Initial Impressions

Out of box experience

MidiLand included just about everything you would need to connect the S4-7100s to your computer or home entertainment center. I have never tested another set of speakers where more cables were provided.

Cables included in the box

The satellites were individually packaged in their own cardboard boxes. While opening the satellite boxes, I was surprised at the heft of the satellites. MidiLand has obviously added some ballast to the enclosures. This added weight works wonders for keeping the speakers stable on your desk or table.

With lighter speakers, the speaker wire itself can reposition the speakers; (similar to how wires in braces can straighten teeth) this was not a problem with the S4-7100s. Another nice feature was the asymmetric shape of the enclosure. Put it on one side and the drivers angle up at 15 degrees, flip them upside down and the drivers angle up 25 degrees. This is much better than traditional speaker cubes, especially when the speakers are placed on your desktop.

Speaker side

If these speaker placement options aren't sufficient, you can get the optional mounting brackets or make your own using the standard ¼" 20 threaded socket in the back of the speaker.

The front

Rear of satellite

The construction of the speaker satellites are among the best I have seen in computer speakers. This shouldn't be too surprising as the MidiLand S2-4100 offered similar construction quality. (Although it initially retailed for three times the price of the S4-7100s.) Even though the enclosures are plastic, they aren't lightweight; in fact tapping the enclosure returns a dull, dampened "thunk". That's something you don't see very often with plastic enclosures.

Update: MidiLand has informed us that they actually used a specially designed housing material called Platallic for the satellites which is a combination of plastic and metal.

In what has become a characteristic of MidiLand speakers, the subwoofer is a well-constructed piece of engineering. All sides of the subwoofer are made of MDF, (medium density fiberboard) the material of choice in quality home speakers. The rear of the subwoofer is consists of a large black metal plate where the connections take place.

Just in case you accidentally misplaced your manual, the rear of the subwoofer includes instructions on how to setup the S4-7100 in stereo mode, surround mode, or Dolby Digital mode. These adjustments are made with a switch that determines if the subwoofer signal is derived from the main inputs or if the signal is a discrete one. In addition, this switch also directs switching between stereo rear channels or a mono channel.

Subwoofer backpanel