Corsair SP2500 2.1 232W Audio Speaker Kit Review

The TFT Display Control and Conclusion

As we mentioned before, one of the nicer features of this kit is the 1.8″ (4.6cm) color TFT display controller that makes using the speakers very simple and gives you a convenient location to plug in some 3.5mm headphones. This controller gives you independent volume control for the satellites and the subwoofer and has a ton of menus that has plenty of EQ options for you to play with. Corsair has an upgradeable firmware on the SP2500, so down the road you can actually get updates! Corsair provides a range of both EQ profiles and DSP programs to custom tailor the audio to your desired settings. One of the cool features that we found was the Late Night DSP program that uses active digital crossovers to reduce bass frequencies away from the subwoofer and into the pair of satellite. This is a great feature, especially if you live with others and need to respect their presence. We found the Dynamic Pop DSP program to be great for all around use and the gaming program was great for PC gaming.

On the back of the controller you’ll find the USB port for firmware updates and the auxiliary input.

The Corsair SP2500 that we tried out came with Firmware Revision 1.05.05 and it will be interesting to see how often that Corsair will come out with updates.

Here is the main menu that allows you to change the EQ, input and DSP program settings.

When you turn the knob the default menu that pops up is for the overall system volume. It you push down and click the wheel the system is muted. The controller is very easy-to-learn and we had no issues getting the SP2500 dialed in. In fact, if you leave the system with no DSP program it still sounds amazing.

Final Thoughts and Conclusions:

Most people don’t update their PC speakers that often and, in fact, we here at Legit Reviews are guilty of that also. We’ve been using a Logitech Z-5300 THX certified 5.1 speaker systems since 2003 and, to be honest, over the past eight years the speaker system worked flawlessly. Not bad considering those speakers had a list price of $200, but you could find them online for around $120-$140 for a set. In all fairness that speaker system sounded good and upgrading them wasn’t even on our radar. If it isn’t broke don’t fix it right?

When the Corsair SP2500 2.1 PC speaker system showed up in the test lab we hooked it up and were shocked to hear our music. We were able to hear details in the audio that we weren’t able to make out on our old speaker system. The satellite speakers on the SP2500 are amazing and the midrange audio is crystal clear. Most audiophiles talk about sound separation and having bass that overpowers vocals and we finally get what they were talking about. The Logitech Z-5300 system that we were running appears to have had greatly exaggerated bass and as a result we were actually missing out on the clarity of our audio tracks. This is something we never would have known if we didn’t try out the SP2500 on the same PC. Just picture us playing the same song over and over and switching speaker systems! � The Corsair SP2500 speakers were able to sound great no matter the volume, either, and that is something our old Logitech Z-5300 speakers were unable to do. The Logitech Z-5300’s would distort and you’d smell them heating up, which is a smell that is very unsettling and I’m sure we’ve all smelled it before. At the end of the day we found the Corsair SP2500 2.1 speaker system to be great for games, music and even movies.

The only two gripes we have on the Corsair SP2500 are the speaker wires and the price. The short six foot long ATX4 connectors that were used between the subwoofer and the satellite speakers is far too short and the fact that Corsair doesn’t have longer cables available here nearly a month after they launched at CES 2011 is a let down. Corsair is working on coming out with a pair of 10 foot long replacement cables that consumers can
purchase if they need longer cables. The other gripe we have is the price. When these first came out you couldn’t find them for less than $249.99 and for a set of 2.1 speakers that is a bit higher than what we’d like to see. We’d love to see these speakers at around $199.99, but it appears the price on the street is starting to come down. We found that Amazon.com has them for $249.99. The Corsair SP2500 might ‘just’ be a 2.1 speaker system, but they fill a room with crystal clear audio that is worth every penny of it. A lower price point would make these more affordable for gamers and enthusiasts, though, and we’d love to see these at a price point that everyone could afford! You can’t knock us for wanting a lower price, can you? We know for $250 you can get a killer graphics card or a new smartphone, so to drop that coin on some speakers they’d have to be worth it. The Corsair SP2500’s are worth it. You truly need to hear these to believe it.

Legit Bottom Line: The Corsair SP2500 2.1 PC Speaker System goes to show that no matter what market Corsair enters they come in with a product that shakes up the industry, and this time it literally does.