Testing and Installation
Typically I use multiple testing setups with speakers but since these are advertised as home theatre speakers I’m going to treat them as such.
Test Setup:
- Samsung 60″ Class (60.0″ Diag.) 6400 Series 1080p LED HDTV (2010 model)
- PIONEER HTP-2500 5.1 Channel A/V Receiver 750w
Testing Media:
- Music: Phil Collins, Etta James, Senses Fail, DJ Fresh
- Movies: The Matrix, The Adjustment Bureau, Source Code
- Games: Gran Turismo (PS3), Final Fantasy XIII (PS3), Darksiders (PS3)
Music:
You may laugh but I can gauge how a speaker system is going to perform by playing one song and only one song: Phil Collins – Sussudio. Something about all the background elements in that particular song that some speaker systems can’t pick up is an easy indicator of how a test is going to go. Needless to say the HF2020’s passed the Sussuido test with flying colors. The sounds wind instruments were sharp and the bass hits were very clear. For only being a 60w system these satellites can get very loud. There is something soothing about actually watching a woofer thump to the drum and bass portion of a song. The speakers sounded the best at the lower level of the volume adjustment but get very loud before any distortion is noticed.
To get a good sample of music types I dabbled with a bit of old R&B, Post Hardcore, and Dubstep. Listening to Dubstep with these speakers truly makes you appreciate the “Widesound” EQ mode. It adds another element to a song that it already quite complex. The mode almost has a live feel to it.
Movies:
Litmus test – The Matrix: Result: PASSED. The bass hits weren’t as hard as I’ve demoed on other systems but without a sub meant for that purpose I don’t expect that. The sound was so incredibly sharp that I swear the movie looked better because of it. Wait? Is that possible? *cool face*
Games:
Games are essentially movies that you control, so in that regard they sounded awesome. The sound in FFXIII is so good sometimes that I could cry. (I didn’t of course) *cool face*
