By Tikkler - September 24, 2000

Infobox

Product Reviewed: Edge-418 Product Page Manufacturer: Labtec Home Page Suggested Retail Price: $79.99 USD

Speaker systems are found everywhere nowadays. From complicated speakers comprised of 6 satellites and, sometimes, many subwoofers found in cars, to home theatres using the latest Dolby Digital technology to deliver surround, theatre-like sounds, speakers are a dominant part of our culture. Computer speakers, however, have been slow to catch on in terms of the quality and innovation. From the early days of the SoundBlaster original sound card to just a year or 2 ago, some of the best computer speaker systems are those cheap ones that come with those new computer systems. Surprisingly, however, most users don't complain about the poor sound quality produced by these usually tiny speakers as sound really wasn't a big part of the overall computing experience during those "old days." A few Windows dings here and maybe some gunshots from Doom would be all that would be heard through these speakers.

We are now in the days of having immersive multimedia experiences right with a few clicks of the mouse. We live in a time when sound and video is beginning to over-rule text and static images. A time where MP3 technology allows people to listen to CD-quality music with a few clicks of their music, a time when broadband access is quickly becoming the norm, where these MP3 files download and are playable almost instantly. Listen to music using MP3 technology on the computer is just at the tip of the pyramid when it comes to sound output from computers these days. Games are built with more than just great graphics in mind. Sure, having these great graphics will help to immerse the player into the game, but that's only half of the experience. Realistic, 3D sound is what fills in the other half of this puzzle, as players are able to hear every detail in these beautifully designed virtual worlds. Running past a stream will bear the trickling of the crystal-clear water, a walk around a crackling fire will fill the user with, well, crackling-fire-sounds. Sound is what gives the user the little things that make the environment realistic and helps to cure those long, boring workdays.

Enter Labtec, Inc., one of the pioneers in audio on the PC. These guys were the people who realized the potential of having sound through the computer; they were one of the first to produce the first-ever consumer-level computer speakers. Those speakers of many years ago, however, were not the best of quality, but fortunately, the industry has grown and so has the quality of most computer speakers.

One of the coolest types of speakers that are starting to be more and more commonly seen these days are flat panel speaker. These speakers are sleek as they are mostly only less than an inch thick and are supposed to produce crisper and clearer sound than their coned counterparts. When I first saw the Labtec Edge-418 flat panel speakers on Labtec's web site, I was intrigued. A 2-flat-panel-speaker & subwoofer system made by such a reputable name as Labtec in the computer audio industry for about $80 USD? I had to get my hands on one!

On to: First Impressions