October 20, 2010 at 22:01And how they sound! / Microlab Solo 6C Review
If you believe the Internet, then under the cut we are talking about one of the best home speakers in 2.0 format.
I explicitly hinted at the Microlab Solo 6C - representatives of the legendary Solo series. I must say right away that they did not appear today or even yesterday - these columns went on sale three or four years ago. This means that Microlab has no sense in promoting the old product, but the old horse, as they say, does not spoil the furrows) Indeed, the first Solo 6 reviews appeared back in 2007 - already at that time the speakers started to delight user ears; for example, the IXBT website awarded them the Class Leader Award in Crystal Sound Benchmarking
Before that, I already had two audio systems from Microlab - this H300 (2.1, stands on the TV) and H500 (5.1, stood on the computer at the last workplace). For several years they proved to be quite good. No, they did not break down and did not disappear ... just for my new workplace (balcony) 300 -watt 5.1 system was too much. 5 satellites (and the ability to do so was not practical), and under the feet sub inexcusable held a lot of space - from the first day of work, I began to think about space optimization.
Now I have nowhere to throw my legs under the table) I looked at the Solo 6C 2.0 system for a long time, but I was finally convinced of the correctness of my choice by a survey among readers of my twitter (the link is in the profile).
In a large black and red box (whose weight is about 15 kg, like a good computer case), in addition to the speakers themselves were:
- Cable for connecting a passive speaker
- Cable for connecting speakers to a sound source (minijack-2RCA)
- Remote control
- User manual
For the sake of interest, I looked into the manual - it is black and white and very small. From the useful, I found only two proposed options for arranging the columns (relative to the user) - in the corners of an equilateral triangle (with a side of at least 1 meter) or isosceles (at least 70 cm between the columns and 1 meter to the user).
By all indications, now I have just the second option, although the speakers are level and the axes of their speakers do not intersect on me :) Another distance from the bass reflex to the wall is smaller, but this is because of the desire to arrange everything more harmoniously. The speakers are really big - I barely had enough space on the table for them, although they are positioned as desktop ones. However, hardly anyone buys such things blindly - I also carried out all the necessary measurements in advance.
More precisely, there was enough space, but I had to abandon the wall mount of the monitor. How did I agree to such sacrifices? Because the “balcony” photos in yellow-orange tones were pretty tired of everyone, including me - the mount simply allowed me to clear more space for the photo. Now there is no need to move the monitor back and forth and the factory monitor mount is enough. However, it is made by the same Ergotron company.
As for the possibility of mounting the speakers on the wall - there are no holes for this on the back side. Therefore, in the best case, put a stereo pair on some stable shelf.
Perhaps there are various color options, but in my case it was a stylish dark brown wooden case (judging by specs, MDF).
The top, rear and partially front of the body are covered with matte rough vinyl. It is very pleasant that the speakers are not easily soiled - unlike the H300 and H500 (they were completely and completely glossy, like mahogany). On the contrary, everything here looks quite strictly, “in an adult way”.
On the front side, the speakers are covered with a protective mesh made of fabric - as in most cases, it is removed (holds on 4 pins that are sufficiently strong at first glance).
Below them is a large (6.5 '') polypropylene midrange / woofer and a small (1 '') fabric for high frequencies. The latter (or maybe even both) was specially designed for the company by a well-known Danish specialist Peter Larsen , whose autograph is on a passive column. The tweeter membrane was developed by Dr. Kurt Mueller , unless, of course, this tells someone something.
Unfortunately (fortunately?), I did not get inside, so I can not judge the quality of internal execution. But what is in plain sight, assembled and bolted to the conscience, the speakers literally bribe with their solidity. Other reviews say that an amplifier is installed inside, assembled on discrete elements (without the use of integrated circuits in a power amplifier). If you wish, you can read about the stuffing and the frequency response here and here .
On the back of the right column are most of the functional elements. Among them are a radiator for passive cooling, a volume control knob, a power button and two stereo inputs (RCA) for connecting to two sound sources. Well, the clamps for the connecting wires, of course - here they are made conveniently, unlike the models mentioned above. Non-removable power cord - after all, it all works from the network.
Below the columns are black round rubber washers - they dampen spurious vibrations and prevent the columns from moving arbitrarily in space. But if you move the column, then on the table from it will remain a black rubber mark (erased).
As you may have noticed, on the active column below is a small something. That's right, this is an infrared receiver of the signal from the remote control (included). It is an indicator with two signs - during operation, the symbols gently glow in red.
The presence of the remote control is the only difference between the Solo 6C model and the usual Solo 6. I was looking for exactly 6C, because nobody wants to reach the volume control each time.
With the H300 and H500 models, fairly large remotes came in the kit (and with them also special remote units with a display; but there are more functions) ...
Remote control and control unit from Microlab H500
... here the remote control is very tiny - it is exactly the same as from the FM transmitter in my car. Which once again suggests that a lot of products are made in Chinese factories according to the same patterns)
There are 12 buttons on the remote control, 4 of which are not signed at all - in fact they are really superfluous. The remaining buttons are responsible for the volume, bass, treble, mute and switch its source.
I have both interfaces involved - the sound from the computer goes to one input (PC), as you might guess; the Cowon S9 player is connected to the second (AUX) , which is sometimes much more preferable for me than winamps and other simple players.
I came across reviews on the network that the system settings are reset when the power is turned off. Nothing is reset for me, but, apparently, only because I never turn off the power) The speakers do not "hiss" in silence, so the maximum that I need is that when you don’t need (for example, at night) the music doesn’t play. And for this there is a “mute” button, a button for switching the mode from PC to AUX - both options work. There are no buttons for turning off the power as such on the remote - there is a switch on the back side, but I used it only once.
As for the sound quality - like some authors / publications, I could go to any audiophile site and pull out a couple of resounding suitable words “about dense and elastic bass slightly shifted to the top of the low-frequency spectrum” and other horizons of the sound panorama ...) No, I can’t, I don’t want and I won’t. There is no special equipment, and my ears are the most ordinary, so I'm better somehow, but myself. And I myself will be brief - the sound is really cool! In complete silence, the speakers do not hiss, at high volume I did not hear any artifacts on any of the music files. The sound is crystal clear and very detailed, there is no confusion or untruth in it - everything is the way I used to hear with good headphones. Plus to all this - a huge margin in volume (on the speaker it is level 60, although I rarely turned on louder than 40) and good bass. There will be not enough bass for someone - it makes sense to buy some subwoofer or initially choose from 2.1 systems. But for my table / room this is almost perfect!
Well, I talked about the remote control. Without it, managing the system would be much more inconvenient - it’s good that it is and takes up so little space.
* UPD * At the request of workers: Frequency response taken from a review on IXBT.com
Frequency range : 55-31000Hz Case
material : wood (MDF)
Output power : 2x50W (RMS)
Signal to noise ratio :> 88dB
Harmonic distortion : <0.3% at 1W at 1kHz
Number of audio channels : 2.0
Connectors : 2 stereo inputs (RCA) Speaker
diameter : MF / LF - 6.5 "(polypropylene), HF - 1" (material - silk)
cbcntvs weight : 13.7kg
Optional : wireless remote control, indicator, magnetic shielding? Discrete Amplifier
Elegant appearance
High-quality assembly, neat body
Excellent sound quality, high volume The
ability to connect the system to two sound sources
Compact control panel
Reasonable price. High price / quality ratio
There is no way to connect headphones. But sometimes it is necessary.
Large sizes. The speakers are positioned as desktop speakers, but their dimensions are such that on some tables they may simply not fit.
Say, give a case from an array, not from MDF? ) Well, well.
On the average price tag for the Solo 6C model in online stores it says "from 4200 rubles." And this is just great!
Much worse is the fact that these speakers are nowhere to be found. More precisely, like ... on many sites they seem to be there, but when I tried to order them (this was in the summer), all the time I ran into some excuses - “we only have Solo 6”, “we don’t take you to the city "," We can order from the warehouse, but have to wait a week ", etc. The unofficial answer of the company is "very high demand, like hot cakes." I do not know how things are now, but I’m sure that if you do a search, then everything will be found.
Internet and magazines did not lie - for their money, these speakers are simply gorgeous. It is very pleasant to realize that I have lost the pangs of choosing computer acoustics - the very first acquisition suited me completely and completely. And all this at a very reasonable price! On the other hand, I didn’t choose them from the bulldozer;) I dare to assume that these speakers will suit many users, even the most demanding ones, in terms of quality of performance and sound. But everyone’s ears are different - it’s good if you can carefully listen to the sound somewhere before buying.
PS Since we started talking about the sound ... remember, last year I did a review of the wonderful Razer Megalodon headphones tailored for games? Most recently, the company released new ears of Razer Orca- if you want, I can try to get them for review.
Good luck!
Before that, I already had two audio systems from Microlab - this H300 (2.1, stands on the TV) and H500 (5.1, stood on the computer at the last workplace). For several years they proved to be quite good. No, they did not break down and did not disappear ... just for my new workplace (balcony) 300 -watt 5.1 system was too much. 5 satellites (and the ability to do so was not practical), and under the feet sub inexcusable held a lot of space - from the first day of work, I began to think about space optimization.
Now I have nowhere to throw my legs under the table) I looked at the Solo 6C 2.0 system for a long time, but I was finally convinced of the correctness of my choice by a survey among readers of my twitter (the link is in the profile).
First meeting
In a large black and red box (whose weight is about 15 kg, like a good computer case), in addition to the speakers themselves were:
- Cable for connecting a passive speaker
- Cable for connecting speakers to a sound source (minijack-2RCA)
- Remote control
- User manual
For the sake of interest, I looked into the manual - it is black and white and very small. From the useful, I found only two proposed options for arranging the columns (relative to the user) - in the corners of an equilateral triangle (with a side of at least 1 meter) or isosceles (at least 70 cm between the columns and 1 meter to the user).
By all indications, now I have just the second option, although the speakers are level and the axes of their speakers do not intersect on me :) Another distance from the bass reflex to the wall is smaller, but this is because of the desire to arrange everything more harmoniously. The speakers are really big - I barely had enough space on the table for them, although they are positioned as desktop ones. However, hardly anyone buys such things blindly - I also carried out all the necessary measurements in advance.
More precisely, there was enough space, but I had to abandon the wall mount of the monitor. How did I agree to such sacrifices? Because the “balcony” photos in yellow-orange tones were pretty tired of everyone, including me - the mount simply allowed me to clear more space for the photo. Now there is no need to move the monitor back and forth and the factory monitor mount is enough. However, it is made by the same Ergotron company.
As for the possibility of mounting the speakers on the wall - there are no holes for this on the back side. Therefore, in the best case, put a stereo pair on some stable shelf.
Appearance
Perhaps there are various color options, but in my case it was a stylish dark brown wooden case (judging by specs, MDF).
The top, rear and partially front of the body are covered with matte rough vinyl. It is very pleasant that the speakers are not easily soiled - unlike the H300 and H500 (they were completely and completely glossy, like mahogany). On the contrary, everything here looks quite strictly, “in an adult way”.
On the front side, the speakers are covered with a protective mesh made of fabric - as in most cases, it is removed (holds on 4 pins that are sufficiently strong at first glance).
Below them is a large (6.5 '') polypropylene midrange / woofer and a small (1 '') fabric for high frequencies. The latter (or maybe even both) was specially designed for the company by a well-known Danish specialist Peter Larsen , whose autograph is on a passive column. The tweeter membrane was developed by Dr. Kurt Mueller , unless, of course, this tells someone something.
Unfortunately (fortunately?), I did not get inside, so I can not judge the quality of internal execution. But what is in plain sight, assembled and bolted to the conscience, the speakers literally bribe with their solidity. Other reviews say that an amplifier is installed inside, assembled on discrete elements (without the use of integrated circuits in a power amplifier). If you wish, you can read about the stuffing and the frequency response here and here .
On the back of the right column are most of the functional elements. Among them are a radiator for passive cooling, a volume control knob, a power button and two stereo inputs (RCA) for connecting to two sound sources. Well, the clamps for the connecting wires, of course - here they are made conveniently, unlike the models mentioned above. Non-removable power cord - after all, it all works from the network.
Below the columns are black round rubber washers - they dampen spurious vibrations and prevent the columns from moving arbitrarily in space. But if you move the column, then on the table from it will remain a black rubber mark (erased).
As you may have noticed, on the active column below is a small something. That's right, this is an infrared receiver of the signal from the remote control (included). It is an indicator with two signs - during operation, the symbols gently glow in red.
The presence of the remote control is the only difference between the Solo 6C model and the usual Solo 6. I was looking for exactly 6C, because nobody wants to reach the volume control each time.
With the H300 and H500 models, fairly large remotes came in the kit (and with them also special remote units with a display; but there are more functions) ...
Remote control and control unit from Microlab H500
... here the remote control is very tiny - it is exactly the same as from the FM transmitter in my car. Which once again suggests that a lot of products are made in Chinese factories according to the same patterns)
There are 12 buttons on the remote control, 4 of which are not signed at all - in fact they are really superfluous. The remaining buttons are responsible for the volume, bass, treble, mute and switch its source.
Inclusion and work
I have both interfaces involved - the sound from the computer goes to one input (PC), as you might guess; the Cowon S9 player is connected to the second (AUX) , which is sometimes much more preferable for me than winamps and other simple players.
I came across reviews on the network that the system settings are reset when the power is turned off. Nothing is reset for me, but, apparently, only because I never turn off the power) The speakers do not "hiss" in silence, so the maximum that I need is that when you don’t need (for example, at night) the music doesn’t play. And for this there is a “mute” button, a button for switching the mode from PC to AUX - both options work. There are no buttons for turning off the power as such on the remote - there is a switch on the back side, but I used it only once.
As for the sound quality - like some authors / publications, I could go to any audiophile site and pull out a couple of resounding suitable words “about dense and elastic bass slightly shifted to the top of the low-frequency spectrum” and other horizons of the sound panorama ...) No, I can’t, I don’t want and I won’t. There is no special equipment, and my ears are the most ordinary, so I'm better somehow, but myself. And I myself will be brief - the sound is really cool! In complete silence, the speakers do not hiss, at high volume I did not hear any artifacts on any of the music files. The sound is crystal clear and very detailed, there is no confusion or untruth in it - everything is the way I used to hear with good headphones. Plus to all this - a huge margin in volume (on the speaker it is level 60, although I rarely turned on louder than 40) and good bass. There will be not enough bass for someone - it makes sense to buy some subwoofer or initially choose from 2.1 systems. But for my table / room this is almost perfect!
Well, I talked about the remote control. Without it, managing the system would be much more inconvenient - it’s good that it is and takes up so little space.
* UPD * At the request of workers: Frequency response taken from a review on IXBT.com
Specifications
Frequency range : 55-31000Hz Case
material : wood (MDF)
Output power : 2x50W (RMS)
Signal to noise ratio :> 88dB
Harmonic distortion : <0.3% at 1W at 1kHz
Number of audio channels : 2.0
Connectors : 2 stereo inputs (RCA) Speaker
diameter : MF / LF - 6.5 "(polypropylene), HF - 1" (material - silk)
cbcntvs weight : 13.7kg
Optional : wireless remote control, indicator, magnetic shielding? Discrete Amplifier
Pros and cons
Elegant appearance High-quality assembly, neat body Excellent sound quality, high volume The ability to connect the system to two sound sources Compact control panel Reasonable price. High price / quality ratio There is no way to connect headphones. But sometimes it is necessary. Large sizes. The speakers are positioned as desktop speakers, but their dimensions are such that on some tables they may simply not fit. Say, give a case from an array, not from MDF? ) Well, well.
On the average price tag for the Solo 6C model in online stores it says "from 4200 rubles." And this is just great!
Much worse is the fact that these speakers are nowhere to be found. More precisely, like ... on many sites they seem to be there, but when I tried to order them (this was in the summer), all the time I ran into some excuses - “we only have Solo 6”, “we don’t take you to the city "," We can order from the warehouse, but have to wait a week ", etc. The unofficial answer of the company is "very high demand, like hot cakes." I do not know how things are now, but I’m sure that if you do a search, then everything will be found.
The end
Internet and magazines did not lie - for their money, these speakers are simply gorgeous. It is very pleasant to realize that I have lost the pangs of choosing computer acoustics - the very first acquisition suited me completely and completely. And all this at a very reasonable price! On the other hand, I didn’t choose them from the bulldozer;) I dare to assume that these speakers will suit many users, even the most demanding ones, in terms of quality of performance and sound. But everyone’s ears are different - it’s good if you can carefully listen to the sound somewhere before buying.
PS Since we started talking about the sound ... remember, last year I did a review of the wonderful Razer Megalodon headphones tailored for games? Most recently, the company released new ears of Razer Orca- if you want, I can try to get them for review.
Good luck!