Ballistics Report

Performance:
You get what you pay for, and when it comes to higher-end PC Audio, $200 is in the upper echelon of performance. They're pretty much scraping the bottom in terms of audiophile quality though. The Media Labs ML-1s were a refreshing change from the dull, thin sounds of cheap desktop speakers and the overly colored weight of standard satellite/subwoofer combos. Most will probably find the ML-1s a bit too warm and muted, and I would have to say that speaker positioning plays a much greater role in getting the best possible sound out of the Media Labs than with most other speakers.

Innovation:
If there's one thing Parasound didn't pay too much attention to, that's aesthetics. The ML-1s simply look cheap and bland. You won't mistake the Media Labs for Frogdesign or Silicon Graphics. The use of separate amplifiers for the satellites and woofer was a great touch, and the design of the woofer was one of the best we've seen in a multimedia speaker yet.

Setup/Installation:
Setup itself was a breeze, unless you find yourself on the short end of a cable. . The attention to detail in speaker cables and lengths are praiseworthy, but the oh-so-short sound card interconnect will be a pain for anyone who has their tower a little ways from their desk. Also, there's no mention in the small installation booklet about switching the satellites so the Control Sat is closer to the PC, and it's not immediately intuitive. However, there were no convoluted multiple cables running from one satellite to another to the subwoofer and back like we've seen on some other speaker designs, and any combined lengths of cable are well-bundled.

Price:
Whether the $200 MSRP is a downright bargain, just right, or too much simply depends on how they perform for you. I felt that they were a bit too muffled, and didn't bring out the crisp qualities of my favorite music and games, but Dennis found them just great. In my opinion, the price falls just in the right place - just below the popular Microworks and above the lower-end Soundworks and Labtecs.