The Genius SP-HF2020 wooden speakers

Tired of flat-boring sound from a TV? Genius brings all serious listeners a new set of speakers, SP-HF2020, to experience magnificent sound. The Genius SP-HF2020 wooden speakers are tall and good-looking speakers, with exposed tweeters and woofers and a warm, solid sound. When it comes to volume and power, they can get shockingly loud without experiencing distortion, and their only true downfall is the dinky remote that’s included.
At a Glance
Good features: powerful, strong sound, good price
Bad feature: tiny remote
Specifications:
• RMS: 60 watts
• S/N Ratio: 85 dB
• Frequency response: 50Hz to 20kHz
• Inputs: Digital coax, two analog
• EQs: 3
It Looks as
The SP-HF2020 speakers are stylish in a retro sort of way. They eschew the commonly found rounded edges and curves for straightforward wooden rectangles. Although the pair pictured here has a brown wooden look, the pair I reviewed was painted completely black. They featured silver accents and small blue LED indicator lights on the bottom. As mentioned, there are no grilles on these, so these probably aren’t the best speakers for locations easily accessible by children. The SP-HF2020 speakers measure 16 inches tall by 4.5 inches wide by 5.5 inches diameter, so they’re wicked tall for computer desktop speakers. They would look attractive and would work well next to a TV for a home theater or gaming system.
Performance
I was quite pleased with the results of the SP-HF2020, especially considering the price point. The sound was warm at low volume levels and did not distort very much at the peak volumes. Of course, what you listen to will affect what you're hearing, so bass-heavy lovers are always more likely to hear that buzz and fuzz when they're blasting their speakers. I used what I always use to test speakers - the "Open Your Ears" Head-Fi and HDTracks album that was created to help test headphones. I also played some current favorite Jackie Greene songs.
But even when I cranked Jackie Greene's "I'm so gone" at peak volume, there was no distortion. Instead, there was room-shaking, wall-thundering sound. Sure, some of the highs were a bit muddled, but overall you're getting tremendous sound for a 2.0 system that's under the $150 price mark.
Remote
The only complaint I have with the Genius SP-HF2020 speakers is its paltry plastic remote that looks like it came out of a cereal box. Its obvious Genius was going for portable when it designed the thing -- the six-button remote measures less than 3.5 inches long by 1.5 inches wide by 0.5 inch thick. Frankly, it's just begging to get lost and really detracts from the speakers' otherwise cool design.
The Bottom Line
Dinky remote aside, you’re getting great sound for a $129 MSRP and a 2.0 system. Just make sure you have enough space for these speakers -- they may not be the best choice for a small desk. And don’t lose that remote!