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Microlab FC-330

Microlab FC330

Today I want to present to your attention an acoustic set consisting of two speakers and a subwoofer (2 + 1), produced by the well-known Microlab company. We are talking about the FC330 model, which is one of the most inexpensive solutions among the offers of this manufacturer. And despite its cost, the model combines excellent sound with high bass and excellent workmanship.

The white shipping box measures 501mm (L) x 317mm (W) x 255mm (H) and shows the appearance of the device and also indicates the main characteristics of the product. The most important of them is the maximum power of all components, equal to 56W RMS (24W is "produced" by the subwoofer and 16W each of the two satellites). This level of power should be sufficient for the sound "filling" of a medium-sized room, equally for listening to music and for "transferring" to the world of games. Before we go further, I want to note that before going to the store to buy Microlab FC330, you should take care of the presence of transport or an assistant, since the device weighs 8.8 kilograms in a package (7.8 kilograms is net weight), which will be noticeable when long distance transfer. However, this weight of the product creates a sense of solidity of what is inside the box.

This feeling does not dissipate even when you open the package at home, because your eyes are presented with the black and brown sides of the subwoofer cabinet and its two younger satellites. These brown elements are real wooden sides, between which is a resonance box made of thick MDF board covered with black veneer. Adding respect to this is the fact that the speakers were designed by Peter Larsen, an internationally renowned acoustician.

In addition to the speakers themselves, inside we will find: user manual, warranty card and audio cable.

At the very beginning, let's take a closer look at the subwoofer. Its case has dimensions of 205 x 275 x 250 millimeters, in which the amplifier electronics with a power supply are hidden. The signal-to-noise level is within 80 dB, perhaps this figure will not surprise you, but let's not forget that the FC330 is more of a budget product.

The front, which bears the manufacturer's logo, will please, despite its modesty. Black mesh protects the 5.25 "X-bass speaker from dust and prying fingers. Below the speaker there is a volume control and a green LED that informs us about the operation of the device.

The subwoofer turned out to be quite heavy, and its very weight will not allow spontaneous movement on the table, even while listening to dynamic music loudly. To prevent strong vibration of the speaker from being transmitted to the base, the manufacturer used soft foam rubber feet, which, due to their good elasticity, easily neutralize any "shake".

On the back of the subwoofer, there is a large Bass-Reflex opening. Thanks to him, this relatively small subwoofer can expand its low-frequency range of sound. Below the hole, there is a radiator for cooling the power amplification device, sockets for connecting to a computer, and connectors for connecting satellites. All speakers are internally shielded, so we can not be afraid of electromagnetic interference when the speakers are working near other electrical devices.

Next to the set of connectors, there is a place for a low tone control. Clockwise rotation of the knob will increase the depth of low tones, from a sharp percussion sound to reverb and hum. Here, next to the power cable, we will find something that not everyone will like, namely the power button of the device.Placing it on the back of the subwoofer means we have to keep it close at hand for our convenience. If you do not have space on the table, and you place the device on the floor under the table, or on the side, the on / off procedure will be associated with small gymnastics exercises each time. Microlab FC330 does not have a remote control included in the delivery set, so you need to provide this detail (with a button) when planning the location of the device.

Let's now look at the twin brothers - satellites. Their style fits perfectly into the overall look, the tone of which is set by the elder brother. There are also original wooden sides and a resonance box made of black MDF. The satellites received one mid-range driver each, which measures three inches (in diameter), with a rather large membrane travel. The tweeters are integrated into the speakers, and it's hard to believe it's part of the speaker. Touching the membrane, you feel its softness and elasticity. This is a disadvantage for Microlab.

The disadvantage is also the cable length of the small speakers. The size of the wire is (+/-) 150 cm, which gives us a maximum distance (in a straight line) of three meters. With a great desire to hide the cables, this dooms us to the installation of desktop speakers in close proximity to each other, especially since the subwoofer (with which the satellites are connected), we must also have at hand for easy access to the power button.

The whole acoustic set looks really good, but it's a matter of taste for each of us. For me personally, the design of the device caused positive emotions, and on a ten-point scale, I would not hesitate to give it a solid eight points. In addition, the quality of the materials used and the way they are used (build quality) does not raise any objections. Real wood visually blends well with the black MDF board, and what is really very important that we will not find a single plastic element here (with the exception of the manufacturer's logo). This somewhat ascetic style gives the device an aristocratic look, which, given its cost, seems almost impossible.

Well, now it's time to stop staring at Microlab FC330, but connect it to the network and turn on the sound. I am not a music lover, but from a young age (how quickly time flies), I am a connoisseur of good music of high quality playback. Once upon a time, my peers enjoyed the sounds coming from Sharp or Sanyo cassette recorders. I was "tormented" with my Opus, which, with an accelerated tape drive system, provided a level of sound quality that was inaccessible to "cassette players" of those times. Included with two Altus 120W speakers, my speaker system aroused the envy of colleagues and the admiration of friends, even though the system was associated with inconveniences, such as, for example, a longer spool change time (compared to cassettes ), or a problem with buying new records (a scarce commodity on the market at that time). I still remember how I stood in line in the store to buy the products of the German company ORWO.

But enough sentiment. I just wanted to say that I appreciate the sound quality, which is above average. My musical interests are very wide, and therefore I love listening to both classical music and the melancholic alto saxophone Kenny G, the Andreas Vollenweider harp, as well as the dynamic and crazy music of Yello, as well as such creators as Vangelis, Kitaro, Jean Michael Jare ... I also do not disdain the clear guitar rhymes of AC / DC or Metallica.

There are no speakers in the world that would fully satisfy all these musical genres, so personally, I am always looking for something that will give us a compromise in sound quality, both during the trembling of the violin strings in Vivaldi's four seasons, and during the “rumbling Drum by Phil Collins, in the original Genesis line-up.

And do not forget that I also love to play computer games, so from computer speakers, I will expect correct playback of my favorite "shooters", such as Crysis 2 or Word of Tank, in which shots from weapons of various calibers are mixed with the roar of working tracks, the grinding of metal and the "destruction" of the environment. In addition, I also have time to watch a good action movie that combines both special sound effects and music.

Audio playback in my computer is handled by the ASUS Xonar DX PCI-Express sound card, which copes well with all types of audio signals, and clearly surpasses the capabilities of any sound integrated circuit. So let's start with the music.

MUSIC

Let's start with classical music recorded on CD, and this will be the Four Seasons (four seasons), written by Vivaldi. In this piece, the music is quite changeable and has many quiet parts, into which a slight noise emitted by the speakers "creeps in". It does not sound very loud, but it will be noticeable in a quiet evening. Reproduction of violins, sounds with a large bias in the upper frequency range, and here, there is a little lack of lower frequencies, but the subwoofer copes excellently with the parts played by the cello. Unfortunately, the harpsichord completely "fell out", becoming a distant background for the entire piece. The middle frequency range in classical music looks somewhat weak, which means that I would not recommend the Microlab FC330 to fans of Bach and Beethoven. In this test, on a ten-point scale, the device gets a score of three.

This time we will listen to the sounds of acoustic guitars and their electric counterparts, as well as drums and keyboards. Let's "turn" to the tracks Dire Straits (Brothers in Arms), Pink Floyd (Atom Heart Mother), the variety of music by Peter Gabriel (So). With this part of the job, the Microlab speakers do a pretty good job, and can play quite loudly without noticeable sound distortion. We will be pleased with the high-quality reproduction of expressive and powerful drums, with their crisp and strong beats, although the bass level is a little "lacking". Guitars in the upper parts can "beep" when we cross half the scale with the volume control. Here, quite a bit lacking in the "middle", but still much better than it was in classical music. In quiet parts, a faint noise from the tweeters is heard. Overall, the device deserves a score of six points out of ten.

But listening to entertaining pop and disco music (where a large number of electronic instruments are used) should completely satisfy us. The hard beats of electronic drums, supported by the pulsating rhythms produced by the synthesizer (Schiler - Das Liebe album, released in acoustic version 5.1), work well for our ears. The same situation will be observed in the case of listening to bands such as Depeche Mode, Yazoo, Everything But The Girl and The Twins, as well as Empire of the Sun. Here the device deserves a "strong" rating, 7.5 points out of ten.

GAMES

Games, Microlab loves, as well as Microlab loves games - this is exactly what I want to say, sitting down at the computer in order to irretrievably “waste” several hours, of your precious time. In general, the FC330 cannot be blamed for its poor voice acting in games such as Crysis, WoT or Mafia II. Especially good, the speaker set sounds in the latest game, where old-fashioned swing music is mixed with the sounds of driving cars, dialogues of heroes and gangster showdowns with a lot of lead.

In general, FC330s love to reproduce the sounds of gunshots, grenade explosions and other "echoes" of heavy military devices. But besides that, they can also reproduce well car races, such as GRID, where you can hear clear differences in sounds when changing the view of the car, from the background, to the “inside” view. Here Microlab FC330 deserves a score of 7.5 points out of ten.

FILMS

Good sound in the film is half of its success.Even the most spectacular scenes are nothing without proper soundtrack. How, for example, watching a love scene of a couple embracing against the background of Niagara Falls, when from the speakers, instead of the hum of thousands of tons of water falling down per second, only a slight "rustle" is heard, reminiscent of the sound made by a tap in a bathroom. Fortunately, we will not experience such disappointment with the Microlab device, although not everything is so rosy here either. In war films such as the Pacyfik series (Guadalcanal series), we will really feel like we are in the spotlight, both during the war with Japan, and in the evening, together with young American soldiers, we will survive the night while on duty. In particular, we will be greatly excited by the morning episode, when among the mountains of corpses, one living Japanese appears, demanding to shoot him, and the Yankees will shoot in his direction for fun, mutilating his body over and over again. Each shot is mixed with original dialogues (in English), the whistle of bullets and their strikes against the water, the laughter of drunken soldiers with revenge, and the cry of a prisoner, and the viewer is amazed at everything they see.

Unfortunately, movies with a lot of music, such as "8 Mile", "Greace" or even "District 13", lose a little during the "voice acting" on the FC330. As if the dialogues, sounds of the city, special effects are heard well and “powerfully”, and the music itself is heard, as if in the background, while the meaning of the music track in some scenes plays a major role (especially in “bed” scenes). And here, again, there is not enough mid-range, namely, vocals and instruments are heard somewhere out there, merging with the general plan, and only the bass was noticeable. This is especially striking in the final scene of the film "Dirty Dancing" (DVD), where the "drums" of the famous motif "The time of my life" come to the fore, only occasionally interrupted by echoes of the audience enchanted by the dancing. light noise), and a little later the rhythmic bass, almost undermines us from the place.However, in this scene Microlab sounds somehow incomplete, the bass covers the entire middle, and the "tweeters" emphasize the female screams that can be heard during the performance of dance figures.

"Star Wars" with the breath of Darth Vader, Microlab speakers do much better, especially when we see and hear star battles and empire fighters flying by. Obviously, we need to match our repertoire of watched films to the specifics of the FC330. Indeed, in some films they sound better, in others a little worse, but in general they deserve a good rating of 6.5 points out of ten.

A certain disadvantage of mid-tones may be due to the design of the satellites, the speaker of which has high characteristics of the audio range.

Thus, we got acquainted with the Microlab FC330 device. Appearance is a matter of personal taste, but I can say with confidence that the product was not outwardly "bad". I personally liked the design, especially the wood side panels and the matching black MDF board.

The workmanship and materials used are of very good quality and it is hard to believe that these speakers can be bought for such a small price. At such a cost, this set of acoustics is worthy of attention of buyers, provided that we are not bothered by the inconvenient power switch located on the rear panel of the subwoofer, as well as the absence of a remote control (even a wired one), a rather short cable for connecting satellites, and slight noise. amplifier that is heard in quiet parts of the music.

In turn, the Microlab FC330 gives us a lot of power, good bass and treble. The midrange looks a little worse, but this is only noticeable when listening to classical music. When listening to dynamic pop or rock music, we will have to be satisfied, since the decibel number and bass of the speaker can mask any imperfections of this equipment. We will get even more in games, especially in those where low frequencies brought to the front (FPS / FPP) are used for voice acting, as well as in races of all kinds.In addition, fans of World of Tank will also be pleased with the sounds of breaking metal and the roar of their guns. I think the Microlab FC330 speakers combine excellent sound quality and performance in relation to price and deserve attention from buyers.

Microlab FC330 - buy at F.ua store

Benefits:

- the use of good materials for manufacturing (wooden elements);

- good assembly of system components;

- the bass speaker membrane has a large stroke;

- good bass;

- good high frequencies;

- low price.

Disadvantages:

- the power button is located on the rear panel of the subwoofer;

- there is no remote control (even a wired one), which is necessary for convenient volume control and power off;

- rather short cable length for connecting satellites;

- few midtones in certain types of music and films.

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