Sonic XJR Score: 90% Developer: Telex / ElectroVoice

Function: The Sonic XJR is a 3-piece powered speaker system, with a 5.25 inch 60-watt double ported woofer, and two 30-watts satellite speakers, each with a 3'' woofer and a 1'' dome tweeter. One of the satellite speakers houses the volume knobs for the system volume and the subwoofer volume, and an 'on' indicator LED light that is a pretty 'PS2 eject button light' shade of blue.

Performance: When I first received the Sonic XJR system, it was damaged. Check out the Drawbacks & Problems section below for details on that. Short version: I was able to fix it myself... Once everything was in order, the Sonic XJR behaved quite nicely. They created a nice soundscape when used with my PS2* for both games and DVDs. Likewise, the Xbox* and Gamecube* sounds were crisp and clear. Output from my Laptop and CD player were equally as clear, and I was unable to get any nasty distortion within audibly tolerant volumes (although the volume knob would go higher if I could take it...)! I would have expected the system to include a cable* to allow the EV Sonic XJR's to be connected to a console*, but the quality of the speakers themselves was quite high. After the correction I made, the XJR's are possibly the best 3-speaker sound system I've reviewed. (And some of the 5-speaker systems have reason to worry...) * Game systems require an additional dual RCA to stereo mini phono connector.

Features: 1x 5.25'' Woofer (60 watts) 2x Satellite Speakers (30 watts per Channel) Satellites: 3'' Woofer / 1'' Tweeter External Headphone Jack External Microphone Jack Separate System / Subwoofer Volume Controls Extra Bright LED Power Indicator (Blue) Compatible with 3.5mm Line Input Devices *Adapter for Consoles is Not Included

Drawbacks & Problems:: When I first got the EV Sonic XJR system, I was excited. With only three separate speakers, however, I was afraid the sound quality might not offer the definition (and power) I was hoping for. At first, it seemed worse than I had feared. Turning on the unit resulted in distortion at very low volume, and turning the volume up not only led to a horrible buzzing sound, but noticeable fade. The volume dropped quite a bit, and quite quickly. Furthermore, the buzzing seemed to come from one of the satellite speakers - and it actually rattled when I shook it. I figured it must have been damaged in transit... When I popped it open (4 screws) and had a look about, I discovered that nothing was broken inside of the speaker, but that the volume controls were very loosely installed inside of the speaker. A few turns of a pair of pliers (actually, quite a few) and replacing four screws, and we were in business... And what a difference it made! The volume fade was gone (evidently, the control was vibrating and turning itself down) and all of the 'distortion' was gone (evidently solely the result of the loose control mechanism). The reason for my description of my problems is primarily informative. I don't expect that all of the units are in that condition. Furthermore, if you do happen to buy one and it has a 'rattle' sound in the satellite speaker with the volume controls, it is so worth it to simply tighten the controls and keep the XJR's and use them. As I stated in Performance above, ''After the correction I made, the XJR's are possibly the best 3-speaker sound system I've reviewed. (And some of the 5-speaker systems have reason to worry...)''

-Geck0, GameVortex Communications AKA Robert Perkins

Minimum System Requirements: Any stereo 3.5mm input (from computer, portable CD player, MP3 player, stereo system, etc.). Most consoles require an adapter to be used with the Sonic XJR speaker system.   Test System: Compaq laptop, Sony home stereo system, PS2* (movies / games), Xbox*, GameCube*.