Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2008/09/26/review_voix_mpx_tower_speakers/

Voix MPX 2.1 tower loudspeakers

In-spire-ing sound quality?

By Lewis Caliburn

Posted in Personal Tech, 26th September 2008 12:18 GMT

Review Designed to act as a complete audio package for home cinema set-ups, the Viox MPX rig packs a good performance some nice features, but one still can't help but be left with the feeling that it could be better.

The MPX 2.1 speaker system consists of two slimline tower speakers that are each just over 1m tall. The company quotes 72W output through each aluminium-cone tower. Four 2in woofers partner a 1in tweeter on each unit, and there's a further 36W coming from the down-firing 3.5in sub-woofer in the base of the tower.

Voix MPX 2.1 tower speakers

Voix' MPX 2.1: these towers feel like they could easily topple

Before you can tap into any of this power, however, the speakers have to be mounted on their cone-shaped bases. The MPX has feet that slot into opposing housings on the base, and the right speaker - aka the MPY - has three bolts which screw in to keep the unit in place. None of this is particularly taxing, but despite the relatively robust and heavy make up of the bases, the towers still feel a little bit vulnerable and almost ready to topple over.

Looks-wise the product rates well, with a piano black finish allowing it to fit into both modern or more traditional interiors. The most innovative feature on the product is the iPod dock, which is built into the top of the left-hand speaker unit, also called the MPX. Dock-adaptors are included which means any iPod can be held in place firmly. The adaptors slide in and out with ease, and the main speaker can actually act as a playback system on its own when not connected to the MPY.

Voix MPX 2.1 tower speakers

iPods sit neatly, but other MP3 players are less comfortable

The four woofers on the product split into right and left channels when in this single-tower mode, with the two top drivers working the left channel and the bottom two handling the right. We're not quite sure why you would want to set the system up like this. The speakers come as a pair, so why not use them as a pair? The performance of the MPX on its own supported this view. The sound was clear enough, but ultimately it feels thin. However, wire the two towers together and the sound improves significantly.

The speakers have a high build quality so you'd expect a decent performance. The aluminium cone drivers, partnered by neodymium magnets, produce very accurate sound and quick response times, particularly at high frequencies.

So everything about these products suggests they have been manufactured and tuned to deliver good sound for pop and dance music, so Status Quo’s Caroline gave us a chance to work out whether the speakers were more than a one-trick pony.

Voix MPX 2.1 tower speakers

The speakers have to be mounted on cone-shaped, sub-woofer equipped bases

Sure enough, the sound is pretty good, with adequate punch, accuracy and layering to bring out the best of Rossi and Parfit’s blues juggernaught. Something completely different - a few tracks from the Orb’s Adventures Beyond Ultra World - confirmed what we had suspected: that the speakers are most at home when dealing with bass-heavy, quicker tracks yet with plenty of high frequencies for the unit to get its teeth into.

We have one reservation, however. The sweet spot is tight, so set up is very important. Sitting even a little off axis allows one speaker to dominate, with the effect being most noticeable if you edge towards the MPX.

Voix MPX 2.1 tower speakers

Connectors and spaghetti a-plenty

Also we found that the equaliser setting on some portable players could introduce distortion in the playback, so it's best to stick to a 'normal' EQ instead of anything too esoteric. In addition, to get the best results, follow the manufacturer’s recommendation and keep any portable player’s volume at no more that 70 per cent and let the unit handle higher volumes.

The drivers also cope well with the greater sonic range offered by DVD and CD playback. The total of ten drivers provide fast enough response and enough accuracy to deliver a pleasing home cinema experience with enough crash, bang and wallop to deliver the final scene in Peter Jackson’s King Kong with aplomb.

There are enough connectors on the back to support two extra inputs, so a DVD player or games console can be accommodated. However, as the audio connectors are located on the back of the MPX, this does mean that a fair bit of spaghetti can be left hanging around and some cable tidies might be useful.

Voix MPX 2.1 tower speakers

The sweet spot is tight, so set up is very important

There is a 3.5mm jack in the head of the unit, which means non-Apple players can be accommodated. We couldn't help feeling, however, that it would have been better to have this jack in the base of the unit. The position means that either there has to be a shelf nearby to sit the player securely on or you're left balancing the player rather precariously in the top housing of the speaker.

The remote control is pretty basic and delivers volume, bass and treble tweakers as well as limited control over any connected iPod: pause, rewind and jumping forward from track to track. When another type of MP3 player is connected, the remote can only control the sound levels. When you do adjust the volume with the remote - or, in fact, with the volume control on the top of the MPX - the sound goes up in quite large steps, making it difficult to be really accurate with the sound level.

Verdict

The MPX 2.1's sound quality is good, even taking into account the narrow stereo sweet spot. However, we felt the functionality and overall design let the product down, especially since it retails for £260. To make a really big impact in the market, Voix will have to improve the functionality to match the undoubted sound quality the system delivers.