Product Reviews

If you're into your 3D games, four-channel speakers and a sound card with surround outputs can transform your sonic experience. Rather than having music, footsteps and explosions emanating from either side of the screen, they can fly around your head, creep up behind you and catch you in the crossfire.

Philips is the latest manufacturer to offer four channels of high-quality audio for the price of a couple of games. The company's A 2.5s look the part: four diminutive satellites supported by a groovy-looking subwoofer. OK, so the sub wouldn't look out of place in the bathroom, but this surely adds to its charm. The line-up is completed by

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a wired remote control.

For a system that falls squarely into the budget market, sound quality is excellent. The top volume won't have you reaching for the painkillers, and there's little to fault, except that the bass is punchy rather than fat. Music sounds detailed and full-bodied, and in games this set does exactly what it says on the tin.

Build quality is reasonable, except for a fatal flaw at the back of the subwoofer. This is where all the connections are made, but some of the audio sockets don't really seem up to the rigours of everyday use. Once everything was plugged in, they worked first time, but moving the subwoofer into a tactical position under the desk caused the speakers to falter. After a bit of cable wriggling everything was fine again, but this was cause for serious concern, especially as the floor-mounted subwoofer is susceptible to the occasional kick.

The A 2.5s would be a great system at a great price, but for the unreliability of the connections. They're better than Labtec's similarly specified and priced LCS-2514, and sound just as good as Creative's pricier FPS 2000s. But until Philips sorts out reliability, they can't be recommended. Let's hope a Mk 2 comes sooner rather than later.