Microlab FC 50 Review

Microlab enter with a new 2.1 speaker system, the FC 50. Will the sound match the cool sleek aesthetic? Read on for our review.

Product on review: FC 50 2.1 Speaker system
Manufacturer: Microlab
Street Price: £89.99

Microlab started producing audio peripherals primarily for PCs around 15 years ago and by following their mission, they have been able to push out competitive products at accessible prices while funding research and innovation in acoustics. Coming in with Microlab’s latest innovation is the FC 50 2.1 speaker system featuring HC2D (High Clarity Close Distance)technology alongside advanced DSP (Digital Signal Processing) and acoustic design that claims to offer uncoloured, ‘super balanced’ sound. If that isn’t a nod towards nearfield monitoring, then the ‘Desktop Nearfield Speaker’ written on the back is definitely taking another step in that direction.

Overview by Microlab

Powerful high fidelity 2.1 subwoofer speaker system with HC2D (High Clarity Close Distance)technology. Beautifully designed in stylish and avant garde concept, this system fits ideally in your living room and even the studies. HC2D reproduce uncoloured frequencies with optimum power in surrounding area around the listening position. Thus you get the best full range sound with minimum distortion. Powerful subwoofer with built-in amplifier that gives you unprecedented vocal and depth in bass frequencies. The subwoofer designed with bass reflex tunnel for efficient woofer movements and complete low frequencies production. Unique satellite designed without traditional box enclosure, featuring exposed basket, spider and magnetically shielded magnet case. Wireless RF-remote control with circular volume turntable knob for complete level controls. The remote control uses radio frequency for 360° all round use without signal being blocked.

Specification & Features

Amplifier specs
Output power: 54 Watt RMS
Power distribution: 12 х 2 + 30 Watt
Harmonic distortion: 0.5% (1Watt, 1kHz)
Frequency response: 40 – 20000 Hz
Signal/Noise ratio: 80dB
Separation: 45 dB

Speakers specs
Tweeter driver: 0.7″ x 2, 6 Ohm
Mid-range: 4″ x 2, 8 Ohm
Bass driver type: 5″, 4 Ohm
Material: MDF/plastic
Remote control: 1

Interfaces
Output: 2RCA
Input: 2RCA

Dimensions
Satellites: 159 x 230 x 103 mm
Subwoofer: 218 x 218 x 289 mm
Product Net weight: 5.6 kg

Features
– Advanced HC2D technology for high fidelity sound production in small area environment
– Satellites with box less design improve speaker efficiency and retain original sound production
– Powerful subwoofer with deep bass and vocals
– Beautifully designed satellites, perfect for your living room
– DSP system employed for perfect uncoloured sound
– Powerful amplifier using state-of-the art digital processing for dynamic power
– Wireless remote with RF technology for 360° all round use without line-of-sight limitations

Package Contents
– FC50 subwoofer 1pc
– FC50 satellites 2pcs
– Power adaptor 1pc
– 3.5 mm – 3.5 mm stereo 1pc
– RF remote control 1pc
– User manual 1pc

Packaging & Accessories

Nice clean looking box

The box is good quality with nice padding on the inside. The decor is sleek and minimalistic reflecting the style of product contained.

Bundled accessories

Inside the box we can find the manual, 3.5mm to 3.5mm jack which is about 1.5m long, the power adaptor, remote volume control and some included batteries.

The RF remote

The remote is a nice inclusion and allows for wireless volume, bass and mute control.

Closer Look

The subwoofer

The subwoofer is made out of MDF, a common material used for such a thing and is coated in a sleek, off white, faux leather material. The fascia is white with black material covering the 5″ driver. The slot at the top is the air port, this design is refreshing compared to the standard large gaping port hole.

Rear I/O

At the back of the sub/amplifier, we have a 3.5mm audio in, Volume dial, 2x RCA audio out for the satellites, the power connection and power switch.

The satellies have an open back

These satellites are specially designed with an open back, this allows greater freedom for the drivers allowing better sound reproduction (in theory).

Pair of satellites

The satellite speakers have two drivers, a mid range 4″ and mounted in the middle is a 0.7″ tweeter, this design allows the sounds to be more unified. Standing at 230mm tall, these are on the larger side of what many would be used to for a desktop but their nice design wouldn’t put them out of place in the living room should this 2.1 setup be used for any other media device with a 3.5mm jack.

Performance Testing

Setup, Design & Observations
This whole system nods towards being a ‘nearfield monitor’, what this means is, it is specifically designed for close distance listening without having to consider the acoustics of the room. Close distance tends to mean between 5-12ft. Without going into technical details about sound pressure and the acoustic properties of sound waves, bluntly, there is an ideal distance for crystal clear audio and that these speakers are not intended for the use to fill large rooms with sound. Monitors are used by recording studios, professionals, amateurs or enthusiasts to give a flat, ‘uncoloured’ sound playback as to give accurate sound reproduction across all tones. Gaming speakers, headsets and home theatre setups tend to ‘colour’ the audio to give a more dramatic effect. Fortunately, ‘colour’ can be added using your audio software or equaliser to cater for your own tastes.

If it isn’t obvious yet, the aesthetic design of these speakers is something else. The satellites look awesome and the sub compliments them well. Anyone looking for a gorgeous looking speaker set need to look no further. Set up is straight forward, plug in power, plug in speakers and connect the audio input jack to whatever you wish to play sound from, be it your mobile phone, TV, PC or MP3 player for example. The built in DSP will give good music playback through portable devices which deserves extra mention.

Some issues that we were able to pick up on was that all the cables are only 1.5m in length, that is the jack and the satellite cables, which means it would be impossible to have this nearfield system setup correctly. I struggled to have the subwoofer in a desirable location on the right hand side with the satellites in their positions on the left and right of the screen. Another concern is for the remote. Using fresh batteries the steps of increasing and decreasing volume was huge and build quality wise, it feels a little fragile. Considering, as far as I could work out, the remote is the only way to adjust the subwoofer bass volume, if it was to break, it could hinder your user experience. That being said it is a good addition, it works up to several metres, click in once for mute, click and hold for a few seconds to switch to bass adjustment, normal use will adjust the volume. Finally, there is no way to turn the speakers off without directly having to go to the back of the subwoofer, when shutting down the PC or starting up, loud crackles and pops could be heard.

Multimedia
Listening through the speaker shredding Zero Life album by Kap Bambino the FC 50 competently handled the abusive sounds and noise of each timbre accurately. The highs were very clear without being harsh and the mids were very well handled while the subwoofer gave excellent warmth. Turning up the volume, the speakers do go very loud with little to no distortion, though stepping back at a distance the audio volume and clarity diminished. The only playback issue I discovered was that, when playing with a lot of bass at high volume, the subwoofer made ‘flapping noises’ like the driver was being restricted and physically hitting the fabric covering material. Also certain bass effects weren’t handled so well when listening to bass heavy music giving more of a ‘pahh pahh’ sound rather than a real bassy warmth. This issue will only effect ‘bassheads’ who like clear, heart moving bass when played loud and shouldn’t effect most users when using the bass to supplement the low tones. This effect was only recreated on a few tracks such as Sabrepulse – Paradise with the bass volume turned all the way up, so overall it seems fairly minor.

In gaming, the sound quality was excellent, with exception to the bass, the sound quality to me seemed very close on par to the highly acclaimed Corsair SP2500s which are twice the price! Battlefield 3 was very tense and involving, certainly when you are sat on the edge of your seat you know you’re having a good time. The sounds of Skyrim were peaceful till the bassy sound of a dragon flew overhead and scared me, very clear and impressive.

Playing music through a Samsung Galaxy S II was enjoyable and highlights the fact that these can support playback from your friends portable devices should you so wish and the speakers were capable of filling a decent sized room (3.5 x 3.5m) with good quality sound.

Conclusion

2.1 Speaker systems are a popular approach for many people as they can offer an easy set up in that they do not need a multitude of cables tracking around the room like a surround setup, and can offer that explosive feel in gaming and movies with the help of the subwoofer. In music the FC 50 does a great job at delivering accurate acoustics across the whole range allowing for excellent music playback too that can compete with systems more expensive than itself.

The build quality is exceptional and the design is gorgeous and will appeal to many who want a more attractive, modern yet minimalistic aesthetic. There are a few negatives as mentioned earlier, mainly with extreme bass being a bit ‘flappy’, the durability of the remote and the short cables. Though these are mostly minor oversights as it is unlikely that people will be listening to the most bass heavy of music with the subwoofer volume at max with mid/max master volume (this combo is asking for trouble on most setups anyway) and the short cables can be fixed with cheap extensions. The RF remote however is a centric piece of equipment and while it works well, the seeming fragility raises a few alarm bells. Overall the FC 50 deserves praise and is worth your consideration if you’re in the market for a 2.1 system.

Microlab have come out with an attractive, excellent sounding multi-purpose 2.1 speaker system at a great price, for these reasons we award the Vortez Silver and Amazing Value awards.

Pros.
+ Attractive Design
+ Excellent sound accuracy across bass, mid and treble
+ Great Price

Mediocre
+- The RF Remote

Cons.
– Subwoofer struggles with extreme bass
– Short cables