New in sound: Kursaer
As you have already learned, in recent months we have been visiting mostly high-priced audio systems, and this time we are reviewing one of the most expensive 2.1 systems available today. The system we will be reviewing this time comes to us from the company
Corsair, And answers to the name SP2500. It is priced around $ 250 abroad, and about NIS 1300 in Israel.
Company Corsair Has been a name in the computer market for quite a few years because of its many products, but in terms of audio, it is not one of the most prominent companies, since it has not existed in the market for a long time. Now that it is trying to expand into the sound market, it is aimed directly at the upper end. To date,Corsair A pair of 2.1 systems in its offerings: the more basic SP2200, which is designed to compete in the mid-market, and the system we will be reviewing today, the SP2500, a more serious and costly system that conceals a number of tricks under the sleeve.
It is clear to all that Corsair is trying to enter the market massively with the SP2500, so it included a number of features that are not common sight in this market. As we did in the past,
abit iDome, This review will also take a few lines to expand a little on the features that distinguish the SP2500 against other systems in the market.
Under the surface
On the face of it, the SP2500 is reminiscent of quite a few other 2.1 systems on the market. It consists of a pair
speakers Medium-sized stalls that include a pair of elements,
Twitter And immediately. In addition, the system includes a subwoofer to complete the low frequencies which the stereo speakers can not reproduce. But most of its secrets The SP2500 system does not look outward, since you have to dig through the intestines of the system to notice them.
First, it is noticeable that the SP2500 system is not the product of designers' design, but that it was first passed through the hands of someone who understands anything about speaker design (a feature that Corsair loves to wave). Unlike most 2.1 systems in which the bass element is displayed on the front or bottom of the box to impress, SP2500 (like the number of 2.1 systems we have previously tested,
abit iDome), The bass element is placed inside the box which is divided into several partitions and is designed to maximize element capabilities. However, this is not the only point that sets the SP2500 apart, and this is not even the most prominent feature of the system. In order to discern the true uniqueness of the SP2500, one must go further into the electronics that are inside.
A new and improved amplifier
Like this iDome, the amplifier circuit is also Class D. This type of amplifier is an amplifier that operates by rapid switching (switching on, off and short) of the final amplifiers, which are the largest power consumers in amplifiers, unlike other amplifiers In which the amplification components continuously generate the signal required for the output. These brands can achieve higher efficiency, resulting in lower costs and heat emissions. These amplifiers have been significantly improved in recent years, and there are even men to the highest market that are made up of these amplifiers. However, the prevailing view is that they still do not sound as good as some of the older amplifiers.
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| SP2500 - Beautiful, but also a baker? |
Corsair pushed the digital part of the system even further, and included a number of additional features. First, the system includes several Preset modes stored in memory, which we will discuss below. In addition, the surround-out circuit for the speakers consists of a completely digital filter.
The speaker bouncer: The circle of the cross-over
The cross-over circuit is a collection of a number of electrical filters which select which frequencies to transmit and which to reject. For example, for a Twitter that can only recover high frequencies and may be damaged when fed from low frequencies (eg bass), a filter is required to transmit only the required frequencies. Typically, these filters are implemented by electrical components such as coil resistors and capacitors, but Corsair chose to do so by chip Which performs the filtering in a way similar to what can be done by computer programs. One of the advantages of this choice is the flexibility in changing the frequency bands to the subwoofer by selecting the user,Corsair Chose to exploit (we'll expand later).
Also, due to the choice of such filter, the company
Corsair Had to include more amplifiers in the system. In fact, a separate amplifier is needed for each element which is found on the speakers: one for each
Twitter, One for each immediately, and of course another for the Sub, a choice that does increase production but improves system performance. The amplifiers are of 16W power
Twitter, 40W for each instant, and 120W for a subwoofer, resulting in a total power of 232W.
Without a shadow of a doubt, the SP2500 was designed by a team that tried to give the system the best sound quality it could give, and can even be seen in the system specifications. But separately and separately. During this review we will examine whether this system delivers the goods even where it is most required.
Test Methodology
Due to the fact that the SP2500 is the only system in this review, we will not compare it to another system, but will examine it on its own against the manufacturer's statements and in relation to the system's price tag. Of course, thanks to the relatively high price tag (about $ 250 abroad, and hovering around NIS 1300 in Israel), our expectations will be accordingly.
The system will be connected to a sample sound card
ASUS Xonar D2, And as expected from objective criticism, all sound expansion options such as Equalizer and DSP will be turned off. Most of the test will focus around
Music Recorded in stereo, and saved in a lossless format, since this is the ultimate test for the sound quality of any system. However, for a comprehensive test we will also check the performance of the system in games and movies, in stereo of course, by appropriate Downmix when required.
