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Energy Sistem HomeSpeaker 8 Lounge speaker – review

Today we are presented with the Energy Sistem HomeSpeaker 8 Lounge Speaker, which is presented as a high-quality sound system at an affordable price. A quality sound system today can serve us for two things in the domestic sphere. The first of them it is usual to have piped music in the office or at home, and today more than ever we listen to much more music thanks to Spotify or connecting our personal library on a USB or a card. Or already using the Bluetooth of the mobile and that more people can use it. Listening to music in the living room has become something intimate, but at the same time social and with which to share moments and tastes with other people.

The second great use that can be given to it is as a speaker for the television screen. One of the collateral damages of the increasingly flat television screens is that its sound gets worse if we don't go to high ranges. You hear less, it has to bounce off the back wall and quality is lost. That's where soundbars have seen their chance to replace traditional speakers. Although the example of this Energy Sistem HomeSpeaker 8.

In this case, it is a centralized sound system model in a single device with several different speakers, so that none of them couple different channels.

We thank Energy Sistem for giving us the product for review.

Unboxing

On the front of the box you can see the intentions of Energy Syistem with its HomeSpeaker 8 Lounge. Simplicity, the option to connect via Bluetooth to, for example, listen to music from our Spotify lists; a power of 60 W, and optical input.

The latter means that it has optical sound input through S/PDIF cable. It is not a widely used audio output in general, since many PC motherboards don't use it and is relegated to dedicated sound cards or high-end motherboards. The same with many televisions. There are also current generation consoles that do not have it, since only Xbox Series X has optical audio output. And that's a shame because it's one of the best ways to get good quality sound because, simply put, there are fewer analogization and digitization methods involved in keeping the sound signal in its digital data state.

The rear already boasts more of the rest of its capabilities, and that it understands that the sound system in the room is part of the decoration and therefore has interchangeable front panels and includes two standard colors. Additional components such as network and sound connection cables via minijack are listed.

The contents of the box are perfectly protected by protective foam. The main box with one of the fronts, the remaining front, and the accessories are perfectly separated.


Speaker Design Energy Sistem HomeSpeaker 8

The main box of the Energy Sistem HomeSpeaker 8 Lounge speaker stands out for its black wood color. from experience we warn that devices of this color and material tend to collect a lot of dust and it shows more than normal, which will require passing a microfiber cloth on a regular basis.

The Energy Sistem HomeSpeaker 8 Lounge Speaker comes with a built-in remote. A streamlined design with a huge power button and navigation buttons for volume up, next/previous track, and a button for moving through folders.

It complies with the simplified design of sound systems by having to adapt to digital formats and media by eliminating the number buttons and focusing on pure and simple navigation.

When we remove the protective front, we find how it handles 5.1 sound. With five different speakers, a large central one, and each side with one for front sounds, and one for rear sounds.

Next to one of the speakers, there is the remote control command receiver

The other interchangeable front is burgundy. It allows to give the room in which it is found a little more color so that everything is not so dark, but it allows to maintain elegance and subtlety so that it does not stand out.

The Energy Sistem HomeSpeaker Lounge 8 Loudspeaker takes into account the visual design of a sound device that will occupy a considerable part of the visual field in the room, where the visitors will be.

At the top is the touch control panel for the Altavox Enegery Sistem HomeSpeaker 8 Lounge. It includes the basic functions of playback together with automatic equalizer, and changing the folder in which a playlist is searched.

Being this a product that goes more to the premium sound at home, some additional detail would have been appreciated such as a screen indicating the name of the file or the metadata of the song, or the type of playback that is, such as alphabetical order or random playback. They are small details that would make this speaker much more than it is.

Based on our experiences, we try to assess the sound quality with a local connection, that is, via USB storage and microSD card or using a separate HD player to get the most out of the sound quality. We imagine that this design decision is made thinking that the most normal thing would be to connect via Bluetooth and use either the mobile or tablet music player, or Spotify, which is how music is consumed the most and podcasts today. It's a use case we understand, but one that sadly leaves a lot of audio quality behind.

In the lower part, there is the output dedicated to the bass, so that they are not coupled to the main sound. Since it is a product of a more considerable size, it uses firm legs instead of rubber bands glued with adhesive, which gives it that firmness before constant movements, preventing dust and dirt from entering from the bottom, and giving a certain sensation of product. premium.


HomeSpeaker 8 Lounge Specifications

  • Speaker with 5 front drivers
  • 60 watts of power
  • 2 interchangeable front grilles of different colors
  • Bluetooth
  • FM radio
  • usb mp3 player
  • 3,5mm jack audio connection.

What is optical or digital audio output and why does it matter?

In various analyzes of speakers or sound devices, you may have noticed that we do not speak very highly of the Bluetooth connection when we want to listen to good quality music. This is that it is a constant that when sound is retransmitted wirelessly, information is lost, no matter how advanced the Bluetooth protocol is, and that it will always be the lowest of the connected devices.

Using files in FLAC format from official sources, and with a cable connection, we will have the best possible sound quality. But this speaker has a port that is put into the most advanced sound devices or systems that will benefit the most from having quality sound. This is the S/PDIF cable, or the optical out cable.

Said in a simple way, digital information is sent without converting it to analog from the source storage to be converted into analog sound by a device with a better sound card. This connection allows sound information to be transmitted without it having been converted to digital and losing quality.

The less sound analogization and digitization processes, the less information and therefore quality is lost.

Now, said in a complicated way, but trying to make it understood. When a sound player reads a digital sound file, be it a .WAV, .MP3, or .FLACM file; In the case of wanting to have a great sound quality, the player collects the digital information of the sound commands that make up the file, processes it through drivers and sends it to the sound card to analogize the digital information. This last step is the most crucial to maintain sound quality, and it goes through the DAC, which stands for “Digital to Analog Converter” (Digital to Analog Converter). The DAC is what is commonly called the sound card of a PC, a music player or the internal components of this Energy Sistem HomeSpeaker 8 Lounge Speaker. It is the part of hardware dedicated to the conversion to analog sound from digital audio.

Virtually all electronic devices that have an audio output, be it analog speakers or jack output, have a built-in sound chip. Various sound chips, despite looking the same, may have differences in processing the same sound information. An example of this is that the Game Boy Advance version of Final Fantasy VI had the soundtrack with many changed touches and was of lower quality despite being port and fans had to release a patch to restore the game's original soundtrack. This is the case with all electronic devices, and it is possible that using the same headphones, if it is played on different electronic devices the same file sounds different, even with an untrained ear.

A better dedicated sound card is what Hi Res players are now offering. It's easy to confuse them with MP3 players since they look so much alike physically. But that is their intention, to make them more attractive to the public and understandable.

Now, applied to this speaker, it can be said that it has a quality DAC. When an optical sound cable is connected to it instead of an analog one, in the transfer from the music playing device and the speaker, no information has been lost because there has been no process of analogization and then one of digitization for another of analogization. The audio has always been kept in digital format so that the digital to analog converter is the only conversion step that has to be done before the sound comes out of the speakers. With this fewer number of steps, you also get a few milliseconds less latency, which, in the case of music games such as Guitar Hero, will not be noticeable, and there will be less chance of noticing lip sync in movies.

Currently, the S/PDIF audio output or optical audio output is relatively unused, at least by home users. There are still PC motherboards or television sound outputs, not monitors, which they have an optical cable outlet that many do not know exists or how it is used. Its cables are not particularly expensive, but many may think that it is just another cable with nothing else or that the usual sound jack cable is enough to have quality sound.

Gallery


Experience and conclusion

Some might think that this loudspeaker it is not comparable to a Home Cinema, but it is impossible to find one in this price range. It is more intended for be the musical center of the room, and it can even be the sound bar of the television in the same room if we find a hole for it. In this case it is a higher quality solution, as long as we choose to use the S/PDIF digital sound cable.

In that case, thinking that it has to be the sound center of an office or living room, we proceeded to do the usual tests. With a little background music, we were able to check the sound quality in local playback. There it was noted a good quality and power of sound and the basses were very well noticed with standard equalization. With the Bluetooth connection, it was not a surprise to notice a certain loss of quality and quite a bit of power, so if you want to play your music from Spotify and have it sound great in an office, you will have to use a direct connection, be it a Raspberry Pi or a laptop. , or to be able to connect your PC via optical cable through the motherboard if it has one.

Local sound quality is very good. Some sound quality and power is lost as soon as you connect via Bluetooth.

If what we want to have is a musical thread and without thinking and we cannot connect it to play Spotify, to the delight of many, has integrated radio. It is a small addition that is appreciated because many sound and mobile devices ignore the radio although they are still strong, and they have quite a few new followers thanks to new personalities that have joined them from the spheres of YouTube or podcasts.

At the functionality level, small details such as a music information display are missing that we listen to in local playback, which would also allow navigation to choose the songs manually. But this model focuses more on having a musical thread, and in almost all cases, a lot of music is going to be sent from the mobile through a cable connection or used through local random playback. This is why it uses a remote control, as it is intended for random playlists. But as much as we have written this, it is not a problem that we believe can be decisive except in a few very rare use cases.

The fact that it allows you to change the front panel for one of another color is nice. He understands that every device is part of the decoration of the room and therefore designs are sought that fit in shape and color in different rooms. If that, a different front is missing and more colorful, given that having only burgundy or black as an outlet makes it visually less fitting in more youthful or light rooms.

Another of the negative points is that although its configuration and connection is easy, at least in our case, when it was disconnected from the network, always required reconfiguring the connection Bluetooth. It is a bit inconvenient if we depend on this wireless connection if we choose to have our Spotify list with piped music or podcasts.

We can conclude that with this price range, the Energy System Home Speaker 8 Lounge speaker It is a very successful product to be what is proposed: the living room speaker for those who want a certain sound quality. As a speaker for a flat television when speakers or sound bars are needed every time to avoid losing sound quality, especially when watching movies, it would be a good option to put it just below the television unless it is very small and therefore need Find a dedicated space for it. But as a music player for your piped music on those quiet afternoons, or as an accompaniment while you do your homework. fulfills its function with honors.

  • Integrated radio.
  • Lots of audio power with very good quality.
  • Many connectivity options, especially S/PDIF sound input to avoid loss of sound quality.
  • Interchangeable and easy to change front panels.
  • Includes remote control.
  • It requires having it always connected to the electrical network and Bluetooth.
  • It will not satisfy those looking for a Home Cinema system.
  • Connected via Bluetooth it does not have as much sound power, but this is something common in any connection via Bluetooth.

The Energy System HomeSpeaker 8 Lounge loudspeaker manages to unite an ideal design for the living room or office, with quality and an affordable price.

Integrated
Benefits
Value for money

A good simple and easy to use design, for good sound quality.

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Benjamin Rosa

Madrileño whose publishing career began in 2009. I love investigating curiosities that I later bring to you, readers, in articles. I studied photography, a skill that I use to create humorous photomontages.

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