DT2500 - Speakers for life! (DeskTop Theatre DTT 2500 Digital)

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Product:	DeskTop Theatre DTT 2500 Digital
Date:	19/05/01 (237 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Clean Sound, Good Controls, Flexible Setup

Disadvantages: More volume would have been nice, Bass just a little too weak

The DTTS-2500 is the latest PC speaker set from Cambridge Soundworks, a division of Creative Labs. This speaker set is a true 5.1 surround sound solution, complete with four satellites, a center channel speaker and a powered bass unit. There's also a control box with controls for bass output, surround field adjustments, center channel volume, and overall output. It also lets you configure the speakers for Dolby Digital, stereo, and four-point.

This last setting is key. For a long time now, gamers have had to choose between either four-speaker setups for game audio or 5.1 rigs for DVD audio. The DTTS-2500 lets you have both. You connect the speakers to both outputs on 3D positional sound cards, like the Sound Blaster Live or a Vortex 2 card. The card also has inputs for the DIN-like digital connector on the SB Live full version, as well as an RCA-style connector for AC-3 input from a DVD decoder card. It's one of the most flexible speaker setups I've come across. The plethora of controls can be a little daunting at first, but you'll soon be adjusting volume, pressing buttons for sound modes, and having a blast with your sound.

The initial setup is a little tedious, but then this is expected, since you are assembling five speakers and a bass unit. Creative supplies a set of tripod stands that are much more robust than the flimsy stands supplied with the lower priced FPS 2000s. The only omission - and a curious one for a set of speakers in this price range - is a set of headphone jacks.

The speakers do highlight a minor weakness with some Vortex 2 sound cards. The Diamond Monster Sound MX300, for example, seems to have a relatively weak line output, so it's easy to crank the speakers up into distortion-inducing levels without them getting really loud. The Sound Blaster Live is a bit better, but the speakers do seem just a tad underpowered for what they are trying to deliver. The good news is that there's a true subw
oofer output, so if you have a powered subwoofer, you can have truly room-shaking sound - but this costs extra. If only Cambridge could put out a bass unit equal to the old Microworks in a rig like this....

But I don't want to sound like too much of a curmudgeon. The speakers sound very clean on a variety of musical output. Sibliants were not exaggerated, and the satellites seem to have good transient response with Spanish guitar and fast piano playing. I also put the speakers through their paces with several DVD discs, with superb results. Again, I didn't get room-rattling sound, but it was still pretty loud and clean for the most part. Rear channel effects were reproduced with good clarity. Then I booted up Drakan, and was rewarded with wonderful ambient audio and 3D sound effects. It took me some time just to tear myself away.

The bottom line is that if you've a relatively small office or bedroom, and you want both DVD audio and four-speaker 3D audio for gaming, you'll be hard pressed to find a better solution.

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