MidiLand S4 8200 5.1 Speakers

Functionality
From the remote control to the ADS 2000, this package was well made and well thought out. The remote control, even when sitting right at your computer, is great when that nagging phone rings. MidiLand used standard speaker wire to connect the satellites to the amplifier, which is just as it should be, leaving the user the choice of wire lengths. Wire lengths were adequate; there were 3-10' lengths for the front speakers and 2-16' foot lengths for the rears. For those of you using this in a living room, you will probably want to go buy a roll of decent gauged wire, since 16' length is probably not enough. Some criticize speaker manufacturers for this, but let's be realistic - MidiLand, or any other company for that matter, do not keep the schematics for your living room on file :)

Inputs are plenty here. You have three choices in all: Digital SPDIF, Optical, and Analog RCA. The analog RCA in is a single L/R input. The ADS2000 will auto detect which input you are using. One thing was a little bit of an annoyance was that you can only have one digital input plugged in at the same time. You can have them both physically plugged in, but it will only use the digital sp/dif if the optical is plugged in at the same time. The ADS2000 also features four outputs, Line, Surround, Center, Subwoofer. Handy for hooking the decoder into other systems. Included on the rear of the subwoofer are the main volume controls for the system, which you may as well just turn almost right up, and control from the ADS2000.

Conclusion
MidiLand did a fantastic job on this 5.1 solution, from its metallic looking casing to the high quality audio that it reproduces. It's a 5.1 solution that will be hard to beat. The price is hard to beat as well, which can be found as low as US$292. It's priced very reasonably for what you get. Although Cambridge SoundWorks 2500's are cheaper, these don't pack anywhere near the same punch as the S4 8200's do, and don't have a remote control. If you are in the market for a set of 5.1 speakers, you should really take a look at these metallic gems.

For attention to detail, features galore, competitive price, and bass that packs an incredible punch, we award the MidiLand S4 8200's with the Gold Medal Award.