Microlab’s Solo 9C is a substantial speaker at an insubstantial price. So is this a bargain in value terms, or a few compromises too far?
Microlab is a proudly Chinese company, and was among the first to launch its own brand of audio systems internationally, focusing primarily on sub-sat systems for computer audio, but also making portable speakers and multichannel systems. It has a 13-year track record in more hi-fi-orientated speakers as well — audiophiles may prick up their ears at the fact that Danish audio dude Peter Larsen (of Vifa, Scan-Speak and Dynaudio) was Microlab’s chief consultant for six of its earlier years.
Equipment
It’s not clear if Mr Larsen’s tenure extends to this Solo 9C active stereo speaker design, but it is certainly in hi-fi territory and presents an unusual combination of inputs and abilities. It stands out first in size, sporting twin 6.5-inch woofers and an oversized 1.5-inch tweeter on each front baffle, and standing 58cm high. This is bigger than most standmounts but smaller than most floorstanders, so that while the 9Cs looked impressively purposeful on a TV unit flanking a TV, this raised their tweeters far above a sofa listening position. Yet using them as floorstanders left the tweeters too low. Tweeter height does matter, so try to get them at ear-level somehow (we enjoyed their best balance by listening hippy-style sat on the floor in front of them).
These are active speakers, Microlab quoting 70W of power per channel (0.3% THD at 1kHz); the amps are in the right speaker, driving the left through thick well-terminated speaker cables, connected using real binding posts. The inputs are therefore in the right speaker as well — two analogue RCA pairs, but also one each of optical and coaxial digital inputs, and most interestingly an HDMI input and HDMI output. The obvious omissions for a modern world are a USB input for computer and some sort of wireless/Bluetooth link. But this is still a versatile set of connections and especially suitable for using the Solo 9c speakers with a TV system, plus excellent provision of cables in the box — HDMI, two analogue, and a thick optical cable included.
The right speaker has physical controls recessed into its right side — three knobs. The first push-selects to shuttle through the different inputs, abbreviated names appearing on the two-digit red LED display that is on the front of the right-hand speaker. Knobs two and three are for bass and treble, but we didn’t touch these as their use seemed to introduce noise through both speakers — a square-sounding wave around 500Hz. Using the remote control’s bass and treble controls had the same effect. With no EQ, there was no buzz — so there’s an excellent incentive for leaving the EQ flat! Despite putting these four buttons out of bounds, the remote control is still handy for volume, though the up/down controls are on a small four-way ring, the hardest buttons to use, when they should be the easiest.
Performance
Music first, then, from our computer and standalone DAC connected to the analogue inputs, and later via HDMI playing CDs on our Blu-ray player.
The Microlabs handled the dynamic soundtrack to ‘West Side Story’ well, punching out the orchestral stabs while keeping vocals clear and accurately-toned. It’s a recording fairly light on major bass, so we switched next to other end of the scale with The Orb’s ‘Fluffy Little Clouds’, where there was plenty of bass for the driving kick and bass, though the recording’s snappy beats and scintillating snare were tempered somewhat by a slightly soft treble under fire from the burgeoning bass. The Orb’s second track on this CD has high bass content, here lifted to a level which was not thoroughly excessive but unnecessarily intrusive just because of the slight smearing of timing and edges. This track reminded us that you can’t hope for everything at this price — when demanding high-energy transients, there are higher levels of hi-fi speaker and amplifier that can deliver a tighter more airy delivery of this soundscape.
But at a price, as we say. Keeping the 9C in the context of its retail value, this is a size and success of sound which puts many other active speaker offerings to shame. No $250 handheld speaker at this price or higher can possibly compete with the scale of sound here, so if you’re not allergic to speaker size, these are a bargain. They have a far more accurate delivery than the crazy DJ-style monster speakers currently on-fad for the youth market, and they aren’t dosed to the hilt with the digital EQ that so often delivers fake bass woof and tizzy treble.
We plugged our Blu-ray player into the speakers using HDMI in a loop through to the TV. This was an instant success in connection terms, and worked with both LCPM and bitstream output from our Blu-ray player. It proved highly enjoyable sonically for movies, the sizeable bass from the 9Cs supporting the bass content of blockbusters; we enjoyed powerful impact for the dramatic moments on the Blu-ray of ‘Interstellar’, able to push into the early 90dBAs while keeping dialogue audible over the top. Quieter moments showed that the Microlabs are neutral enough to keep vocal tones real and unbloomy, so that dialogue sounds natural and easy to hear, even when an all-enveloping dust storm is banging around Matthew McConaughey’s ute and filling his house with wormhole dust.
You won’t be able to use your TV remote to control volume, of course — instead use the Microlab’s own little remote or your source’s volume control, if it has one. And there’s no ARC support on the HDMI output, so if you do use the Solos for a TV system, you’ll need also to connect a separate analogue or optical output from your TV to amplify audio from your TV’s own tuner or other connected sources. But the Solos do have the inputs to handle that, so these speakers can make a useful TV solution. You might hit sync issues, however — the speakers intercept your HDMI audio before the delay introduced by the video processing in your TV, so you will need either a negative audio sync adjustment feature on your TV (our LG has this) or a positive one on your source (our Blu-ray player has this too). We’re sync freaks, so we couldn’t use this solution without these adjustments being available.
Conclusion
The Solo 9C may miss some of the subtleties of higher-end speakers — of course you could pay a whole lot more and enjoy tighter bass, more sparkling treble and accurate imaging. But these speakers are available at prices as low as $250 — and we’ve heard some simple awful computer audio speaker packages at that price, little sub-sat solutions that are borderline evil in hi-fi terms. Here the physical size and solid design of the Solos lift music and movies far above that, so they’re undeniably high up the value chain if you’re simply unable to push your budget higher. Jez Ford
SPECS
Drivers:38mmtweeter, 165mm woofer
Inputs: Quoted power: 2 x 70W
Quoted harmonic distortion: 0.3% (1W, 1kHz)
Quoted signal/noise ratio: 80dB
Inputs: 2 x RCA analogue in, 1 x optical, 1 x coaxial, 1 x HDMI
Outputs: 2 x speakers, 1 x HDMI
Dimensions: 214 x 575 x 323mm
Weight: 10.9kg each
Warranty: One year