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Philips is launching an entirely new range of speakers in September and the pick of the bunch is the SPA9300 2.1 (two speakers, one subwoofer) system.
The two speakers have tweeters and twin mid/bass drivers. They feature a stylish stainless steel finish with pads on their bases to ensure a firm grip to most surfaces.
Together with the subwoofer, the speakers provide output power of 100W (50W RMS). The audio quality produced is crisp, clear and as good as any you’ll find on a 2.1 setup in this price range.
As you push up to the very limit of the speakers’ volume threshold, sound distortion creeps in.
The large and square subwoofer has an 8in driver which can take bass down to an impressive 35Hz. A level control knob to adjust bass levels sits at its rear.
A small, but reasonably thick, wired remote control is used to adjust volume via a mechanical wheel. The wheel feels more than a little flimsy and looks particularly vulnerable to being sat or stood upon.
It features a backlit power button, but since the main power switch sits on the subwoofer it effectively acts just as a mute button.
As previously stated, the remote control in this setup is wired and must be connected to both the PC and the subwoofer. This only adds to the mess of cables that speaker sets are notorious for - volume controls would have been better situated on one of the speakers.
An audio socket on the remote control allows you to connect an mp3 player, or indeed any music source, directly to the speaker set.
Annoyingly, Philips doesn't ship the unit with the required audio cable to hook up an mp3 player, so you'll have to buy one.
If you connect both a PC and external audio source to the speakers, playback of the external source takes precedence. A switch to allow you to choose which input you want would have been preferable.
The SPA9300 will suit those without the required space for a 5.1 surround-sound setup but want affordable, good-quality audio. However, the remote control, which should be a great feature, turns out to be more of a hassle due to it being wired.
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