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Also included with the MS-900, is a control center. Rather than have only one volume dial for all six speakers, the control center contained a volume dial for each the front, rear, center and bass speakers, allowing for maximum control. Each set of speakers can be tailored to your individual taste. The addition of a main volume dial would’ve been helpful to turn up the volume, evenly and all at once. Turning down the volume meant turning down each set of speakers, one by one, and, individually, re-calibrating them. I didn’t enjoy having to balance the volume on each set of speakers each time the volume needed to be adjusted. I don’t play all my games or tracks at the same volume and adjusting for that was quite a nuisance.

In addition to the volume, the control center allowed for convenient access to 5 pre-set equalizer settings and 2 additional audio modes, “enhanced” and “movie”. According to the documentation, “enhanced” mode allowed 2 channel stereo or 4.1 channel audio to be extended to 5.1. “Movie” mode expanded 4-point side channels to multi-point side channels. From a hands-on perspective, “movie” mode didn’t make much of a difference and “enhanced” just seemed to increase the bass, more than anything. Beyond that, I couldn’t find more from the documentation

In general though, I found the documentation somewhat alienating. There was no real effort to bringing it to the consumer level, as it was very technical. Also, there was no real emphasis on optimal speaker placement or button explanation. Luckily, there was no real need for the manual.

For those with a video gaming console, the MS-900 also contained the added functionality of accepting inputs from gaming units. Easy to use colour coded cables are included to support Playstation, Nintendo and Dreamcast consoles. Colour coded cables were also available for the PC, making it quicker and easier to plug in the control center to the appropriate slots into my sound card, a Turtle Beach, Santa Cruz.

Conclusion

In general, I found the MS-900 to be quite adequate. The rear speakers generated a miniscule amount of white noise and the subwoofer could’ve used a boost. Also, an additional main volume dial on the control center would’ve helped. The satellite speakers were quite powerful and crystal clear. These performed well even at the highest volume and created mesmerizing surround sound effects. As well, the control center and added inputs to support gaming consoles were great additions. In sum, the MS-900 performed well and is geared towards a beginner level audiophile. Keep in mind that reviewing speakers is very subjective. Even still, the Aopen MS-900 is definitely worth a try.

Overall: 83%