Genius 3-Way Hi-Fi Wood Speakers for PC, MP3 Players, and Tablets (SP-HF800A)

I selected these speakers based on reviews from others who had purchased them. Beyond that, the looks sold me. This is a handsome looking speaker complete with wood grain and spun copper accents. Performance is very good in terms of overall sound quality. The base is tight and the treble is awesome. Some of the reviews I've read say that the bass is lacking. I've found that this is not entirely the case for me. I mostly listen to Jazz. While I'm not opposed to other genres (except opera) I have few complaints with this speakers sound reproduction. On the other hand, there are a couple of issues I do have with this item. My first complaint is that there is no R/L channel separation control knob to help adjust the inconsistencies in channel recording levels. Some of my CD's have great sound levels on the left channel and very little on the right and vice-versa. When this music is played through the speakers one or the other channel is much more predominant, hence one channel is louder than the other because it was recorded at a higher sound level. My second complaint is that this speaker was not designed to be used in conjunction with a sub-woofer. As I said earlier, the bass in this speaker is pretty good, but to me, any music sounds better with a sub-woofer regardless of how much or how little bass there is. Usually most sub-woofers have a significantly larger enclosure, a single larger woofer, and a portal that helps develop that deep rich bass sound they are known for. Again, this speaker does not allow for such use. It's really too bad because with these two features added to the Genius 3-way speaker system, these speakers could be Top of the Line speakers at an affordable price. Beyond that, they are still very good speakers. In the meantime though, I will be trying to figure out how to incorporate a sub-woofer into the mix.

I bought these Genius speakers to replace some great sounding Altec Lansing 2.1 desktop speakers that I've been using and enjoying for years. The Altec Lansings sound great but have developed a grounding issue with hum and static.These replacement Genius speakers are good but not great. The 3-way moniker is misleading as they are really working the mid to high ranges at best.Based on the many 5 star reviews, and frankly the handsome looks, I had high hopes for these little speakers. I'm giving them 4 stars for a combination, from high to low respectively, based on looks (5 stars), price (4 stars) and sound (3.5 stars). If sound for your money is what you're looking for and you like your music both loud, dynamic from low to high and clear, your money is probably better spent elsewhere.I'm not an audio snob by any means, but I do have good speakers throughout my home and office. JBL and Klipsch tend to be my favorites in the mid to high-end world, but I've been VERY happy with the Altec Lansing 2.1 speakers that I bought over 8 years ago for around the same $50. The Altec Lansings are much louder and with far more dynamic range than these replacement Genius speakers.The speakers are good to okay at mid level volume but progressively worse sounding at higher than 50% volume. They also have almost no real bass and no real crisp highs. The sound while not terrible is modestly clear but still compressed into the mid to mid-high range. Overall they lack range which will cause any speaker to grate on you over time, especially at louder volumes.Still, I can see why some people like these, because they look great and don't sound bad. That said, I'm returning them (which I rarely do) and going from the Creative T20's for another $40.

UPDATE 2016-1021 Amazon finally agreed to accepting a refund/return on these speakers beyond the 30 day limit, because I had been communicating with the seller early on in the process - to no avail. I returned the $49 speakers and bought another very well known brand which I should have done from the "get-go" for $15. I would never buy a product from this manufacturer or seller ever again. I have to learn to control my blood pressure because I am still fuming at the grossly idiotic suggestion they made (below) to glue the 3.5 mm plug into the speaker jack on my computer.Update 2016-0901 Amazon would not let me place my scathing feedback to the seller. This is what I had to say: "The seller contacted me because of my review of the quality or lack thereof of these speakers. He/She proceed to tell me that the problem was my computer. They suggested that I put glue on the 3.5 mm plug going into my computer! CAN YOU IMAGINE THAT KIND OF REPLY!? Who in their right mind would glue a plug into a jack on an electronic device. I'm still waiting for some rational resolution to this problem. Beautiful speakers with absolutely horrible sound."Update 2016-0901 seller contacted me suggesting that it was my computer.y old 20 yo speakers with a loose volume knob and associated intermittent static sounded 1000 percent better than these.I'm not looking for extraordinary stereo sound, just a step up from built in laptop speakers. That said, if you are attracted by the appearance of these speakers, and they do look nice, don't expect comparable sound. There is a flutter in the sound which I can't eliminate through any of the adjustments on the speakers. Perhaps I can get rid of it by tinkering with the equalizer on the sound card. In any case, they do what they are supposed to do, but the sound quality is very mediocre.