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Dell XPS 420

Author	Edward Chester
Published	11th Jan 2008
Manufacturer	Dell
Manufacturer	Dell
Price	£101.05
Latest Price	Click here

Sound Quality
Design
Value
Overall

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Normally we include in the main body of a PC review a section about the speakers that come with it, if there are any. However, the ones that we got with the XPS 420 aren't actually available as an option with the 420, even though you can get them separately on the Dell website. So, we've tacked on this short separate review of the set instead.

Oops! The remote is actually the Media Center one that ships with the PC and not part of the speaker set.

Coming in at £101.05, the WL6000s are fairly cheap for a 5.1 set and, considering they sound pretty decent and include wireless rear speakers, they aren't bad value either.

I say speakers, the rear channels are actually incorporated into one unit (the large, wide one), which houses the speakers, a wireless receiver, and amplifier. Of course, wireless power has yet to be perfected so the rear set still requires a power adapter. However, for the space conscious this simple solution saves most of the hassle of a surround set.

To compensate for their narrow placement, the two speakers are angled outwards to utilise the acoustics of the room to fill out the rear soundstage. The effect is quite satisfying though you obviously don't get the kind of special placement you'd get from a properly positioned separate set.

Also the center speaker is meant for connecting to the underside of Dell monitors - which explains the strange clip on its top - but does have a universal attachment so it can be used with any monitor. Unfortunately all said attachment consists of is a flat plate to replace the clip, to neaten it up, and there seems to be no sensible way of resting it atop or under a normal monitor. I gave up in the end and used sellotape. So, it's probably a safe bet to only go for this set if you have a matching Dell monitor.

Overall the set excelled, all things considered, when watching films and playing games and it was only the music performance that let things down a bit. This is due to the noticeable separation of the low frequencies coming from the subwoofer and the upper frequencies coming from the satellite speakers. The hole that's left in the middle makes music sound rather hollow.

Verdict

Dell's WL6000 are a good compromise between sound quality, ease of use, and price and would perfectly complement any Dell monitor quipped multimedia PC.