Now a days we are all trying to save some cash by looking for "on the budget" options in pretty much everything we do. The economy is horrible and spending wisely is a right way to go. If you are looking in to the computer speaker then you have probably looked all over the place to get the best product for the right price. There is a large number of manufacturers which target computer speaker market and finding the right one could definitely be a challenge. Today we have a privilege to take a look at one of the newest computer speakers on the market by Arctic, Sound S161. Sound S161 is a 2.1 multimedia speaker system which includes a simple set up and a sub woofer. Lets take some time to take a look at this unit as we feel it won't be disappointing.

 

About the Product

Following information is taken from the Arctic's website.

The simple yet solid design makes the ARCTIC Sound S161 a perfect complement for any stylish interior setting. It delivers decent sound quality to let you enjoy your favorite tunes, games or movie.

Modernistic Design

The foremost and notable characteristic of the ARCTIC Sound S161 is its stylish and circular design. Blue circular LED lights on the satellites add an elegant texture to this speaker system.

 

 

Promising Sound Quality

Offering a subwoofer level at 11W RMS and satellites at 3.5W RMS, this system delivers decent highs and lows for well-balanced bass and treble sounds.

 

 

Great Addition to Media Stations

The ARCTIC Sound S161 is not only a perfect to complement for desktop PCs; this speaker system can also be used with DVDs, Media Centers, CD players and MP3 players.

 

 

Fine-Tuning at Your Fingertips!

Listening comfort is just at your fingertips - fine-tune the bass level and everything else with the dial to enhance your listening experience.

 

 

 

Limited Warranty	2 years
Dimensions (Packaging)	300 L x 230 W x 200 H mm
Subwoofer Dimensions (mm)	190 L x 157 W x 162 H
Satellite Dimensions (mm)	88 L x 157 W x 88 H
Subwoofer Impedance (ohm)	8
Satellite Impedance (ohm)	4
Subwoofer Output (W RMS)	11
Satellite Output (W RMS)	3.5
itemnumber	SPASO-SP003-GBA01
UPC	0872767003736
Gross Weight	2.1 kg

Now that we got basic information out of the way, lets take a closer look at Arctic's Sound S161.

Closer look

Front Shot		Side Shot

Sound S161 comes in a very well designed packaging. Arctic is known for their outstanding design and packaging and Sound S161 is no exception. Vivid imagery of Sound S161 is placed all over the packaging with pretty much all of the information needed to describe a unit inside. Over all color schema here consists of gray, white, black and silver colors. Not a bad combination if you ask me.

Packaging		Out of the box

The whole unit is very well packaged and as you can see it from the pictures above, it comes embedded in plastic foam. This style of packaging is very common as it keeps everything in place while transport. The actual unit is wrapped in plastic bags to prevent any accidental scratches while transport. Sound S161 comes with 2 speakers, sub woofer, power supply and a 1/8 inch audio cable along with some simple instructions to how to get you up and running in no time.

Arctic Sound S161		Rear connections

The satellite speakers have maximum of output of 3.5 Watts and the sub woofer has maximum output of 11 Watts. This not seem like much but it should provide enough sound for casual listening. The set up is extremely easy. Just plug the power and speakers in the sub woofer unit and you are ready for input. You can plug pretty much anything in to Sound S161 as long as you have stereo input.

Sub woofer		Top Shot

On the sub woofer you can control the volume and the bass levels of the sound. As you can see Sound S161 doesn't have many features. The sub woofer offers an upward air intake and the actual speak is on the bottom of the unit.

Sub woofer speaker		Arctic's logo

Sound S161 sub woofer has three rubber feet which provide a great grip on flat surfaces. The whole unit is made from what seems like ABS plastic. ABS plastic is shock and and crack resistant however you still feel that plastic feeling when touching Sound S161. There aren't many logos here however, we found a few of them around the unit.

Satellite speakers		Air in-take

The satellite speakers are rather small and do not have any guards in front of them. The same ABS plastic design is here as well and we also found a small air intake hole on the back.

Rubber feet		Color rim

The satellite speakers have flat bottom surface with rubber feet just like the sub woofer. These work great on flat surfaces however not so much on unbalanced surfaces. What we found pretty cool is that the satellites have a color trim around them and they are light up light blue once the unit is powered on.

Powered on

Testing

The set up and configuration of Sound S161 was nothing but a breeze. Just couple of minutes of setting up and positioning the satellite speakers and we were ready to play around. So the first test was just to get a good idea of what Sound S161 is capable of. Knowing that Sound S161 sub woofer generates about 11 RMS or about 10 watts we weren't expecting anything amazing from the sub woofer. And just as predicted, at maximum volume the sub woofer had problems providing clean and true bass. However the satellite speakers did very well under high volume. Couldn't find any issues with satellite speakers. The sounds came very clear but don't expect bass from these guys, that's not what they are here for. We have tried to play around with different types of music with Sound S161 but the result was pretty much the same. What we were looking for here is a nice and clean bass levels at maximum volume however we were unable to find them here.

Next we took the volume down to a mid range and we had a much better results with Sound S161. The bass was much more clearer however I wouldn't call it powerful. The satellites performed really good by providing that clean and perfect sound. What we have learned here is that Sound S161 is best used about the half of the volume capacity. Just like we did in a previous test we looked at different types of music such as rap and classical. I guess it is needed to be mentioned that you can control the amount of bass Sound S161 can produce by adjusting the bass knob on the sub woofer if needed.

Conclusion

Today we had a great opportunity to take a look at one of the latest products by Arctic, Sound S161. We have spend a great time playing with this particular unit to get a good idea of what Sound S161 is capable off. At the end of the day it all comes down to the fact of "Is it worth it?" As of right now Sound S161 retails for 39.95 USD and comparing this price to some of the other 2.1 speakers, Sound S161 makes a pretty good competitor to other brands. So is Sound S161 really worth 40$? In my personal opinion, yes. If you are trying to compare Sound S161 to other products like Bose or Klipsch, Sound S161 has very little chance of succeeding. However you do get what you pay for. If you are looking for a simple, on the budget 2.1 speaker set that produces relatively ok sound then Sound S161 might be the right unit for you. Few places where we can see this unit be used in would be in the work place or computer speakers for simple playback playing or perhaps some gaming. We have tested Sound S161rather in-depth and it seems like Sound S161 performs better with mid ranged volume and bass level. Over all our experience with Arctic's Sound S161 has been a pleasant one as we feel it offers a good value for the price.

Some pros we found:

Light and compact.

Easy to set up and work with.

Some cons we found:

No treble adjustment.

Could benefit of redesigned sub woofer.