DVForge ProSticks Speakers
Review

While it may be unconventional for a company that manufactures speakers to not make specifications for them readily available, we are convinced that hearing is believing…and I believe we have the speaker system to back that up.DVForge
Needless to say, I found that both particular and either extremely brave or foolish. But I am not in charge of their marketing, so what do I care? Well, first, as a potential buyer, I would like to know what it is I am getting into. However, I agree somewhat with the statement that technical information on speakers really doesn’t tell you much of anything useful, unless you are running super high-end mono amplifiers and need to match impedance. But these are computer speakers, so I don’t think the absent technical specs are really all that needed.Q: So where does that leave us in this review?

A: Why, how they sound, of course!

Q: And how do they sound?

A: In a word, fantastic. But with a caveat. These speakers are marketed to a very specific type of buyer, and that is the audiophile. That may sound strange, as computer speakers have thus far, at least from the multitude of speakers I have reviewed and used over the years, faired very poorly in a comparison to high-end home entertainment speakers.

That said, the ProSticks do make for an audiophiles dream in computer speakers, meaning for the price vs. performance aspect ratio, these are really great sounding speakers.

Many computer speakers use a lot of mid-range tweaks to get a louder and more full sound out of what is otherwise crappy speakers. The companies that sell a lot of speakers to the computer users are not the same companies that sell speakers to home theater buyers. And for most computer users, that is fine, as most computer users who are not audiophiles don’t care or understand about sealed enclosures, flat responses, and the like. All they care about is that their MP3’s encoded at a low bit-rate sounds good, even though “good” is a subjective term. For true audiophiles, most MP3’s don’t sound good, nor do most computer speakers.

A real audiophile wants speakers that produce quality sound without the need of any form of equalization. (An equalizer, or EQ, is only there to correct a deficiency in either the source material, or the quality of the speakers, by adjusting the volume of different frequencies. There is a reason cheap home sound systems have a built-in EQ and high-end amplifiers do not. It is also why iTunes has an EQ that you can turn on or off, as well as the iPod. Most MP3’s need the help of an EQ to sound better, while a compact disc does not. Usually.) Thus, the more “flat” speakers can produce sound, the better. (If this makes no sense to you, you are not an audiophile, so don’t worry about it.)

In this regard, the ProSticks are excellent. They produce a very natural and flat sound, both at low and high volumes. In comparison, a $299 pair of Altec Lansing speakers produced a noticeable hiss at high volume when no sound is being played, while the ProSticks are almost completely silent. Most people would not hear the hiss while music is playing, but for an audiophile, a person who really takes listening to music to the next level, it is.

I was, at first, a little disappointed in the bass response in the ProSticks. But after a few weeks of constant playing, the subwoofer seemed to loosen up some, and the bass response was much better. (All speakers have moving parts, and it usually takes a few weeks for them to reach their full potential in sound quality.) So I was very pleased after a few weeks when the bass came alive.

One of my only concerns with the ProSticks is with the crossover. It seems that, at higher volume, some low frequency sound that sound reside in the subwoofer is bleeding over into the mid-range satellites. A major concern? I don’t think so, but it may be something for DVForge to look at in the future.

When I test speakers, I use both MP3 and AIFF files. I keep a special Speaker Review playlist in iTunes of songs that I use to put speakers through their paces. Some are classical, such as Tchaikovsky’s Waltz Of The Flowers and The Imperial March by John Williams (You may know it as Darth Vader’s theme.) Other songs include The Patient by Tool, Elenor Rigby by The Beatles, Forty Mile Town by Eric Johnson, and Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd. (The last is actually my all-time favorite song.) No computer speakers I have ever tested has faired so well with all these songs. Besides high-end home entertainment speakers, and competition car audio systems, I have never heard these songs sound so good, at least coming from computer speakers.

I forgot I was listening to computer speakers after a while when listening to the ProSticks. They do not just a superb job of reproducing music, but a superior job.

Is the computer market ready for true audiophile speakers? I can’t answer that, but I know I am. I am very impressed with the overall sound quality, workmanship, and attention to detail DVForge put into the ProSticks. They may cost more than most computer speakers on the market today, but for a reason. The old term You Get What You Pay For is present no less here than in any other purchase you may make.

While expensive, the ProSticks are well worth the investment if you are a music lover and audiophile. If you think you know the quality of music and sound a computer is capable of rendering without hearing the ProSticks, then you don’t really understand the full capabilities of your computer. Of course, PC users would be wise to invest in a quality sound card before taking the plunge with the ProSticks, but Mac users are all set to go. Plug the ProSticks into your Mac, and let superior sound match the superior computing environment.

DVForge is confident to offer 30-day in-home trial of the ProSticks, so invest with confidence.

Conclusions:
I am a happy camper. Other than the crossover issue mentioned above, I can find nothing negative to say about the ProSticks. But it is barely an issue at all, noticeable only at high volume bass recordings. Gamers will be impressed as well, unless you are looking for a surround sound setup.

MyMac.com Rating: 5 out of 5.