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published: 10/11/2006 last updated: 10/11/2006 Home theater systems are one of my favorite pieces of geek gear next to a computer. Combine the two by using a home theater speakers and amp with a computer via S/PDIF to take advantage of Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound and I am in geek heaven. W00t! Couple a media center computer with a sweet surround sound system and a TV tuner card and you have an awesome home theater rig. If you are looking for great sound at a price that won't make you pass out read on.

Features of the SLS Audio Q-Line Silver Home Theater in a Box

What's in the Box

The SLS Audio Q-Line Silver Home Theater in a Box comes with everything you need to set up your home theater or media center PC save the TV, PC and DVD player. Included are the four requisite satellite speakers, the center channel speakers and a massive 8" subwoofer inside its own enclosure. The AMP is included and has a wealth of inputs and outputs including S/PDIF for optical input making the use of Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound possible. However, it is lacking S-Video inputs which may or may not be an issue for you.

Satellite Speakers & Center Speaker

The satellite speakers are large and well built, each measuring in at 15" tall by 4.5" wide by 4.7" deep. You have several options for fitting the table top speaker stands to the speakers. You can use the stands for the speakers to mount them vertically or horizontally. There are also wall mount tabs built-in so you can mount all five speakers to the wall if you so desire.

Each of the two-way, closed box, magnetically shielded satellites uses a 2x4" polycomposite cone woofer and a 1.25" ribbon tweeter. The frequency range for the speakers is 80Hz - 40kHz. Sensitivity is 86 dB and impedence is 6 ohms. Maximum power handling for the speakers is 100w.

Subwoofer

The sub that goes with the SLS Audio Q-Line Silver is an 8" optimized long-throw design utilizing a paper composite cone and rubber surround. SLS uses an active sub with a ported cabinet design for deep bass. Power handling for the sub is 100W RMS and the frequency range is 28 Hz to 100Hz. The sub has its own volume control as well as its own power switch.

Large is a good word to describe the sub in this system, it measures in at 9.6" x 17" x 19.5" and weighs 33 pounds. You can set the sub to either always on or for automatic on. With auto on the sub only comes on at higher volume levels. Personally I preferred just turning the sub on and controlling the bass levels with the sub's built in volume knob.

Amplifier Specifications

The amp has a long list of specifications that you can find at the end of this review under the area with links to buy your own Q-Line Silver. In a nut shell, the amp has both optical and analog inputs. It can decode Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Pro Logic, DTS Surround Sound and Dolby Pro Logic II with different Pro Logic II modes.

The modes the amp can do for Pro Logit II are Movie, Music, Matrix and custom. The amp is also capable representing different dimensional sound fields such as matrix, theater, hall, stadium and church. Teh delay time can be adjusted as well so users not having the ideal room shape or set up can still get great sound.

Q-Line Silver Home Theater in Use

Set-up

If you have ever set up or installed a home theater system, you know that installation can be a difficult proposition. Thankfully, setting up the Q-Line silver isn't complicated or difficult. The manual is very well written, if you are the manual reading type. If you are more of the unbox it and hook it up type like I am, you will be glad to hear that all the inputs and speaker outputs for the system are well labeled.

Everything is easy to find and intuitively positioned, so much so that I had the system completely connected to my test computer in about 20 minutes counting unboxing the beast. The stands attach to the satellites without the need for tools and when installed are secure. You won't have to worry about the speakers falling off of the stands, even though they don't secure with screws or fasteners of any type.

I choose to set my review unit up with my test computer with the following specs utilizing S/PDIF digital out:

• CPU: Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800
• Mainboard: Abit AW9D-Max
• RAM: 4GB DDR2 PC2-8000
• Sound: Onboard Realtek HD Audio w S/PDIF out

The SLS Audio Q-Line Silver does include the speaker wire as well as some RCA cables. However, it does not include a Toslink optical cable. Set using the RCA cables will be a bit more involved and if you are including a DVD player, DVD writer or cable box you will have to make a few more connections as well.

Since I am using the SLS Q-Line Silver system with my media center computer all I had to do was plug in the one Toslink cable from the S/PDIF out on my PC to the S/PDIF in on the amp and I was enjoying 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound. Connecting the speakers was a bit more involved, but not difficulty by any means.

While speaker wire of good quality is included with the Q-Line silver, I used wire from Monster Wire because it was already ran in my test room. Plugging the wires in was as simple as pressing the spring loaded retainers down and slipping the wire connectors into the clips.

Movie Watching, Gaming and Radio Listening

After connecting the SLS Audio Q-Line Silver to my computer and attaching the speaker wires, I was ready to start the usage tests. I watched two of my favorite movies while testing the Silver, Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring and Underworld Evolution. I am a big fan of deep bass that cannot only be heard, but bass that can be felt as well.

The massive sub SLS includes with the Q-Line Silver brings some of the deepest bass that I have heard in a long time to my movies. I am talking about the kind of bass that fills the room and reverberates in your chest. The type of bass that allows you to feel the movie like you are part of the scene not merely standing on the sidelines watching. It was great!

For instance in the scene in LOTR where fireworks are going off, you get the same sort of visceral feeling from the explosions you get sitting front row at a big Fourth of July fireworks show. To me deep bass of this type makes or breaks a home theater system, and SLS is certainly in the make category.

For all the bass the SLS Audio Q-Line Silver delivers, the mids and highs are not ignored. Even during the most bass heavy parts of the movies I watched, the voices and surround sound tracks were clear and easy to hear. Never once was the voice track drowned out by bass or other sounds.

Gaming on the SLS Audio Q-Line Silver was equally impressive. Many of the newest games that are out now utilize Dolby Digital Surround Sound, I played some Condemned: Criminal Origins and lots of the new Battlefield 2142 demo. In Condemned, the creepy ambience of the game environments were highlighted by the crisp and clear audio delivered by the Silver.

Much like the movie playback, the bass was deep and strong, while the voices and other effects were still clear and easy to discern. As much fun as I had with Condemned, the SLS Audio Q-Line Silver was in its element with BF 2142. Use the SLS Audio Q-Line Silver in a game like BF 2142 and you are greeted with the best sounding gaming speaker system I have had the pleasure to use.

The deep bass brought much more immersion to the game play than I am accustomed to with my current reference Klipsch Pro Media Ultra 5.1 system. In addition to low end sounds, the mids and highs were again sharp and clear. Voices were intelligible, even with explosions and gun shots going off literally all around me. Gaming with the SLS Audio Q-Line Silver was simply top notch and the best aural experience I have had on a PC.

The SLS Audio Q-Line Silver also includes an integrated AM/FM receiver as well. Using the included FM antennae I tuned in to several local radio stations. Music on the Q-Line Silver is first rate. SLS has really produced a top notch all around performer with the SLS Audio Q-Line Silver. Again the bass was deep and satisfying, and the vocals were clear and life like.

When I played CDs on the Silver I could hear things in my music I had never heard before such as the scraping of the fingers over the strings from the lead guitarist, the little gasp as the lead singer takes in a breath. It was almost like listening to a different band. Engrossing is the perfect word to describe it.

Verdict

I have become engrossed by the SLS Audio Q-Line Silver during my time with it. Sure you can get better performing home theater systems, but you won't get them for anywhere near the price SLS sells the Q-Line Silver for. The SLS Audio Q-Line Silver is an obscenely good deal, you can buy it direct from SLS Audio for $799. For the aural pleasure and all around performance you will get from the Silver, that price can't be beat. Your friends will think you have gone crazy and spent thousands on a home theater, trust me the Jones' will be trying to keep up with you after they hear this system.