Genius SW-V2.1 1250 review

A cheap and cheerful 36 Watt 2.1 gaming speaker system

Genius SW-V2.1 1250
A fine 2.1 setup for a great price

TechRadar Verdict

Pros

  • +

    Cheap

  • +

    Solid build

  • +

    External control box

Cons

  • -

    Not the most powerful speaker system out there

  • -

    Highs and mid ranges not as good as the low bass frequencies

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Genius has a reputation for putting its own spin on certain technologies and bringing a cheap alternative to the market. Sometimes this works out well, and you can save a lot of money going with Genius' version without compromising too much on quality. Other times you're left with a sub-par product.

Thankfully the Genius SW-V2.1 1250 is in the former camp – this is a solid 2.1 speaker system that provides some pretty good sound quality. This can mostly be attributed to the large subwoofer with a 5.25-inch driver.

With a total output power of 36 Watts, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the Genius SW-V2.1 1250 is underpowered, leading to a rather weedy output. Thanks to that subwoofer, however, the system had a decent weight and punch during our tests – especially when watching action movies and playing games.

The external control box makes it easy to control the treble, bass and volume of what's being played without having to scrabble around underneath your desk. It's a nice feature that's often neglected in speaker systems at this price, and we're pleased that Genius saw fit to include it.

Verdict

The Genius SW-V2.1 1250 is never going to compete with a 300 Watt monster such as the SonySRSDB5002.1, but at almost half the price it's not a bad buy at all if you're on a budget.

Matt Hanson
Managing Editor, Core Tech

Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Core Tech, looking after computing and mobile technology. Having written for a number of publications such as PC Plus, PC Format, T3 and Linux Format, there's no aspect of technology that Matt isn't passionate about, especially computing and PC gaming. Ever since he got an Amiga A500+ for Christmas in 1991, he's loved using (and playing on) computers, and will talk endlessly about how The Secret of Monkey Island is the best game ever made.