Xbox Hardware & Games

Countless third-party manufacturers have been cranking out custom controllers, cables, and even DVD remotes for Microsoft's Xbox. However, despite all of the hoopla about the X's ability to render live game play in true Dolby Digital 5.1, no one has ever received the green light to produce an official, licensed audio solution for the big, black console.

That all changed with the arrival of Spherex, a division of Canadian audio company API, and their debut product, a complete, powered 5.1 speaker package technically and stylistically designed to complement Bill Gates' ubiquitous Xbox. The five identical Spherex satellite speakers are similar to API's Mirage Omnisat line of products: Spherex has eschewed the Omnisat's PTH tweeter and Titanium Deposit Hybrid woofer, but the final sound tuning was performed by the man who popularized the bipolar speaker himself, Ian Paisley.

These new Omnipolar satellites employ a dispersion technology that projects sound in a nearly 360-degree spread, versus most speakers' limited angles. The Omnipolar effect also utilizes room reflections to enhance the overall realism, approximating the 70/30 ratio of direct/reflected sound as it occurs in nature. You need to place the satellites flat on their backs for proper dispersion, resting them on a tabletop or even mounting them bottom-up on the ceiling. Each satellite is key-way mount-capable and offers a standard quarter-inch threaded insert to accept speaker stands.

All the Right Connections
API is not a hardware manufacturer per se, so the Spherex system's surround sound is the result of several different partnerships: a Texas Instruments DA601 Aureus 32-bit DSP chip for the Dolby Digital/Pro Logic II and DTS decoding, Apogee Technology's Direct Digital Amplification (DDX) high-efficiency amplifier technology that converts digital audio directly into speaker-driving power without an extra digital-to-analog conversion, and (perhaps most notably) Waves Audio Ltd.'s MaxxBass software that works in the sub and sats. MaxxBass "psycho-acoustically" extends the perceived low-frequency response, claiming to enable compact, affordable speaker systems to provide the illusion of 25-hertz output, whereas they would ordinarily have usable output down to only 50 to 60 Hz. Small home theater satellite speakers typically roll off below about 180 to 200 Hz, while the Dolby-specified subwoofer crossover is at 120 Hz maximum. This means that the 120- to 180-Hz frequencies are often lost, but these MaxxBass-enhanced satellites are designed to play all the way down to the critical 120-Hz crossover point.

The brute of this system is the incredibly dense powered sub—emblazoned with the Xbox logo on all sides and topped by an integrated handle with a molded "Xbox"—which also houses the entire system's amplification. During manufacturing, Spherex burns in all amplifiers for 20 minutes to ensure reliability. This hefty black component effortlessly doubles as a stool for those willing to straddle it (anyone see Private Parts?).

In deference to the needs of the next-gen gaming market, the rear panel supplies two digital optical inputs (for both the Xbox and the DTS-ready Sony PlayStation 2), one coaxial input for a traditional DVD player, an analog stereo input for the Nintendo GameCube or any other two-channel source, plus a USB 1.1 port for connection to a PC.

Because You're Sweet Enough
Another major benefit of the Omnipolar technology is dissolution of the traditional "sweet spot" in the home theater, a singular best-seat-in-the-house listening position. Once I set up the system—as simple as any 5.1 kit I've tried—I placed the speakers in a variety of height, width, and depth configurations and noted little difference in the creation of the overall soundfield, as long as I remained within the confines of the five satellites. As this is touted as a gamer's audio system, this freedom is priceless. The hardcore D-Pad crowd has been known to jump out of its collective seat from time to time, and multiplayer competitions can now easily deliver equally realistic audio to two, three, or four combatants.

In addition, this is very "big" audio, which is to say that the not-too-large loudspeakers and subwoofer manage to fill a room with the movies and games they are reproducing. This sonic largesse is derived from a mere 300 watts total RMS, which in my travels has never before been sufficient for medium-sized home theaters. So confident is Spherex of their ability to cover hundreds of square feet that they recently stepped up their included 20-gauge speaker cables (RCA-terminated on both ends) from 23 to 32 feet for the surrounds, with the fronts remaining at 13 feet. You can infer additional self-assurance from the 10-year limited warranty, which is practically unheard of in either the gaming or the consumer electronics realms.

This Means War
In my gaming experience, I appreciate transparency and dynamic range, but they're not nearly as critical as positional audio. I need to be able to identify other players and pick up environmental cues beyond what I see on screen at any given moment, lest virtual "lives" be lost. Of the different Xbox games I demoed with the Spherex system (Halo never disappoints!), Electronic Arts' Medal of Honor: Frontline was one of the best examples of the value of accurate 5.1 reproduction: One of the missions requires you to find your commanding officer on a beachhead in the middle of a raging battle, while waves crash, explosives detonate, and bullets whiz all around. (If this scenario is reminiscent of Saving Private Ryan, remember that Steven Spielberg himself started the Medal of Honor franchise.) Without discrete surround, you'd be lost, quite frankly, and likely soon be "dead" in this interactive war zone. With the Spherex 5.1 system, I was able to locate my C.O. behind me and respond accordingly (I didn't last much longer, but that's just me).

With DVD movies, The Patriot's use of voices and gunshots from specific speakers to create its you-are-there effect was spot-on. The 360-degree environment of Master and Commander, with its more-subtle integration of the 5.1 channels, was rendered with equally nail-biting results. In both cases, bass response was tremendous, and volume was ample. More than once, I caught myself glancing in awe at these mighty, diminutive truncated teardrop speakers. Overall the sound was clean and natural, with low-end punch plus crisp highs.

Music was sufficiently warm, despite the system's small size. I listened to "I.G.Y." from Donald Fagen's The Nightfly in three different formats: standard CD, the low-resolution 5.1 mix from the DVD-Audio, and a compressed Windows Media file. In each case, the nuances were as evident as I've come to expect from each of these versions. The Pro Logic II and five-channel stereo modes made for an enjoyable surround effect with CD and WMA material, but two-channel stereo playback revealed a faint buzzing from the three unused speakers. The subwoofer was always active.

The Future of Gaming Audio
The USB connection allows the speakers to serve as a multimedia audio solution for the PC, and it provides an access point for any firmware or software upgrades that might become available. One feature that Spherex is developing is the ability to stream music from the computer to any room outfitted with their 5.1 system, plus the activation of additional DSP modes. A card slot behind a user-accessible screw-off panel on the rear of the sub can serve as a gateway to easy hardware upgrades. Broadband, anyone. . .?

Highlights
• The most serious audio gear ever designed specifically to accompany a video-game console
• Ready to rock when connected to an Xbox, PlayStation 2, DVD player. . .and more!
• Big, clear sound from funky,