Eagle Arion ET-AR506-BK 2.1 Soundstage Speakers with Dual Subwoofers - 20Hz to 20kHz, 100 Watts Review

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(More customer reviews)I believe the best way to tell two speakers apart is by listening to them side by side so you know their strengths and weaknesses.

Below is a list of the 2.1 speakers I own that are similarly to the AR506: Z4, Expressionist, Companion2 and AR504. Each of the speaker is hooked up to an HTPC that I have setup for each person in my family, in their own room, over the years. Granted, some of the older PCs had nicer audio add-on cards (unlike the newer machines all use built-in audio on the motherboard) and each room has different furnitures affecting the accoustics and all that technical mumble jumbo, but I made sure all were sending line-level audios without any EQ adjustments. I also played back using the same movie LOTR for consistency.

Here is how I would rank my speakers (taking price into consideration):

#1 AR506 >>>>>>>> volume B, treble A, midrange A, bass A (about 59 dollars)
#2 Expressionist >>> volume B, treble A+, midrange A, bass B (about 119 dollars)
#3 Z4 >>>>>>>>>>> volume A, treble B, midrange B, bass A+ (about 99 dollars)
#4 Companion2 >>>> volume B, treble C, midrange C, bass C (about 89 dollars)

To my ears, the AR506 sounded very good across most part (not all) of the movie. It is during few specific parts of the movie that I can hear minor deficiencies. The highs (Nazgul screeches) were clear but not as bright as the Expressionist (here the Expressionist wins). The midrange (most of the vocals and foreground music) was full-bodied, detailed and natural. The lows (background war drums, rumbles, etc) were tight & deep but lacked the raw power of Z4 (here the Z4 wins with thunderous lows althought they sounded kind of loose/boomy). The worst performing speaker of all these was actually Bose which sounded muddy, what a shock! In terms of volume I would say all speakers offer more than adequate OOMPH for a normal sized room of about 20x20 feet with 5 people sitting in it.

*** Update 7-15-2010 ***

After 4 months of use, I just had to revise my review to reflect the following NEGATIVES:

#1 Wires wires wires. Although they are standard RCA type (not proprietary like altecs and logitechs) but they are short! I had to buy another set of RCA cables so I can separate the satellites beyond 6 feet. They are only $2 a pair in local radioshack but Eagle should have made them longer.

#2 Remote remote remote. The wired remote continues to throw me off even after 4 months of use. When I plug in the headphone jack on the wired remote, I must press the MUTE button located on the side AND the volume dial has no effect while I am using the headphone jack. Errr...Why? I don't know, it's just strange like that.

#3 My last set of speakers was the AR504 back in 2009. When I bought them, I thought there could not be a better sounding 3-piece speaker under $50. In my opinion, that still holds TRUE today. The AR506 does sound better but I miss AR504's wireless remote and digital EQ, which allows me to boost the treble & bass when needed. Tuned properly, the AR504 can sound better than AR506. But that is due to the EQ, not the actual speaker so that works ONLY when I keep the volume LOW to MEDIUM. Once I crank up the volume, AR506 wins again. But I still think AR504 offers more bang for the buck.

I hope ya'll Amazonians find this review helpful. Share your thoughts and help others make informed purchase decisions.

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Product Description:
Fans of aggressive bass will enjoy this pair of parallel-wired subwoofer system that hits harder, deeper and more accurate than ever. Increased surface area is key to producing sound pressure level previously impossible from a subwoofer this size. Audiophiles will be delighted by its crisp highs, refined midrange and punchy lows that only high quality components can provide. This high fidelity, 3-way loudspeaker system offers full spectrum sound that is accurate, images well and is noticeably more detailed and dynamic than you could expect from conventional speakers.

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