer was turned up very loud just to gauge the extent of its performance. Imaging and pinpointing of enemies was fairly good with this system although some blurring was noticed during high actions sequences where there are many tracks, effects and action being played at once.
The Verdict
The XPS 50 2.1 system really has much to offer at the price point, which says a lot. The subwoofer power output is well matched to the satellite and this speaker system really has quite a bit of bass power and overall volume for the size. During testing there was a bit of mid/high range smearing noticed on certain tracks but this would be due mainly to the one way driver system the satellites employ. The system performed admirably for music, movies and gaming and while many will prefer surround sound for these tasks in many cases they are not practical or there is simply no room for so many speakers. The speaker system is rated for 32 watts but with the bass energy the sub puts out you would think you have quite a bit more power on tap. Is this system going to compare to a high dollar mid-high end speaker system? Of course not, but you have to keep the price in perspective.
If you need a small mid-sized system that doesn’t take up much desktop real-estate and won’t drain your wallet then you may want to take a serious look at the Hercules XPS 50 2.1 system.
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