TDK Tremor S40 Multimedia Speaker
Review

John Nemerovski Review, Speakers Leave a comment

TDK Tremor S40 Multimedia Speaker
Company: TDK
Price: $49.99 US
http://www.tdk.com/speakers/tremors40.html

Last Saturday morning was cool and sunny, so I opened windows and turned on fans in house and office. I went out to my home office early, wanting to test for the distortion point on TDK’s new S40 Tremor speakers. I connected them to the headphone outlet on an AKAI CD Radio Cassette Recorder I recently purchased.

With Rolling Stones’ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” playing from CD at moderate sound level on the AKAI, I slowly turned up volume on the TDK speakers until it reached maximum. Sound was clear and stable. Then I gradually increased volume on the AKAI until most of the cacti in my Tucson neighborhood were rocking and rolling. No distortion. “It’s a gas!”

Barbara came running across the patio, waving her arms and shouting something incomprehensible. By the time she reached my office building, she was irate. “What the %&*@# do you think you are doing, you idiot?! It’s not even 7:00 a.m. and you’re waking up everybody between Phoenix and Nogales. Shut that #&@* thing off or the neighbors will be calling the sheriff to have you arrested, which you deserve.”

Once potential buyers get past the specs on the S40 Tremors, here’s what they need to know:

  • SUBWOOFER is cute and round, with only a system-wide volume knob and a speaker that puts out surprisingly robust bass range; you’ll have to adjust tone or equalizer controls via software or separate hardware
  • SATELLITE SPEAKERS are thin, flat, and stylish, with bright frequency response over much of the standard audio spectrum
  • SETUP GUIDE is easy as pie; it took me longer to unwrap the S40 components than to hook them up
  • PRICING is inexpensive, making these low-end Tremors suitable for many modest-cost situations
  • SUPPORT is available via email or toll free number in the United States.

    TDK’s Tremor speaker lineup contains three additional systems. They all utilize something called NXT SurfaceSound technology, which has not impressed this reviewer in the past from other manufacturers. TDK certainly got it right with their budget S40 speakers.

    MyMac.com enjoys reviewing and comparing speaker systems, because they vary so much and because we are dedicated music lovers. Do not rely on S40 Tremors for symphony hall or rock concert or super gamer quality audio. For listeners on a tight budget who want basic, stylish components that require very little physical space, we award TDK’s Tremor S40 Multimedia Speakers:a MacMice Rating of: 4, meaning a very decent product. Worth the time and investment, but look for competing products.

    MacMice Rating: 4 out of 5

    John Nemerovski

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