The Epraizer is born and bred in Singapore by X3 resources, which is still
a relatively young company here. Its headquarter is based in Singapore and has
been expanding quickly into Asian regions, as well as the USA and Australia.
If you check out their web site, you can see that they have a line-up of products
that carry the Epraizer series, from CD-ROM drives to bare bone systems.

The Epraizer Acousta 2.1 speaker system which we received was a low-cost budget
speaker system that comes with a subwoofer system, much like the Creative PC
Works. I must say that we were proud to get the chance to preview this set of
speakers as it is not released to the consumer market yet.

The Epraizer Acousta speakers come in plain white plastic casings that resembles
a lot like the Creative PC Works. The satellites and subwoofer cases were made
from sturdy plastic moldings. The entire set of speakers were quite light since
plastic is always lighter than wood. If you plan to purchase this, you would
probably not need to worry about how to transport it home.

The Epraizer Acousta 2.1 Speaker System in all its glory.

Unlike most low cost 2.1 speaker systems, the Epraizer comes with an additional
control panel that lets you adjust volume and bass. This gives the user a lot
more convenience and control over the way they listen to music. Most bass control
is located on the subwoofer, but Epraizer chose to put it on the external control
panel which makes it a lot more convenient. I personally hate to bend down and
adjust the bass on the subwoofer everytime I play a different type of music,
but users would need not do that with the Epraizer. It was good that they designed
the bass adjustment on the external control panel.

With an external control panel, you would also have more freedom with the placement
of your satellite speakers. Most 2.1 speaker systems have their volume controls
located on either one of the satellites and this make it extremely troublesome
to adjust the speaker volume if it was placed too far away. Because of this,
users would not be able to place their speakers far apart. If the speakers are
too close to each other, this will definitely create a monoural effect. However,
with the Epraizer, you can split the speakers as far apart as the speaker cables
would allow, and yet retain the volume controls within reach.

The Epraizer Console.

I tested the speakers with the Pod Race scene from The Phantom Menace. It didn't
take me long to find out that the speakers were not exactly suited for watching
movies, especially when a lot of sound effects were involved. Sebulba's engine
didn't sound as deep as it should be, but sounded shallow like a scooter. I
tried to increase the bass but it didn't help as the bass started to distort
even when I was only half-way through the bass adjustment. However, I soon realised
that I was expecting its quality to sound like the recently reviewed MidiLand
8200, and it was not fair that I judge it that way. When I look back at speakers
with similar price range, the Epraizer's bass was not that bad after all. In
fact, when the speakers wer tested in an enclosed area, like your bedroom, bass
reproduction sounded a little better. This simply means that if you intend to
use the Epraizer in a large room, the audio reproduction would probably sound
flat.

Listening to jazz, the speakers performed fairly well. The instruments played
back on the Epraizer was acceptable however, it could do better with a little
bit more clarity. Vocal reproduction was also acceptable although at times,
the music reproduction sounded a little metallic and ear-piercing. It was more
obvious with poorly encoded MP3 audio.

The quality and build of the speakers will probably not be something which
you would gloat over. The design is plain and simple. You would probably pass
it off as just another one of those 2.1 speaker system. In addition, the speaker
cables are not detachable and they come attached to the satellite and subwoofer
units. This simply means that there is absolutely no way to change the speaker
cables, should you wish to improve the sound quality with better cables. Of
course, you can always open the speaker cabinets to do some re-wiring, but that
would be a lot of work.

The Epraizer Acousta 2.1 speaker system is a low budget solution for users
seeking a 2.1 speaker sound system. Its audio output quality is somewhat hampered
by its shallow bass and sharp treble. However, if you compare it with speakers
within the similar price range, the Epraizer is probably way up there with other
well-known speakers like Creative's PC Works. The extra control panel bundled
with the speaker system makes it an attractive addition as it offers convenience
to users with a single console where bass and volume adjustments can be made.
If you're on a tight budget, the Epraizer Acousta is definitely worth the consideration.