Wii 2.1 sound system

It's well known that a speaker set of reasonable quality can substantially enhance your gaming experience, but if a high-end hi-fi system doesn't yet live in your lounge, this 2.1-channel Wii-friendly speaker set might make a superb substitute. Let's face facts, the Wii is better suited to social gaming than either the Xbox …

[Anonymous Coward]

eye-popping

9-hole action in the living room? blimey! and when you're done you then play on the wii?

paris because she likes to play a round.

[Elmer Phud]

Pricey?

For a two speakers and a sub set up my Logitech X-230 sounds superb for £25. Just wondered if the pretty packaging and remote are worth an extra £44.

[Liam]

bad review

im sorry - you are dumping the brilliant surround sound capable ps3 for a wii and these terrible 2.1 speakers? (actually it outputs stereo , so should only be classed as using 2.0 speakers. the .1 actually comes from an extra discrete channel - which the wii doesnt have - all you are doing is moving bass from the satellites to the bass box - unlike the ps3 which actually sends a dedicated bass/LFE channel)

a lot of us actually have good setups - my ps3 is more than happy outputting 5.1 DTS or dolby digital to my 7.1 home cinema. or using a decent home cinema system im getting 7.1 pro logic 2x from my wii. the issue is that the WII is just crap for visual and graphics. seriously - for that price buy a cheapo home cinema kit and get pseudo 5.1 from your Wii.

im not sure this reviewer was qualified to make this review to be honest. if you get excited by 2.1 then heaven help us :)

if you are serious about sound get some decent speakers and a decent AV amp - you wont look back

[The Avangelist]

Looks can be deceiving but

Are the speakers wireless? If so they're on the list, if not, maybe a bit naff.

[Adam Buckland]

Why...

would I want that, most people have 5.1 surround systems now.

[Anonymous Coward]

Ooo - matron

"A few friends are round, you've just cooked a delicious dinner, now you feel like a little nine-hole action in the luxury of your own living room" - Fnarr, Fnarr

-- Coat? Mines the dirty mac with a copy of Vis sticking out of the pocket

[James Pickett (Jp)]

Vibration Damage?

Looks neat, but could the sub-woofer ultimately do any damage to the Wii with the vibrations it would create?

Also, hope the magnetic shielding is good!

[Andy Worth]

To be fair....

....they do look very nice and the whole system looks quite neat. As suggested though it's a real shame that all you can really use them for is playing games, as the Wii doesn't play DVD's.

Sorry but for me it's a waste of money and you'd be better off spending a little bit more and getting a proper sound system through which you can use your console, dvd player and whatever else you have.

[Phil Standen]

Nice turn of phrase

"A few friends are round, you've just cooked a delicious dinner, now you feel like a little nine-hole action in the luxury of your own living room."

Is this the Paris angle?

[Graham Lockley]

Looks ok to me

@Adam

'most people have 5.1 surround systems now.'

I disagree, most people I know rely on whatever sound comes out of the TV. The people I do know with 5.1 are either film enthusiasts or fools who enjoy showing off toys they dont really understand/appreciate.

My grandaughter has a Wii and I may consider this set up as a gift because to an 11 year old it looks good and sounds better than the stereo sound from the tv.

@Liam

We arent all serious about sound, why do you think MP3's are so popular ? Good enough for whats needed.

[Alex Rose]

@Adam Buckland

"would I want that, most people have 5.1 surround systems now."

Can you cite your reference that states where >50% of the population have 5.1 set ups? Or even >50% of households? Or 50% of people who own a gaming platform? Just because you possess something you shouldn't assume everybody else does.

[IDK]

@Andy, Adam et al

Why bother? Why not? Do you have a 5.1/7.1 setup in your bedroom as well as the lounge? And same in the study? Not everyone has _all_ their consoles in the living area hooked up to their stereo.

[Anonymous Coward]

plug swapping

> You'd have to swap the plugs around every time you wanted to

> play on the Wii, of course.

Nothing says I can't use a pair of two-to-one RCA splitters so both Satellite and Wii can use the speakers without jack swapping, eh?

Or better yet, just run the subwoofer into the Audio out of the TV. That way, you get 2.1 out of everything that goes through the TV, even the tuner (if you have to use a SCART adapter, a SCART splitter, SCART-to-RCA converter, and pair of RCA cables also get things done.

[Adam Buckland]

worryingly...

Yes we do have 5.1 in our bedroom and 2.0 in the bathroom and 7.1 in the lounge, simply because about 3 years ago we upgraded the receiver and richer Sounds were doing a fantastic offer on speakers so we moved the old one upstairs.

Given the advances in stand alone televisions in the last 20 years from NICAM onwards most TV's sold will be at least 2.0 with the exception of small portables which are probably unsuitable for a console like the wii, so I ask again where is their market?

[Anonymous Coward]

re: Adam

I'd much rather have a decent sounding 2.1 system than

a cheap 5.1 system, for which 99% of the population don't have

a large enough room.

[Liam]

re: ChriZ

chris - you seem to think that surround sound needs a big room, they dont (my lounge is quite small) its about a feeling in the middle of the sound as opposed to the sound feeling 'over there'

also almost everyone i know with surround sound doesnt have it setup right (positions etc) you really need to spend a little time creating a 'sweet spot' in the room. mine is my couch in front of the TV - although with better speakers the sweet spot gets much bigger, so all of my lounge now sounds pretty good in surround sound. satellite speakers may initially sound good and look good - but compared to mid-top end speakers they simply just dont cut the mustard - unless you are paying hundreds for some top end satellites

the golden rule is you get what you pay for - new speakers and interconnects can work wonders :)

[Bennet]

Where is the market?

The market is aimed at people who are casual gamers who possibly only own a Wii and a small TV.

Why would you get an expensive, or cheap for that matter 5.1 if all your systems only produce 2.1?

Also a lot of people want their living room to be compact and tidy, so a AV receiver with a separate Sub and speakers would not follow that idea. This is a very tidy and stylish unit, which would be perfect for people with only a Wii, or people for who the "w@nk factor" is king