MidiLand S4 4060M Review

The Sound

In any 2.1 computer speaker system, there is a fine line to walk in balancing the sound between the subwoofer and satellites. As the subwoofer is serving for more than just rumble, and actually reproducing the lower part of the vocal and musical frequencies, it is serving a somewhat awkward role. When the subwoofer power is well balanced with the satellites, and the frequency responses are decently matched, a system can work out fine. Much was the case in the 3050M system, which used lower power levels and more comparably matched ones between the subs and sats.

The 4060M is offered as a more powerful solution in the 2.1 series. The satellite power has been increased to offer more SPL to the listener. The sub power remains the same, though the cabinet is somewhat changed. The drivers in the system have not been changed however; this becomes obvious in the satellites at higher powers.

At normal listening levels with the tone controls for bass and midrange set to their default detent in the potentiometer, the system exhibits its most quality sound. The bass seems more present in this system than the smaller MidiLand systems, and can be quite boomy. The satellites have the same presence in the upper midrange frequencies as before; they are the same satellites as seen in the 3050M.

The low midrange is where the system falls short. Raising the power to the satellites and changing the nature of the subwoofer has accented both the lower frequencies and the higher frequencies. Unfortunately, this has left the lower midrange frequencies behind. The system sounds somewhat hollow despite the powerful bass it puts out, as it cannot remain consistent through the spectrum sweeps we performed.

The system is designed with a decent amount of power. The larger amplifier will push the satellite speakers hard enough to make you sit back from the normal listening position. For high intensity music or game effects, they will not fall short. However, as things get louder, the low midrange loss is emphasized. The smaller speakers are very good at reproducing the higher frequencies and the system becomes somewhat harsh at higher volumes as the highs overpower the rest of the system. However, the higher power leaves little room for altering the tonal characteristics of the smaller satellites.

The control module has four functions that can alter the nature of the sound. Panning is fairly straight forward; pick left or right, and send the sound there. The potentiometer used in the control rolls the sound off quickly, so if is off its center detent even a little it will greatly affect the sound. There is a function button to engage MidiLand's 3D processing algorithms. As described in the 3050M review, the function essentially takes the higher frequencies and increases their amplification to project them more behind the listener to simulate a 3D sound field. Essentially, it alters the tonal quality of the sound to simulate reverb, and is better left off.

The remaining two controls are for bass and treble. The frequencies they are centered on are not well chosen for the system. The bass control affects frequencies that are sent to the satellites as well as the sub, instead of just being a sub control that could be used to better balance the sound. When it is turned up, low frequencies that quickly distort the satellites are amplified, and the headroom of the system is immediately affected. The midrange control seems to be centered on too high a frequency for the system. Though it can be used to reduce the sharpness somewhat, it would be better used at lower frequencies to try and increase the presence of the lower midrange frequencies.

These listening tests combined to create an overall impression of the system. See how it stacks up to its little brother with our conclusion.