MidiLand S4 3050M 2.1 Speaker System

For speaker placement, the satellites are fairly straightforward to place.  The main idea is symmetry—create an isosceles triangle in space with the apex at the desired sweet spot.  Placing the speakers at an equal distance from each side of the monitor, and choosing the cabinet angle that most lines up with the listeners height will create a strong stereo image from where most computer operators work.  The subwoofer fits either under the workstation, or on the desktop, as its footprint is not humongous (7.63" x 8.50").

Once the speakers are connected, the final step is to connect the power adapter.  The unit uses an external power adapter, commonly known as a wall wart because of the real estate it takes up on any power strip.  An inline power adapter, which has a tail for connection to the wall and to the unit, instead of integrating the adapter into the wall connection, would have been more satisfactory, though the system works as it is designed.

On the front of the bass unit reside the controls for the speaker system.  There is a power/volume control, bass and treble levels, and a selector button to use the 3D simulator in the speaker system.  The controls are fairly straight forward, except the home position is not evident for the tone controls beyond placing them at 12 o’clock.  A detent in the potentiometer for no change would give a more positive idea of the tonal effects being imparted to the system.

So how do all of these features come together?  Check out the conclusions to see how the speakers held up to a listening test, and how they performed overall.