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Today we are looking at a set of speakers from KWorld, called the Classic C40. While the name of the company might be new to many readers, they are handmade and feature a wood enclosure. When the company contacted us they were brimming with enthusiasm, so we decided to test them in a variety of situations.
The Classic C40 speakers are a traditional 2:1 configuration: comprising two satellites and a subwoofer. The price point is very competitive, retailing for only £35 inc vat.
KWorld are keen to point out that the speakers are built from wood materials, by real people, not inside robotic factories.
Specifications:
| Configuration | 2.1 subwoofer system |
| Total Power | 40 Watts RMS Satellite RMS Power /ea: 8 Watts RMS Subwoofer RMS Power: 24 Watts RM |
| Driver | Satellite : Two 3″ full-range speaker drivers Subwoofer : 4″ subwoofer driver |
| Frequency Response | 50Hz -20KHz |
| Signal to Noise Ratio(SNR) | 80dB |
| Signal to Noise Ratio(SNR) | Satellite: 112 mm (W) x 135 mm (D) x 180 mm (H) Subwoofer: 250 mm (W) x 275 mm (D) x 150 mm (H) |
| System Requirements : | An audio output port for plugging 3.5mm cable |
The Classic C40 Speakers arrive in a large colourful box with an image of the product on the front, with specifications listed below.
Inside, the speakers are shipped inside protective covers which are surrounded by durable polystyrene blocks. Surprisingly there is no literature at all in the box (not even a single page of information), just a simple audio cable to connect to a computer.
The satellite speakers are created from wood materials, with a piano black style plastic front panel. This lends the design a ‘high tech' style appearance, but it is sadly a finger print magnet. There is also a two pronged metal section which protrudes from the speaker and rests in front of the main cone.
The speakers don't feel very substantial, they weigh very little and measure 112 mm (W) x 135 mm (D) x 180 mm (H).
This is an unusual looking design and when viewed from the side we can see the metal cone shaped bracket ‘spikes' into the area in front of the driver.
KWorld are calling this the ‘unique physical equaliser design', but there is very little information regarding their theory online, and as the box has no literature at all, we are left with a single image. According to this diagram on their website, it appears that the floating metal cone helps to separate the sound field, rather than simply allowing it to transmit directly forwards. For such a small speaker design it might help to create a larger sound stage.
The subwoofer is much larger than the satellite speakers, measuring 250 mm (W) x 275 mm (D) x 150 mm (H).
The product is built around wooden panels on all corners, with a plastic piano black style fascia at the front. There are three control knobs at the front, for volume, bass and treble. The name of the product is printed in white at the top right corner of the front panel. In a similar manner to the satellite speakers, this black front panel attracts dust and finger prints very easily.
The open port at the front is shaped like a human eye. KWorld have also opted for a backwards firing driver.
According to another image on their website, this ‘reverse' flow cone design will improve bass response. Proof is in the testing however, so we will look into this later in the review.
Like many computer speaker systems, the subwoofer not only supplies the bass frequencies, but it also acts as the control dock. The rear has a power switch, connections for both speakers, and a line in from a computer or other source.
Connecting the speakers is straightforward, which is just as well as KWorld supply no literature at all in the box. Simply hook each satellite into the subwoofer, connect the audio cable to the computer and finally, the power cable to a plug socket.
While aesthetics are very much a personal choice we don't think the speakers really look that impressive. To be fair, with a retail price of £35 compromises have had to be made.
I have to admit, when I am listening to music, I rarely use the onboard sound on any motherboard, preferring to opt for a dedicated audiophile grade solution when possible.
Today we are using the Asus Xonar Essence STX sound card which is designed to fit into a PCI Express slot. The card is supplied in a rather fetching box with an oriental style image on the front, with the name of the product and the catchline, targeting the ‘audiophile' audience.
We used this sound card back in March in our Corsair SP2500 2.1 review and it really did transform the overall quality of sound.
The box is a stunning gatefold design which allows a customer to see the product behind the safety of a sealed plastic window. There are various specifications listed on either side.
The bundle is impressive, containing several adapters, cables, and literature on the product, including a detailed analysis manual.
The Essence is a strikingly designed product, with a grounded metal cover shielding the analog output circuitry. The anodised black shield has the same Chinese Tiger painted in gold on top and this acts as a Faraday shield, helping to prevent RF interference across the analog signal output.
The card has a variety of jacks, all of which are gold plated. There are right and left analog line outputs with a headphone output on a 6.35mm stereo phone jack.
Below that another stereo jack serves as both the line and microphone inputs and they are selectable via the Xonar Audio Center software.
At the bottom of the card is an RCA jack which offers a standard S/PDIF digital output capable of running at sample rates up to 192kHz. An optical S/PDIF driver is placed at the interior end of the port so that a Toslink cable can also be used with an adapter.
The card requires a molex connector to receive the necessary power. At the bottom of the PCB is the analog input circuitry which is based around a pair of R4580 low noise dual op amp chips, as well as a pair of 5532 dual op amps. This feeds into a Cirrus Logic CS5381, which is a 24 bit A/D converter chip capable of operating at sample rates up to 192kHz with a S/N ratio of 110dB. Asus have also focused on ‘Hyper Grounding' which minimises the noise which can degrade the ultimate sound quality.
At the bottom right of the card are two LSI chips which handle all the audio data processing (they are branded with the ASUS name). The card can handle Dolby Digital decoding, Dolby Headphone and Dolby Virtual Speaker processing as well as Dolby Pro Logic II. There is also support for reverb and equaliser functionality in software.
Next to this is a power supply area which features multiple voltage regulator chips and a nice array of high grade Nichicon Fine Gold electrolytic capacitors as well as two purple Sanyo OsCon caps.
Asus are using the excellent Burr Brown PCM 1792 24 bit D/A converter – this sits to the left of the supply section and is adjacent to a vertical metal shielding strip. The headphone driver is a Texas Instruments TPA6120A2 chip which is a current feedback design capable of sourcing 80mWpc into 600 ohms with low levels of distortion.
The line level output stage is based around a pair of JRC 2114D dual op amp chips with a pairing of National LM 4562 dual op amps.
When reviewing a £35 set of speakers, we really do need to keep our expectations realistic. People who are looking in this specific price range will be more tolerant of weaknesses. If I start to compare these against other products in the £200+ price sector then it ends up a futile process.
Initial audio impressions were certainly more positive than when I first took them out of the box during the photography stage – while the appearance is rather rough in places and perfectly indicative of a product in a lower price bracket, the lashings of floor shaking bass caught me by total surprise.
We played a wide cross section of compressed music through the speakers to judge the overall balance and performance. A 256kbit rip of MatchBox 20's ‘Back To Good' delivered a sizable amount of bass which was initially a little bit of a shock. I realised that the bass knob was set to maximum, so I set it to just past half way.
The overall audio quality was fairly impressive, although I couldn't remove a certain level of sibilance which was clearly apparent, particularly after listening to the Corsair SP2500 speakers. These are are in a much higher price bracket, so some time was necessary for adjustment.
Next, we listened to several tracks from the self entitled Alias album from the late 80's. Alias were a musically competent Canadian rock band formed from ex members of Sheriff and Heart. The tracks ‘Say What I Wanna Say' and ‘After All The Love Is Gone' were able to resolve a substantial level of bass and wide open sound staging, although when we pushed the volume higher there was audible clipping and distortion from both satellites and subwoofer. To be fair however, the volume level was rather high before this happened, and certainly enough to cause concerns for people in another room. Ideal for a small or medium sized bedroom, but lacking a little dynamic power within a larger living room.
We tested with some audiophile grade recordings, such as Vivaldi’s Concertos for Two Violins, with Viktoria Mullova and Giullano Carmignola. This recording was less impressive as the sound staging and dynamic range seemed slightly disjointed, failing to deliver an emotional connection between the listener and the musicians. Again, there are very few computer based speaker systems able to deliver a wonderful experience with some of these recordings, although the Corsair SP 2500 remain currently at the top of the pile.
We also tested with the 20 bit remastered version of Jean Michel Jarre's Oxygene 8 and the bass depth forced the table underneath to vibrate. Unfortunately, unless the bass control is dialed down a little, the subwoofer will lose composure and focus. Bass freaks among you will certainly find this more appealing than a reverse situation, because you obviously can't add bass that isn't there in the first place. Generally, the sound was slightly compressed when compared to a more expensive product, but the budget oriented audience would be more than satisfied.
We played some bluray movies such as Taken and Avatar and they worked fairly well through the speakers. Compared with our Razer Mako speakers they did sound slightly flat in the complex passages, but generally the subwoofer helped to produce a bigger than life sound. Vocals were clear and while we could detect a little sibilance in the upper frequencies, the overall presentation was not lacking.
Testing the C40 with games was a favourable experience. Titles such as Crysis Warhead, BioShock 2, Home Front and Left4Dead2 all sounded great through the speakers, with the hyper bass helping to create a bigger than life atmosphere. Racing games such as Hot Pursuit were equally entertaining.
It is clear that what the C40 speaker system lacks in refinement and ultimate power, it makes up for with bass response and a willingness to create a large soundstage. If you are looking at these for classical music playback then they will not be a suitable partner, but for those people wanting powerful bass for rock or dance music, then at the price, they will be hard to beat.
To get the cost into some kind of real world perspective, I recently spent more on a quality in-ear set of headphones for my MP3 player.
The KWorld Classic C40 computer speakers are an ideal purchase for an enthusiast user who is in the market for a high bass impact sound system for rock or dance music, they are also very good for gaming. The main talking point however is the scrooge like £35 asking price.
When placed in front of the ears of a discerning audiophile, the Classic C40 speakers lack refinement, and at high volumes they run out of steam and can distort and compress the audio range a little. With classical music and complex instrumental compositions they suffer from a lack of focus and will struggle to accurately position a variety of instruments within a complex sound stage.
Negatives aside however, there are many redeeming features for a potential owner.
I can honestly say that I haven't heard a pair of speakers at this price point delivering such a wall of sound, able to encompass rich bass at low volumes. Frequently in the budget sector speakers will sound flat, ‘thin' and will skip across the surface of lower frequencies. A narrow, lifeless veil of sound is often all that is left.
The Classic C40 speakers have clearly been designed to rectify this issue in the under £50 market place. They are easily capable of filling a modest sized room while producing a warm, rich audio experience for gamers and rock lovers. They are not perfect, but for £35 inc vat, I find them really hard to fault.
If they cost £70-£100 then they would face stiffer competition, but as it stands, for £35 we can certainly recommend the C40 speakers. They offer a fantastic ratio of bang for the buck.
You can buy them here.
Pros:
- price point is fantastic.
- they look more expensive than they are.
- bass response is class leading in the under £50 sector.
- bass and treble adjustments are extensive.
- They work hard to create a ‘big sound'.
- Colourful and energetic.
Cons:
- not a sophisticated sound.
- won't fill a big room.
- unusual appearance won't appeal to everyone.
- not great for complex orchestral or classical music.
- no control pod, meaning subwoofer needs to be close at hand.
Kitguru says: If you are tired of feeble speakers with weak bass and don't have much money then this setup might just hit the spot.
I spent more for dinner last night. as you say hard to pick holes in them, even though they aren’t perfect.
£35 with a sub? is that a joke?
Never heard of this make and their website is hideous, but I trust your reviews. Seems like a bargain imo
My guess the metal cone is to directionally disperse the high-frequency sound, which tends to propagate in a single direction. This is as opposed to the lower end of the spectrum, which tends to be pretty much omni-directional. This would probably mean that you would get a better balance of high and low if your listening position is “off-axis”.
They look weird, but they seem to work. For people with very little money and those wanting something very bass heavy,. seem a good enough purchase