Sony SRS-D8 has large capacity, and its sound
quality is suitable for listening to music rather than watching movies and
playing games.
Sony
SRS-D8 evaluation
Sony SRS-D8 is a new representation of the
channel 2.1 speaker products for home entertainment. In design, the SRS-D8
almost has no change with Sony SRS-D5 model, except for appearance and greater
capacity.
Sony SRS-D8 also uses two satellite
speakers and a subwoofer for total output power reaches 60W. Two satellite
speakers of SRS-D8 are also designed to tilt back 15 degrees, helping lead the
sound to the user ears comfortably. The two satellite speakers also have the
plastic cover to against magnetic from the rough black paint professionally.
Each satellite speaker has dimension of 109 x 212 x 140mm, quite fit the
working table with the size of 80 x 60cm. Due to the volume, bass and treble
adjust buttons are in the left speaker, so it is heavier than the right speaker
(600g).
SRS-D8 has the design of a large subwoofer
(dimension of 240 x 310 x 318mm) so it is quite heavy (about 4 kg). Similar to
other subwoofers, the SRS-D8 cases are made of MDF wood. The advantage of this
MDF wood is the homogeneous and tight surface, helping renew bass notes better.
The outside surface of the subwoofer is also covered with a waterproof coating,
which is suitable for high humidity environment. The front side of the SRS-D8
subwoofer is very sturdy with metal protective barrier and two big size vents
below.
Another big difference of the SRS-D8 compared
to the other channel 2.1 speaker system is the audio process and the interface
ports are built right on the left speaker. Because this point, the installation
and connection of SRS-D8 are easier.
With two audio signal inputs: 3.5 mm jack
and RCA jack (lotus jack), SRS-D8 can be used for PCs, Laptop and connect
directly to the CD, DVD in your home.
We did not encounter any obstacles in
connecting the speaker components together. The two satellite speakers have
obvious distinction. Wire length is abundant to arrange two satellite speakers
with a distance of 1m. However, the adapter cable is quite short, so it’s a
little inconvenient if you do not have sockets near the speakers. The jacks of
the right speaker and the subwoofer is designed similar to the Ethernet jack
(RJ-45), it has good exposure but still quite hard to assemble.
Sony SRS-D8 only brought sound quality at
average level when we have just opened the box. However, after several running
hours, the SRS-D8 sound quality has improved. From real inspection, the
satellite speakers of SRS-D8 can meet the frequency range lower than 20Hz to
15.500Hz. When testing with the frequency range from 20Hz to 150Hz, the
subwoofer is only good with 30Hz to 150Hz frequency range.
Try connecting SRS-D8 with the desktop
using RealtekALC887 integrated audio card and listen by Foobar 2000 software
(version 1.0.3), medium sound range of this speaker is somewhat smoother than
the Sony SRS-D5 model.
With 50% bass option, the bass notes in the
"1-2-3-4-5-6 Bass, THX Sound Bass, THX - Jurassic Lunch (Major
Bass)" are fairly warm, easy to listen and do not create uncomfortable
feeling even when sitting near the speakers. When increasing the bass to
maximum, the “heavy level” of the bass notes is somewhat better but still not
as strong as expected.
We try to maximize the treble button, mid
and high sound range of the speakers is smoother and clearer - especially when
listening to the song Vincent (Starry Starry Night) presented by Chloe
Agnew and Kenny G Songbird CD1 Album. When listening some song in wide
theater (An Innocent Man - Billy Joel, It's must have been love Live -
Roxette, Still Loving You - Scropions), we find a light sonority, but
the audience feel like they are sitting near the singers because of narrower
sound space.
Overall, the Sony SRS-D8 brings pretty good
sound quality when listening to music. However, there is still a limitation due
to sound space, so this 2.1 speakers have not really suitable for watching film
or playing game.
Sony SRS-D8 has the feature to turn off the
power automatically when it does not receive any audio signal from sources to
save energy. After receiving the audio signal, the system will immediately turn
on the music. This 2.1 speaker system is available at a price of $ 185.
The highlights of Sony SRS-D8
Total output capacity: 60W
Subwoofer: 160mm diameter, 3.6 Ohm
impedance
Satellite speaker: 60mm diameter, 8ohm
impedance
Input voltage: 18V DC
Audio signal input: 3.5 mm, RCA
Headphone jack
General assessments
Advantages
Nice design, quite good sound quality when
listening to music.
Medium sound range is soft and smooth.
Separate bass /treble buttons.
Disadvantages
Not suitable for the needs of playing
games, watching movies.
Headphone jack is not convenient for users.
Sony
SRS-D8
