Genius SW-G2.1 1250 review

This compact 2.1 speaker system from Genius looks like something we'd have wanted in our room when we about thirteen, with shiny metallic red cones and gloss black cases. As well as two satellites, there's a chunky square subwoofer and a powered amplifier that feeds all three speakers. There's no way to switch between the standard and auxiliary inputs - when you plug something in to the 3.5mm aux input at the back, it immediate takes over from the main stereo phono inputs.

The system chucks out plenty of sound at full whack but doesn't perform well at less than half volume - mid-tones are lost if you reduce it much below half way. Sound quality is rather harsh, with a tearing edge to some high sounds. Increasing bass volume helps to soften the overall sound, but it lacks subtlety, so you get a flat thud rather than the reverberating slap of drum skins. The speakers are usable for music; just don't expect them to reproduce every subtle detail of your favourite Pink Floyd album.

In fairness, the set is designed for gaming. If your main priority is booming explosions, they do a perfectly decent job, and their positional audio is pretty good, making it fairly easy to hear someone coming up on your left or right. The 1250s' price is appealing, but the Logitech X-230 2.1 set costs less and sounds much richer.