Unlike traditional loudspeakers which use pistons and cones to make sound, these speakers use flat panels and a series of ‘exciters’, which vibrate when a current is passed through them to generate the sound. The plus points of this technology are that it provides a very even sound dispersion, so that unlike with many sub/sat systems, you should be able to hear the soundtrack properly no matter where you are sitting, rather than just at a single ‘sweet spot’ in the middle of the room. This obviously makes these speakers ideal for a living room environment, where not everyone is able to position their speakers exactly where they want them. However, there is also a downside, as you’ll discover below.
Setting up the system is a doddle, with everything you need supplied in the box – including speaker cable – plus the room-friendly nature of the satellite speakers we hinted at above makes it much easier than with traditional speakers to position the satellites where you want to rather than where hi-fi theory dictates that they should be. Most of the set-up is done via four controls on the top of the sub, and generally just involves changing small aspects of the sound until it performs exactly how you want it to.
Sound
The first thing you notice about the M-Cubes is the amazing way these tiny little speakers fill the room. With the bare minimum of set-up and tweaking you are suddenly thrown straight into the action in a convincing and believable manner – we even went back a couple of times just to check we’d connected up the right speakers! Packed up close to the surrounding walls – and the screen in the case of the centre – the small satellite speakers work wonders with the midrange and treble, sounding smooth and unbelievably detailed for a package at this price. The quite diffuse nature of the sound also works well with the surround speakers, providing an enveloping background field when called upon by the likes of the latest Harry Potter flick.
