Abit iDome DS500 and SW510

Zitat

Abit's iDomes aren't the first digital PC speakers to hit the market, but they sound better than any others I've heard. For music playback in medium-sized rooms, they're fantastic. More importantly, you don't need to go out and spend a lot of money on a high-end sound card to make these speakers sound good—the "free" integrated audio on most motherboards should do, provided you have a digital output.

Of course, you will have to spend quite a bit of money on the iDomes. If you get the DS500 speakers and the optional SW510 subwoofer, which we'd recommend for those who appreciate a little chest thumping, you're looking at about $250. Sure, you save a little on a sound card, and yes, speakers should last through several upgrade cycles, but that's still a heck of a lot of money to spend on a two-channel setup.

What hurts the most about the iDomes' lofty price tag is that they could use a little extra polish. Not to their exterior—they look gorgeous as-is. Playback quality doesn't need any work, either, but the lack of a remote control and coaxial input options is disappointing. Independent controls for the satellites and subwoofer make the missing remote even more annoying, especially when gaming, where Windows or application volume controls aren't readily accessible.