 "Genius SW-V2.1 1255 Multimedia Speakers")
Here’s another manufacturer from Taiwan, and it’s modestly named its speaker brand ‘Genius’. What’s in a name? It definitely says a lot about the creativity and confidence of the folks behind all the shiny metal and plastic (though in this case it’s more plastic than metal).
Genius is more than 15 years old in the field of PC peripherals, and includes a variety of 2.1 and 5.1 speakers with designs inspired from every Sci-Fi notion that ever existed. The model we received was a new 2.1 multimedia speaker system called the SW-V2.1 1255.
Design and Features
The colorful box it came in has a description of the speakers, something that has made my job easier. It simply says ‘sleek 2.1 speaker system’. And I’ll say sleek is the perfect word to describe the satellites that are a part of the unit.
The system is all-black except for the speaker cones, which are coated with silver dust caps. The speakers have an ultra-thin grille to protect their fronts, while the subwoofer has a black plastic cover that snaps into four grooves on the corners of the front panel.
On removing this makeshift grille a blank wooden space is exposed in all its nakedness, giving the unit a negative point in aesthetics. I think the black covering was not meant to be removed, but the cool ripple-like etching on it looked enticing.
The sub is a downward firing type, while the speakers have three identical drivers placed vertically in an array. The manual contained no specifications, so we had to measure everything with our equipment. The drivers are about 1.5" in diameter, while the sub has a 7" woofer to pump out the lows.
The connections at the back of the active sub are precise, and the unit comes with enough wires for normal connections.
The SW-V2.1 1255 (phew, that’s a long name) has a nice controller pad that connects to the sub, which consists of an on/off button, volume knob and bass control. This too is jet black, though not glossy like the front of the subwoofer.
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Performance
Plugging in took no time at all. We were up and running two minutes after we opened the box; this is also thanks to the ultra light weight of the system. Foobar beckoned, and we created a comprehensive (read: killer) playlist. We had House, trance and lots of rock music lined up.
First impressions: very heavy and loud bass. The bass was good on its own, though it overpowered the rest of the spectrum, like a fat school bully throwing his weight around. This is generally a problem with 2.1 systems: either the crossover point is boomy or it’s scooped out. In this case it was the former. So we reduced the bass knob to zero on the controller, though that made little or no difference. Sibilance and shine was missing in the sound, and vocals lacked ‘zing’.
The good thing of the sound was that it didn’t crack or ‘fart’ at high volumes; basically no dynamic level distortion was encountered, and you bet we played the thing loud to check this.
Conclusion
The SW-V2.1 1255 costs Rs 3799, and for this price I feel the quality should have been better. The product does have a few good points though. The design is cool and it’s likely to appeal to youth, even if the sound does leave something to be desired. Average stuff.
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