Home Theater With Shielded Subwoofer

Review by Patrick Van Ort : They are what they are...

Nothing less than a nice solid set of cheap "powered" speakers. I bought these because I've been wanting something a bit more powerful than my TV's speakers. For the price the product is five star. My TV is in a smaller room and these sound great when set up properly. You will need some type of output (receiver, DVD player, etc) that puts out a 5.1 signal to achieve surround sound, but you can also just run a standard 2 channel stereo signal through it as well and still get a nice sound. I bought these specifically for use with my Xbox 360 (which puts out Dolby 5.1 via optical cable). I have the optical out on the console running into my Tritton AX360 5.1 system and the surround out on the Tritton running into the speakers. Great purchase, great sound!!

Review by Will : A great system for the shopper on a budget.

The Coby CSP96 5.1 surround system was my choice recently when I purchased a sound system for my college dorm room. I will get straight to it, this is a great system for somebody on a college student's budget. I bought it for movies, games, and TV and not as much for music. Although the sub is small and downward facing, if you crank the base knob almost all the way up you can get a pretty good low end for action movies. I have had experience in the sound system market, and I have heard some very good ones. The Coby isn't the best in terms of sound quality obviously. The main speakers are a bit tinny and the sub is more punchy than rumbly, but for the $55 I payed for the system, including shipping, I really can't complain. This is a deal, and it beats out systems that cost $150 in some cases. My only real complaint with the set of features is that there is no remote, which makes adjusting the volume a hassle, especially on the Coby's very touchy volume dial. Otherwise, the system comes with the necessary wires to get your equipment hooked up and ready to go in no time. I would recommend this system to anyone looking for small-room sound on a budget.

Review by Cowboy : Questionable at first......

I ordered this product because my HDTV speakers sounded terrible and I wanted and external source. When I received this product I immediately hooked it up. Everything was hooked up, I turned it on and nothing. I tried everything contacted, Amazon, Coby, and Toshiba (tv manufacture) no one had a cure. Amazon was willing to refund my money, Coby said to contact Toshiba and Toshiba told me how to increase and decrease the volume on the TV (DUH). I got curious because everything seemed to be in perfect order, the satellite speakers were humming. The Power light was on but still nothing. So I disconnected everything, unplugged it from the power source and unscrewed the back panel which I discovered a wire that wasn't plugged in. Everything is working now and it sounds OK. I do not recommend unscrewing the back panel, which might void the warranty, user discretion advised. Problem solved.

Review by R. Carpenter : Step up from tv speakers

This system arrived as ordered. The system looks good, and performs way better than my TV speakers. While I do not get real surround sound (see below), having speakers all around the room definitely makes you feel in the movie, game, show, etc. I don't get real surround sound because I do not have an amp/receiver or DVD player with separate outputs for each speaker. I just plugged the system into my TV with the dual cables. I don't have the resources to buy a nice receiver with an HDMI input/output (My TV is 1080i HD capable). I do get great stereo sound quality, which with two left/right speakers gives a surround sound quality to whatever I am watching (less so on TV shows). Just on the internal amp I can get these speakers loud without distortion. The bass is weaker than I would like, but I am in an apartment complex and have neighbors below! Although, I was in my dining room working on paperwork when I started listening to my fiance playing a PS3 game (Ratchet and Clank) and the bass quality sounded great. The bass also sounds great when watching action movies with gun fire (ex. Live Free or Die Hard). But the bass will not shake your windows, if that's what you are looking for. The cords for the rear speakers are long enough to go under my rug/coffee table, under my couch, and up on the window ledges behind me. The speakers are also able to mount on the wall. What I was upset about was the length of the front Left/Right speaker wires. With the bass next to my PS3 on the ground, the speakers barely reach the top sides of the entertainment center (which isn't very big, I only have a 32 inch HDTV). I might be able to reposition them to get better stereo sound at a later date. Having no remote is also a bummer, but for the price... whatever. Overall the speaker system is a great upgrade for those looking for "false" surround sound in a smaller room. The speaker sound is crisp and clear. If you are looking for true surround sound (using HDMI cables, for example) this home theater speaker set may not be for your. But if you aren't picky about your surround sound, are light on cash, and want something better than your TV speakers, this just may be for you! Thanks for listening! Will let you know if anything happens with the system that warrants immediate attention!

Review by LateBloomer : Coby Home Theater Speaker System

I was anxious to get it because the sound on my computer/TV was so bad. I've never owned a home theater speaker system but I've seen a few of them in other people's homes. I've had the Coby ststem for almost 2 months. For the price Coby does a decent job. The sound, tone and volume are adjustable. I was able to get the tone I like. The sound quality could be better. But like I said it didn't cost much and it's good for the price. It was a lot more complicated to set up than I thought it would be. It's not exactly plug-and-play but it wasn't rocket science either. I don't like that I have to turn them on and off manually. I'm not sure if there's a way to configure them that makes manual operation unnecessary. The speakers are attractive. They fit in with my decor very well. I'd like to see longer wires on them. It's a little difficult to position them so the sound surrounds due to the short wires. Overall I'm very pleased with the Coby Home Theater Speaker System. It's contributed to an increase in enjoyment of my computer (which is also my television).

Review by M. Klongpayabal "mikow_k" : Awsome Buy!

I agree with most of the reviews about this item. I would like to first state that I am a musician and feel pretty confident in my audio prowess. But I have to review these from a consumer perspective. I should also consider the cost of this system as well as the application. I could have lived with the speakers on my TV, but the added lift and fullness that these bring is very nice. I currently have only hooked up the center, left front, & right front due to the size of my living room. But the system is WAAAAAYYYY loud enough. It's such a boost that I have to barely turn the volume knob up to just above all the way off and it gives plenty of sound. I have yet to drop in a really thunderous action flick yet and tried it, but I live in a 2nd floor apartment, so I want to keep my neighbors happy. But I can tell, just from the ultra-low level that I have been playing them at, that this system will kick. For the price, I was thoroughly impressed. The sub-woofer is not thumping, but it gives a nice deep aspect to the overall sound. Unless you are a hard core, die-hard home theater buff and you have a huge visual system already in place, this audio system is great. I have had these for a week and have been nothing but happy with them. They were crazy easy to set up. The speaker wires are color coded so that you know which speaker goes to which connection on the back of the sub. We were watching "Up" the other night and even with only those three speakers, the directionality was very nice. When the character was on the left side of the screen, there voice came out of the left speaker a lot stronger. I was impressed by that. Maybe some more hard core audiophiles would laugh, but hey, I'm a family man who is happy to get rid of the tinny, thin sound of my LCD speakers.

Review by Zaf9670 "PC and Gaming enthusiast" : Don't let the 300 watts fool you

Overall, I am happy with the product for the price given. However, I think some of the other products available that were within a $30 range of this set would have been better. Now on to the review. The speakers were actually smaller than I had expected. I had a set of 125w speakers before that were much larger than these and actually seemed louder as well. The quality on these is probably comparable to the other set but they were also around $50 and 5.1 speakers as well. One thing that should be noted is that these are NOT computer speakers. I was under the impression that they were since they came with no kind of DVD player or built in decoding. However you can buy RCA to Stereo cables and resolve this issue easily. One thing I do not like is that these speakers have a trade off on quality depending on the sound level. When you want the speakers to be louder, they seem to distort the quality of the sound if you adjust the source to maximum sound. However, if you adjust the speakers to a higher level while leaving the source around a smaller level, you hear a faint white noise sound when there is little to no sound. This is something that can get a bit annoying. Now onto the 300w of power. I was under the impression that I would be able to get at least as loud, if not louder, than my previous system. However, it seems that they fall short in this department as well. Being able to individually control the treble and bass is a plus but you cannot change the balance between the front and rear speakers. The last problem with these speakers is that you have no remote for the system. Everything must be controlled from the subwoofer knobs on top. If you plan to use this for a TV or DVD player and do not plan on the subwoofer being beside you, then you have to readjust manually by getting up. Also the speaker wires can be quiet short as well (around 10 ft for the rears). Overall, the price is the selling point of these speakers. They would be great for a small bedroom or dorm but probably not well suited for a mid-sized living room, especially if you plan to keep these far away from the seats. I would only suggest these speakers to anyone who really wants 5.1 but doesn't feel like its worth $100 or more. Otherwise, don't skimp out on these and go for a pricier pair even if the wattage is smaller.

Review by Brandon Taylor : Excellent value

Length:: 2:37 MinsBest value for the price. Nice sound, good looks and durable. Update 12/21/10: Still working well. I had the chance to listen to some of the better ($200+) units and I can tell they sound a lot nicer, but this one comes very close! Remember, it is not going to sound as amazing as the expensive ones but it is worlds ahead of any standard TV speaker.

Review by Marion Potts : csp94

csp94 I placed a bid on this model not knowing what it was. I received the unit and when I first saw the unit I thought I had bought a pig in a poke. but now that I have installed the unit it is perfect for my dvd and cd player.The wires are to short that is true but that was no problem. I placed the speakers in the room where the drawing called for them to be and replaced the short leads with longer wires to the unit. I have surround sound with this unit that is great for the price. If you want better surround sound then you will have to pay a lot more, as for me this unit is great for what I am using it for. thank you.

Review by Carista J. Gamble : Where's that sound coming from?

As I write this review I am immersed in the heat of battle. As I write this review, bullets are flying past my head. As I write this review I run beneath a harrier in hopes that I am not seen. The sounds that my newly installed Coby CSP96 are emitting are beautiful. No longer do I need UAV - for I have my Coby CSP96. The sounds are dedicated nicely. A battle has just ignitied to my rear right.. I turn.. I run.. and I make a kill.. without UAV. The crakel of fire is as real as a July night under the stars with some marshmallows and the company of good friends. The base is steady and deep. Explosions cause you a slight jump.. and then bring a smile to your face. You realize "I have experienced this before".. but where.. then it comes to you.. it was your last visit to the Theater, the opening week of Iron Man. Boom! Boom! Talk about a lot of BANG for your buck. When we installed this unit we understood that we would have to purchase extra speaker wire. 22 gauge at our local RadioHut was sufficient, at 100ft for $10. The unit was completely installed in a little over 1 hr, thats including mounting, and hiding the wires. There was no guess work with the audio. Find the audio out on you TV - red, white - send it to the audio inputs on the sub. Wala.. it is done! We purchased this directly through AMAZON, we ordered after 7pm on the 2nd, it was in our home at 3pm the 4th. Never in my life have I ever had a product arrive so quickly, and thats with Free Standard Shipping. The packaging was perfect. The unit was boxed in orignal boxing, then placed in another box to insure protection from both the elements and handling, it arrived via UPS. This is a value at $50, a sophisticated surround if you will, with 5.1 sound, including a base that is deep amd smooth. It is not one to shake the neighbors out of thier house, but rather a surround that blankets you in true volumns and clean noise. There is going to be one more purchase made of this unit in the future and that will be for our game room. For now, I will set in my living, surrounded by crisp, solid, sound, that of which my walls have nevered experienced. I invite you to purchase this Coby CSP96, and experience for yourself, a theater in your own home!