Xbox Spherex 51000 6-Piece 5.1 Surround Sound System

by Spherex

Product Features

• 5.1-channel surround sound system designed specifically to enhance video game audio
• Includes 5 satellite speakers with 3-1/2-inch woofers and 3/4-inch metal dome tweeters
• 100-watt 8-inch matrix cone subwoofer with MaxxBass augmentation
• Dolby Digital, DTS, and Dolby Pro Logic II decoding; 3 digital audio inputs, 1 analog input, and USB 1.1 port
• 300-watt digital DDX amplifier; 10-year limited warranty

Product Details

• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0006PY3DY
• Product Dimensions: 20 x 21 x 20 inches ; 52.6 pounds
• Media: Personal Computers
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #45,493 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Developed in conjunction with the Game Audio Network Guild (GANG)--which sets the "reference standard" for video game audio--the Spherex Xbox 5.1 surround sound system delivers a sophisticated 360-degree home theater experience whether you're playing Halo 2, watching Lord of the Rings, or listening to the latest U2 release. The system features five independent audio inputs (three digital, one analog, and one USB 1.1 port), so it connects easily to your game console, DVD player, CD player, portable audio device, or computer. Sound is distributed through the five satellite speakers, each with a 3-1/2-inch woofer and 3/4-inch metal dome tweeter, and the dual-vented subwoofer with its 8-inch matrix cone woofer. The system's audio enhancements include Omnipolar technology, which rations sound (30 percent direct to 70 percent reflected) in a 360-degree dispersion pattern, so listeners can position their satellite speakers in a variety of configurations, along with MaxxBass augmentation, which extends the lower end of the frequency response to deliver deeper, more natural bass tones from both the subwoofer and the satellites themselves.

The system comes with a powerful 300-watt DDX amplifier (50 watts x 3, 25 watts x 2, and 100-watt subwoofer), which eliminates signal distortion by maintaining a digital signal flow to each speaker. And thanks to the Aureus digital signal processor, listeners can enjoy rich surround sound regardless of the format, with decoding for Dolby Digital, DTS, and Pro Logic II. Additional features include an expansion slot for future compatibility and an infrared remote control with an IR receiver. The system also carries an impressive 10-year limited warranty.

What's in the Box
Five satellite speakers, subwoofer, 6-channel amplifier, remote control, IR receiver, digital fiber-optic cable, three 10-foot speaker cables, two 23-foot speaker cables, quick setup guide, user's manual.

Product Description

The sleek Xbox 5.1 Surround Sound System - the newest, most advanced 360-degree home theatre experience. The system's versatility handles all gaming, movies and music playback needs. With five independent audio inputs and 300 Watts of power, it's compatible with your gaming console, DVD player, CD player, Portable Media Player, computer, TV or other current and future formats. It also features SPHEREX OPTIMIZED surround sound through cutting-edge technology from a number of industry leaders – Mirage-exclusive OMNIPOLAR technology combined with Apogee's Direct Digital Amplification (DDX), MaxxBass from Waves and Texas Instruments Aureus Digital Signal Processor. Developed in conjunction with and approved by the Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.), it sets the reference standard for audio.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ASTOUNDING SOUND QUALITY AND VALUE, February 19, 2006

By 

T. Lin "rlin83" (Fairfax, VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Xbox Spherex 51000 6-Piece 5.1 Surround Sound System (Personal Computers)

I actually do not own a XBOX. I want a SMALL surround sound system for my living room and I don't want too many bulky electronics. I decided to for for Spherex based on many raved reviews. The satellite speakers are based on the highly-regarded Omnipolar technology developed by Mirage system.

I was not disappointed

Out of the box there's MINIMAL adjustment needed - just hook up your TV's analog output and your DVD player's digital output to the subwoofer. There are 2 optical and one coaxial digital inputs and one analog input (total of 4 inputs). No need to buy bulky receiver / amplifier. After breaking-in the satellite speakers for a few hours (this is very important) and then put the subwoofer in the corner of my living room (where it should be placed), I fired up the system for critical listening.

My first impression is that this is a SUPERB, neutral sounding system. I also have a Rotel / Vandersteen surround system in my theater room (over 10 times the cost of the Spherex) and I have to say the Spherex system held on its own. Its sound stage is incredibly wide and deep, especially for my small living room. The treble is smooth, not fizzy. The subwoofer is full and tight-sounding, perfectly matching the satellites. I then hook up my home theater PC to it and play my classical MP3 collection ripped at 256 kbps via the Dolby Pro-logic II mode - again superb sounding.

For movies the Dolby Digital and DTS works superbly as well. The sound stage is again incredibtly wide and immersive. Try to watch the Lord of the Ring with Spherex and you will see what I mean.

Now the down-side. There's some mild static noise when no music is playing - it does not bother me at all, considering there's nothing in this price range (surround receiver + surround sound speakers) that can match the Spherex (I paid $380 shipped). Secondly, it doesn't look like audiophile product - then again it's only $380. Third, it doens't use regular speaker cables (it use RCA plug speaker cable - go figure.) I need more than 20 feet for my rear speakers so I have to go to Radioshack to buy longer cables.

Overall I am thrilled by the sound quality of the Spherex system.

Five Mirage Omnipolar speakers + a subwoofer + a receiver easly cost over $900. I have not compared it to the Logitech Z-5500 system which is probably Spherex's closed competition but it does not have the Omnipolar technology.

Bottom line - anyone looking for a small surround sound speaker system and don't want bulky electronics should check the Spherex out. YOU DON'T NEED A XBOX TO ENJOY THIS SYSTEM.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the best "real" surround EVEEEEER !!!!!!!!!!, September 30, 2005

By 

R. Grimarez "rebweiser" (San Bernardino, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Xbox Spherex 51000 6-Piece 5.1 Surround Sound System (Personal Computers)

I got this 2 days ago, the first one i got was defective ( the IR receiver keeps shutting off), i returned it to Bestbuy and got a different one. I didn't know that in order to hook the xbox up, you will need an "advance av pack". That's all you need to get, the optical cable is included in the package. I fired up the "Saving Private Ryan" dvd, i was amazed. It was like you're inside the movie. I have a Phillips Home Theater system which i thought was excellent. But after hearing the spherex sound, i immediately got rid of my Phillips. Next stop, the game, I popped in Halo 2, awesome experience. You could actually hear if someone is right behind you. DOOM 3, scared the crap out of me, i was like in hell. Hearing those tormented souls whispering in your ear. While emptying the load on my plasma rifle.

If you're thinking of getting this "bad boy", i got one friendly advice for you. "Stop thinkin', just get it".

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Had everything I need ... however, February 13, 2006

By 

M. K. Mcgregor "Everything electronic!" (NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Xbox Spherex 51000 6-Piece 5.1 Surround Sound System (Personal Computers)

Ok, to start off I'm not an audiophile. I have used and dived into tens, if not hundreds, of audio and video devices and systems. I get to know what I buy and don't stop at just getting a component to work.

So far, this system is performing well, but the sound quality I was expecting, expectations can jade ones experience if they are too high, was not quite there. Part of this is definitely related to the room of use, which is less than optimal for surround. However, I was hoping, based on reviews, that this system with its non-direct focus of sound would help null that out. I also, jsut recently got the system, so its hardly been tuned to its best performance. It far surpasses my fairly new TV's speakers, but that's not really hard to do, since most TV's have mediocre to poor speakers at best.

Overall, the sound is very good. The system installation is trivial. It has 2 optical and one coax digital inputs, which was perfect for my three digital sources; XBox 360, Showcenter 200 (HD video/audio client), and an HD digital cable box. There is an additional analog input (2 coax for left and right and a cable that will convert that to a 1/8" stereo plug for MP3/Computer/.... Also included is the currently non-usable USB port for firmware upgrades as well as playing digital audio from a computer; no new firmware is posted and the PC drivers for the digital audio does not appear to be ready. One final output port allows attachment of headphones or other audio recording device. As I mentioned in my title, that was absolutely perfect for me and my wife; now all our audio is through one "receiver" and can be heard through speakers or headphones. The rest of the plugs are for speakers; all standard RCA type jacks. The speaker wire was surprisingly thin. I would have thought that it would have been a little beefier. Then again, they are only putting 55W/channel front and 16W rear, so I suppose the thickness is relatively trivial at that relatively low wattage. They are upgradeable, since every cable is RCA on both ends. There is also a big expansion slot, but I've not seen any info about probable uses from the company. This could be a source of more inputs, output channels (7.1) although I doubt that, THX filtering maybe, all on an expansion card. The speakers are small and decorative, however, despite wall mounting holes built into the case, they strongly recommending that you not do that; despite all the demos they show at their site places the speakers on the wall (go figure). The reflective sound nature is deadened by position so close to the wall (they recommend 3 feet between speaker and wall) reducing the effectiveness of the surround effect and overall sound quality. Also on this note, placing them in a confining space like a low book shelf or audio/TV cabinet/stand shelf will have a tendancy to make the speakers sound muddy (which was my first experiece with them.) That makes the placement of the center channel speaker difficult; the best would be on top of a tall TV cabinet with the TV inside, if you have one, or on top of the TV, which is impossible for me since me DLP's case is too thin on top. The Sub wofer is good and somewhat adjustable. The included remote is adequate, but a multi-device remote becomes a big help when you start turning on and configuring three devices (TV, Video (DVD), and audio receiver.)

The display unit provide, also is the IR receiver, is intersting and provides a lot of info about what's currently being played. However, it's sometimes difficult to discern which features are really lit from across the room; there are 14 total, 7 on each side, and some turn from green to red to indicate an additional mode.

The only "problem" I've experienced is the unit, when powered of by the remote (power switch on the unit is left on), will sometimes not power back up again from the remote. When this happens, I need to turn the power switch of and then back on, and the system responds normally. They do state in the manual that you should power the unit off, via the switch on the back, when the unit will not be used for a while; just like a receiver or TV. I am a little concerned about this issue, which leads me to my next point.

I like the idea that this is upgradable with firmware via the USB port. New features, fixes (hopefully for the power on one), and performance improvements are just a download away. However (I say that alot), this also leads me to believe that companies are shipping products early, letting the end user debug problems, and fixing the most serious that effects the most users. A great business model for making money and cutting costs, but I feel that gone are the days of getting a reliable product that does what it claims to do and then using it. An example here is the PC digital audio. "The software is not ready yet" is the claim. Well then, why was it listed as a feature instead of a future enhancement. This current firmware fix fascination is leading to this kind of product development; shoot for the stars and if we reach orbit, that's good enough and they'll still buy it. Ok, off my soapbox.

To sum up, sound is very good but didn't blow me away, unit sets up in minutes, wish it an input or two more (1 digital and 2 analog preferrable for a total of 4 and 3) for future needs (again it met mine right now, but I'm out of inputs), upgrades are easy, and reliability is in question (it locks up and won't respond to power command from the remote; hopeful software fix). All in all I'm pleased (mostly because I got it at a great price), but I thought it was a little pricey for the sound that I'm experiencing. I recommend it, if you have some cash to throw around and a place to run all those wires (a common problem for almost all surround systems.) Hope that helps.