AVL325s

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• Expert Rating

  3.00 / 5

• User Rating

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• Price

  $ 189.95 (AUD)

Andrew Kliem Good Gear Guide 22/02/07 Follow @pcworldau

Pros

• Above average sound

Cons

• No optical input

Bottom Line

The AV Labs AVL325s is a decent 5.1 sound system for PC users.

Would you buy it?

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The system comes with a standard set up of five satellite speakers and a subwoofer. Our testing revealed that the subwoofer was the dominant element, pumping out high levels of bass which somewhat overshadowed the other elements of the music. That said, the quality of the bass wasn't all that high in both our movie and games testing and we felt it lacked the necessary punch to truly make the experience immersive.

The high treble registers were quite good, with only a slight amount of harshness, but this complemented the gritty, metallic sound of the system. We were pleased with the level of detail and separation, and while it won't match that of a more expensive system, it was more than adequate considering the price tag.

Surround sound was well handled, with nice transitions between the front and back speakers. It doesn't compete with a fully fledged home theatre system, but those after a basic 5.1 gaming experience will be satisfied by this package.

Aesthetically, the system is fairly plain, with a black colour scheme and speaker grills across the front. However, the small speakers mean it should fit unobtrusively into a regular PC setup. The only exception to this is the subwoofer, which is quite large, so a fair bit of room will need to be set aside for it. We also tested the included infrared remote control, which has all the music navigation functions you'd expect, and worked well.

The speakers are connected to the subwoofer via standard speaker cables, with red and black wires clearly marked for easy setup. Sound is input via one of three RCA connections. We'd have liked to see a digital option, but on a relatively cheap system such as this it isn't essential.

Overall, this is a fairly standard speaker system. It provides above average sound quality at a relatively competitive price, and may be a good choice if you're looking to make the jump to 5.1 surround sound.