Audible Design

Nice Match

The Sirocco satellites receive a signal containing frequencies above 130Hz, thanks to a crossover in the amplifier module. The 3-inch woofers really can't handle much more bass anyway. When you look at some sub-sat systems you get the feeling that they were designed by two different teams: one for the sub and another for the satellites. This often leads to speaker components with different personalities, and thus a mismatch between the speaker cabinets. Recently, many of the newer sub sat systems have avoided this scenario, and we're glad to see that the Sirocco Crossfires are a new addition to this group.

Testing

Cranking up the power was not a good way to tire this speaker system. I wasn't able to generate much distortion in the satellites while trying to preserve my long-term hearing and my relationship with the neighbors.

The subwoofer produced bass that I would describe as smooth. It did not go as deep as some of the bigger woofers, and was a little less taught, but it wasn't loose or boomy. This was at the intermediate bass setting. By adjusting the bass knob, you could generate the boom needed to draw strangers into your room for a good time, but increasing the bass with music often lead to an unnatural sound. Still, compared to the Klipsch subwoofer, the VideoLogic seemed more musical, able to differentiate more of the low frequency notes, although the performance wasn't as palpable as the Klipsch. Overall, one could say the Crossfires have a more mature sound.

The satellites look like unassuming speakers, but they surprised me. The vocal clarity of the system was remarkable, although the attitude of the music sounded a little different from what I was used to. This difference was good though, as I kept switching back and forth between my home system and this one to see which was the true reference. After extensive A, B switching I found that the Crossfire's tended to emphasize the upper midrange and high frequencies.

Too bright?

My initial response was that these speakers were too bright, but this wasn't a case of artificially augmented treble as I was hearing more detail in the signal. I then noticed that this sound was familiar to me, the VideoLogic's were the speaker version of the Sony V-6 or 7506 headphones, the most popular studio headphone in the world. The Sony headphones are a little bright, but they are very detailed and will show any errors or achievements in the recording and mastering process. The accomplice to these satellites was the amplifier. Even when the volume was turned to maximum, very little hiss emerged from the satellites.

What was perhaps most striking was the stereo imaging accuracy of the Sirocco Crossfire. Imaging refers to the ability of a speaker system to produce an accurate sound stage so that the listener can pinpoint the location of various sound sources. For example, you should be able to hear and pinpoint the specific location of the violins, cellos, flutes, and brass instruments while you're listening to a system with good stereo imaging. This is an important feature when listening to regular music, but becomes even more important with 4 speaker gaming. The improved imaging of the Sirocco Crossfire also results in superb positional sound - the HRTFs just work better.