Equipped with various connection choices, including TOSLINK and Coaxial, the M-1910 may stand out to those searching for improved versatility for multimedia.
Product on review: Microlab M-1910 5.1 Speaker System
Manufacturer & Sponsor: Microlab
Street Price: £99.99 GBP
It can become quite a chore to find a do it all 5.1 surround speaker system that can provide the versatility that people increasingly desire for their multimedia uses. Considering most sub £100 5.1 systems come equipped with simply multi-channel RCA and/or 3.5mm jacks for the front, centre/sub, and rear speakers, the M-1910 from Microlab addresses this need. Equipped with four input sources that can be selected via the included remote control, the M-1910 allows for various media devices to be connected all at once. To top it off, the use of PCM technology allows the M-1910 to stream uncompressed audio for high quality lossless sound.
Overview by Microlab
Enhance your rudimentary TV audio to home theater sound effects with this powerful 5.1 system. Versatile in capabilities, it lets you connect to many multimedia platform options. You can connect to your digital audio processor, or CD/DVD player, Mp3/Mp4 media player, or your TV. Comes complete with front stereo and center satellites to create sound movements in your room. Two surround satellites placed at the rear for extra sound dimension. 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. For purer sound, the system includes one TOSlink and one Coxial for user to connect to their gaming devices such as PS3, XBOX or PC sound card with S/PDIF connectors.
Specifications & Features
Amplifier specs
Output power: 65 Watt RMS
Power distribution: 8×5 + 25, Watt
Harmonic distortion: 0.3, % (1Watt, 1kHz)
Frequency response: 30-20 000, Hz
Signal/Noise ratio: 75, dB
Separation: 45, dB
Speakers specs
Tweeter driver type: 1+3,
Bass driver type: 6.5,
Material: MDF
Color: black
Remote control: 1
Interfaces
Output: 5RCA
Input: 6RCA, 2RCA
Auxilliary: Coaxial, Toslink
Dimensions
Satellites: 95x218x103 mm, satellites, 198х106х103 mm, center
Subwoofer: 190x267x400 mm
Product Net weight: 10 kg
Output power: 65 Watt RMS
Power distribution: 8×5 + 25, Watt
Harmonic distortion: 0.3, % (1Watt, 1kHz)
Frequency response: 30-20 000, Hz
Signal/Noise ratio: 75, dB
Separation: 45, dB
Speakers specs
Tweeter driver type: 1+3,
Bass driver type: 6.5,
Material: MDF
Color: black
Remote control: 1
Interfaces
Output: 5RCA
Input: 6RCA, 2RCA
Auxilliary: Coaxial, Toslink
Dimensions
Satellites: 95x218x103 mm, satellites, 198х106х103 mm, center
Subwoofer: 190x267x400 mm
Product Net weight: 10 kg
Feaures
– Pure sound with PCM technology for original sound production
– Powerful 5.1 subwoofer system with dynamic cinematic effects
– Connects to stereo and 5.1 audio source such as DVD player and gaming devices
– Enhance your movie effects to cinema quality that fills your room
– Immerse yourself in your games with acoustic effects
– 5 satellites that fill your room with dynamic sound and excite your senses
– Feature TOSLINK and Coaxial connectors for true audio output with minimum noises
– Remote control for standoff adjustments
Packaging & Accessories
Product box shot
The M-1910 packaging keeps to a similar theme to other recent Microlab products, simple and clean with the Microlab logo easy to see and an image of the product inside. There are details specifications listed in small print on the sides as well as various details for features and box contents.
Contained accessories
Once filtered through the mass of polystyrene packaging, we get to view the contained accessories, including a host of RCA to RCA cables, RCA to 3.5mm jack, optical TOSLINK cable, a coaxial cable, remote control with 2 x AAA batteries and a manual.
To RCA or not to RCA.
Each RCA to RCA cable is around 1.8m long. Though we have a whole host of cables present, if you wanted to use this with your PC you will need a bunch of RCA female to 3.5mm male connectors, however, considering that these speakers are more aimed at multimedia use it isn’t a huge issue that they are not included, especially considering these cables are pretty cheaply sourced.
Optical and coaxial
The use of these input sources is not very frequently seen at this price range and the inclusion of these cables is great. Gone are the days where the old high street electronics good stores try selling you a ‘vital cable’ for £45 a piece.
The remote control
Allowing you to mute, select input source and control the master, sub, centre, front and rear channel volumes.
Closer Look
Satellites
The satellites have a textured coating over MDF with a glossy plastic fascia. The aesthetic is simple and non-offensive and should fit into most environments. The centre speaker is laid horizontally with a pair of drivers.
Just for show?
The front and rear satellites have a strange, solid plastic cover over where a tweeter may be, these may contain passive radiators as there is a small air hole in the centre of the dome, unfortunately the units are sealed and cannot be opened to find out. This image also demonstrates how much of a dust magnet the glossy black fascias are.
All closed up
The satellies are each angled at a slight upward facing direction. At the base, each has soft rubber feet to reduce errant vibrations and stop them slipping around.
The sub/amp front
The fascia of the subwoofer/amp is half matt, half glossy with a large volume dial. Also present are hard buttons for bass volume, front volume and speaker mute. Clicking in the large dial toggles between input sources.
The subwoofer
The large 6.5″ subwoofer is covered up with a removable fabric grille. From the side you can appreciate how large this sub is, at 190x267x400mm, it has a fairly sizable footprint.
Grille removed
Bring on the bass.
Round the back
The rear side has a 2.5″ bass reflex port and an aluminium heatsink keeping the amp cool.
I/O options
At the top left there is a quintuplet of output RCA connectors for all the satellites, adjacent to that are the 6 channel RCA inputs. Below the main 6 RCA is an auxiliary Stereo RCA input followed by a coaxial and an optical TOSLINK.
Performance Testing
Setup, Design & Observations
Setup of a surround system is one that will usually take a fair bit of time, the rear satellites have a cable length of around 3.5m and should be long enough for a small sized room. There are plenty of cable options available though you may require some adaptors should you wish to use it with your PC via 3.5mm jacks, however the coaxial and optical options are readily available. Setting up the M-1910 with a console and TV is relatively simple too as long as you have the right output options available.
The build quality is reasonable but there were some concessions made, I guess that is how the extra connections were crammed in at this price point. Each unit is made of MDF including the sub/amp, though each is faced with a fairly cheap feeling, glossy plastic facade that is a dust and fingerprint magnet. The Subwoofer/amp front panel buttons are ‘clicky’ while the main volume dial was surprisingly very wobbly. Despite the wobble, the dial still functioned properly, when turned it gives a tactile click for each jump in volume and pressing the dial in swaps the audio input. The remote is small and fairly sturdy and has all the options you could need it for and is a great inclusion. This means you have control of the system from any position in your room and it worked well within 4m within a 70° unhindered line of sight. It is interesting to note that you can control the volume of each channel (centre, bass, front, rear and master) via the remote, yet should you lose or break the remote you can only control the front, bass and master channels. Fortunately it does not save the adjusted volume should you turn the system off.
Multi-Media
Listening to a varied music playlist, I quickly identified the weaknesses of this system. At max volume, it is capable of filling a small room with sound but is not excessively loud and because it suffers with a little distortion at high volume, the overall ‘usable’ loudness is reduced further. The bass output from the subwoofer was rich, defined and fairly impressive, though it would appear that the satellites would not produce tones lower than 100Hz. It is fairly normal to have the bass crossover at 80Hz but the increase to 100Hz reduced the audial presence of music playback from the satellites making them sound empty and hollow. The satellites also seemed to have a slight lack in definition in the mid to high tones too. Having a higher bass crossover point does have its advantages, the direction in which the audio originated from seemed easier to identify, increasing the sense of the ‘surround experience’. If the system is correctly setup, watching TV, movies and playing games was a nice treat.
Conclusion
As far as affordable 5.1 surround systems go, there are a fair few that sit under the £100 mark and they range from awful to pretty darn good, however, few offer the range of features and connectivity that the M-1910 does. Dragging those features normally found in higher end offerings, such as PCM streaming, TOSLINK and coaxial input sources that can be controlled via remote control, there is appeal to be seen with this product when considering specific situations.
The M-1910 5.1 system isn’t without its flaws, if used for music, the satellites reveal a fairly dull performance regardless of the sub-woofers attempt to inject a little life with its smooth bass. However, this could be a harsh statement as this system is more aimed at multimedia purposes, to which this system particularly shines. If you are looking for a surround experience that can be used with various multimedia devices including your TV, PC, games consoles and Blu-Ray players, the Microlab M-1910 may be worth your interest. The sound quality will be superior to the majority of integrated TV speakers providing an affordable option for any one wanting to expand their entertainment experience. If you are looking for a 5.1 speaker system that can give you higher quality audio playback but do not need the versatility, there are better options available including models from Microlabs own offerings. As for high fidelity music playback, you would be better off with a stereo system anyway. Overall The M-1910 is a solid offering with some great features that are worth due consideration, for these reasons listed, we proudly present our Silver award.
The M-1910 is an affordable 5.1 surround solution that can unify the various devices you would commonly find in your living room.
Pros.
+ Multiple connection options (RCA, Stereo RCA, optical TOSLINK and Coaxial)
+ Support for PCM streaming
+ Good surround experience for TV, movies and games
+ Comprehensive bundle including remote control
Cons.
– A little distortion at high volume
– Lacks definition in the mid and high tones
– Not great for music
+ Multiple connection options (RCA, Stereo RCA, optical TOSLINK and Coaxial)
+ Support for PCM streaming
+ Good surround experience for TV, movies and games
+ Comprehensive bundle including remote control
Cons.
– A little distortion at high volume
– Lacks definition in the mid and high tones
– Not great for music
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net. Thanks to Microlab for providing today’s review sample.
