Getting the Best Sound

Product placement counts!

The FPS 2000 Digital box is about half speakers, half styrofoam. Each satellite speaker was bagged in its own plastic bag, as were all the mounting brackets. Also included were tripod stands for the four satellites. Great attention to detail can be seen in the tripod stands, as the legs allow for the speaker wire to be hidden within their hollow confines. By the way, speaker wire and all the cables to connect the speakers to your sound card were also included. More on these stands below.

Lower, Lower…

The Subwoofer had a nice heft to it, and seemed sturdy. In fact, I wouldn't hesitate to use the subwoofer as a monitor stand (if only from a structural standpoint). A single port decorated the woofer, with all the connections on one end. The front and rear speaker inputs use standard 1/8" mini jacks. The speaker outputs are your run of the mill spring-loaded friction connectors, so you can upgrade your satellites in the future. A digital din input, a connection for the volume control, and a power switch complete the side of the subwoofer. The addition of a heat sink on the subwoofer is a reassuring sign that your listening enjoyment will not be thermally compromised; only your neighbors can make you turn your music down.

Higher, Higher…

The satellites had a nice heft to them as well. They were finished in an attractive charcoal color, with a textured finish. This isn't your average plastic covered speaker. The old school Cambridge satellites for the home theater used this same suede like finish. No rattles were observed or expected from these speakers. Everything about these speakers directed me towards the word "home theater" rather than "PC speaker." If these speakers are the trend that PC speakers are taking, we will need to redefine the notion of "PC speakers" as paperweights.

You've got 4 of these

Stand by me

One thing that stood out was the tripod stands for the satellites. I didn't find these to be very useful. They only raise the speakers off the floor by about 18 inches, which is too low if placed on the ground, and too high is placed on a table. In addition, the construction of the stands were flimsy compared with the rest of the system. My satellites didn't seem so sturdy on them, so I didn't use them.

If you don't mind paying an extra $75, CSW does make an industrial-strength version of the tripods (probably the model the FPS 2000's were based on). These feature full metal construction and are almost 2 ½' high, just about perfect for rear-satellite height.