Usher S-520 Bookshelf Speakers
Usher S-520 Bookshelf Speakers
USER REVIEWS
[Apr 20, 2012]
Gavin Sherlock
AudioPhile
Strengths
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[Jan 12, 2012]
Alexander Hughes
Audio Enthusiast
I heard these at a friends and could not believe there small size for the sound I was hearing.
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[Jan 13, 2009]
Stliong
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Realistic imaging of instruments and vocals if positioned correctly with the right equipments. Unmatched cabinet and built quality at the price.
Weakness:
Vocals sound thin at the upper midrange. Inefficient means need a real powerful amp. Not good with bright equipments. Highs need more sparkle. Bass isn't deep nor tight enough. Honestly, I bought this new based on the glowing reviews and found that it may not be up to my taste. The S-520 certainly has strong positives such as realistic imaging and clarity especially with solo instruments, but the brass needs more sparkle to sound realistic. The vocal also sound a bit thin unless it is paired with a real full sounding set of equipments. So it's a very focused speaker that can do most things at an acceptable level but to be as good as what the reviews said you need to pair these with some serious high end equipments and even then they'll sound excellent with certain types of music only. In the end you'll end up with a much more expensive amp and player than the speakers themselves. If I had to go back, I'd go straight to the PSB Alpha B1 that's much more flexible and has way better midrange. Though the highs on the Usher seems a bit more transparent. Customer Service Haven't had any need yet Similar Products Used: Pretty much all bookshelves from well known manufacturers. |
[Oct 16, 2008]
jlehto
AudioPhile
Strength:
good bass, smooth highs, compact, great build quality and these speakers are just a whole bunch of fun to jam out loud to.
Weakness:
lack of ambiant sound almost bad for classical music, It's as if these speakers are cut short from being able to capture a concert hall. I bought these speakers off ebay more less for something to do. I have a pair of B&W cdm2 speakers I like. along with a pair energy 2.1e speakers I use sometimes just for something different to listen to. I mostly use the speakers for mixing and listening to mastered tracks that I recrcord with my home studio set up.
Similar Products Used: sonus faber, b&w, canton, energy, paradigm, boston a., wharfadale, aad, kef, psb |
[Sep 19, 2007]
Derrick
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
-low price
Weakness:
-not very many local dealers carry them
The speakers are one of the best sounding speakers in the price range of 400 dollars or less. Currently, they sell for 400 dollars so I have no idea why the reviewer above stated them as expensive. There are numerous brands in the audio world that cost twice as much and do not look or perform on par with the Usher S-520. First, they look fantastic in glass black but are available in red, yellow, white and light-oak. You will not find too many high gloss finish in the $400 range. I love the smaller size and the non obtrusive look. Also, they blend in well with my black Samsung LCD and black racks.
Similar Products Used: -B&W 600/601/602 S3
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[Jan 12, 2007]
Simoni Champ
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Fantastic build, looks good, sounds great with little change to quality as volume rises Mine is finnished in Birch. super mid and treble even for my untrained hears. good choice for entry level monitor speakers
Weakness:
A little expensive and yes as previous reviewer stated they can lack a little bass on certain music. oh sub does help. (bass is still very honest all the same) shame more shops dont take on this little beauty of a speaker. Firstly i must say that i am no expert.... For sum time now i had been searching on line mainly for suitable book shelf sized speakers. B&W DM601 -602, kef Q Tannoy and so on were looked at. Due to fear of buying blind i visited my local Hi Fi specialist who had the above S-520 set up in his back room. What a stunnig little speaker was my first thoughts, Super build finish and to top wow wht sound. He said he believed these were one of best finds he had in his time as a retailer...How ever he did let me hear other speakers and my hears truely were taken back each time to the S-520. B&W were great but had a bass which was to Boomy (muddy) and the Kefs had poor treble and and a unbalance feel. (Honest non audiophile verdict) after trying various cds with in the shop i was hooked. They were purchased and are now proudly shown off in my lounge. Even my partner agreed she felt these little Beuties had lovely warm sound. Very happy Similar Products Used: B&W dm601-602 kef |
[Nov 10, 2004]
ptt660
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Excellent fit and finish. Superb build quality. Warm, smooth sound. Good with jazz. Front port allows near-wall position.
Weakness:
Not a speaker for rockers. Lack of deep, tight bass. May need to use a sub. I feel i got a super deal on these speakers about a year ago to be used in my bedroom. For their size, their is a surprising amount of bass that is adequate in a small room. The birch finish in a cherry wood type color is superb. These weigh a sturdy 14 lbs. each and our constructed from 3/4" mdf. Excellent build quality for the price. They are a front-ported design so that near-wall placement is possible without bloated bass. Drivers are a .19 mm soft dome vifa tweeter and a 5.25" woof with rubber surrounds. I have these set up approx. 8 inches from the back of speakers to the wall behind them. They are 5 ft. apart. I am running these with just mass market gear: an onkyo tx-930 receiver and yamaha cdc-901 cd player. The sound is nice, with the balance being on the warm side of neutral. No listener fatigue with these. I feel between the rock, jazz, and blues music i listen to, jazz sounds the best. Rockers should look elsewhere. Some buyers may feel a sub is required for serious listening. They are speced to go down to 55 hz, and i think that is fairly accurate. Low bass notes can take on a loose, bloated quality at times when played loud, showing the limitation of a small 5.25" woofer. I feel that these speakers are perfect in my situation, which is using them in a small room and played at low to moderate volumes. The shortcomings in bass response may possibly be minimized by using better components with these speakers than what i am using now. I may try upgrading myself to see if the usher's can sound even better. I will post a follow-up review if i do. Similar Products Used: a/d/s L310's |