Woof woof!

Introduction

External speakers for computers are nothing new. But in my general experience they're generally not very good if you like quality audio in your ears. I've found a few exceptions recently though!

You may have had some USB speakers bundled with a computer that you've bought. You may have bought some because your laptop speakers are not up to scratch. You may have some really tinny sounding things squeezed into your monitor.

If you're not happy with the sound from your current speakers, you'll want an alternative. And you might like a really nice bit of bass. Step forward the Edifier M3300SF speaker system, a powerful 2.1 speaker system for your computer. A left and right speaker, and a separate ported wooden subwoofer cabinet. There's also a separate volume control, which is attached to the subwoofer with its own cable, which also splits to include a 3.5mm plug to attach to your PC. This allows you to control the volume or mute the system. It also houses a 3.5mm jack for input from an external source, and another one for headphones.

Finally, in order to run these speakers you require mains power. That instantly sets them apart from all of the USB powered speakers out there. They need more power to run, therefore they can output with more power.

Operation

Pretty simple really. Unpack everything. Plug in to the mains. Plug in an audio source by connecting it to your computer's line out or by connecting any external audio source (e.g. MP3 player) to the line in jack.

Press the power button on the front of the subwoofer to switch on. Adjust the volume. Make some noise. That's all there is to it.

Sound Quality

A great set of PC/MP3 player speakers! This is now the best computer speaker that I've ever listened to, overtaking the previous Edifier system that I looked at last year. It performs very well indeed. The range of response is good, the bass is awesome (and you can adjust how much of it you get), the treble is good. Listening to anything from the computer gives very good results. From spoken word material (podcasts, radio comedy shows), to iPlayer and CDs, streaming music and videos or iTunes, everything sounds really good. Nothing really trips it up.

The sound has a richness to it that fits my ear very well. Speakers are a very personal thing, but this set really work for me. I just need a detached office to appreciate it all the more (or work early or late!) I've been loving the rich bass sound and turning them up loud where possible.

Using it with an MP3 player also produced very good results - it would make a fine set of speakers for your iPod or iPhone or whatever you have.

Conclusion

A superb bit of kit at a very reasonable price. It's a very good speaker system, with a lovely bass response and a clear sound. You'll need another mains socket in order to power it, but the results are worth it - it's just so much better than your usual PC speaker. You may still never have heard of Edifier, but they really do make a cracking set of speakers!

If you want to improve the sound coming out of your computer, the Edifier M3300SF (catchy name!) does the job.

Recommended.