RCA Scenium Home Theater System Dolby ProLogic II &#45; ST2680
Entry-level surround sound
I would first like to clarify that I am not an audiophile, so I will not be reviewing the product from that perspective. Second, the reason I chose this model over others is the fact that it has tower speakers. The television's angle and the position of my sitting chair are unusual, so I needed the flexibility of putting the speakers anywhere around me without having to mount them awkwardly.<br /><br />The first thing you'll notice when you open the box is that the speakers are in two parts, the base, and the top (the part that makes the sound). The lower half, the base, is made to look exactly like the top, so when you put them together by snapping them onto each other (which may take some doing) they blend quite nicely. Each whole tower is about 38\\" high. They stand pretty solidly, but they could tip over if happen to bump into one. If you want, you could always mount just the top half to the wall and avoid the base altogether. The option is available.<br /><br />The sub-woofer is pretty thin. I found it a bit strange that the driver is located on the left side (if you look at it from the front). Nevertheless, it performs quite well. I can feel the floor shaking beneath my feet. That doesn't bode well for my neighbors though.<br /><br />The receiver itself is pretty big, bigger than it looks in the picture. It barely fit on my entertainment center shelf, and it goes in deep ...very deep. The good thing is, the deepness allows for it to be thinner, so it looks good regardless. It has 2 optical inputs, 1 coaxial, several audio/video inputs, and all the speaker and sub-woofer outputs all built in.<br /><br />I also would like to mention something no specification sheet or review usually includes...the length of the included cables with the system.<br /><br />The power cable from the receiver is not that long, but it's the only power required (every other speaker and sub-woofer gets their power from the speaker cables), and it's not a huge beast of a brick either. It's just a 3-pronged jack.<br /><br />The rear speaker cable length, which was of big concern to me, is about 15 -20' long, so I was able to go as far as I need to and still have some to spare for flexibility. The front speaker cables are about half as short. They're all made for spring clips, so they're very thin, and can go under a carpet without too much bulk.<br /><br />A huge plus for the system is that everything, including the cables are color coded! Putting it together is a simple matter of determination. The only thing you have to be careful of is which speaker is the white-color-coded one and the gray-color-coded one. The colors are very similar and I had some problems distinguishing them from each other.<br /><br />A gripe I have, and you knew it was coming, is that the remote is not very well designed. Switching digital audio inputs (optical and coaxial) involves several button presses, so it takes a little while, which can be an annoyance. There should have been dedicated buttons for each input. I now have quite a huge collection of remotes piled up on my table, and I've been considering getting a universal one.<br /><br />The shortcomings of the remote is thankfully overshadowed by the performance of the system. Going from stereo to this is just amazing. The whole room comes alive with sound. It's easy to be startled by sounds coming from behind you when you play video games or when you hear music suddenly start to play from the rear speakers. And best of all, it's affordable.either. It's just a 3-pronged jack. <br /> <br />The rear speaker cable length, which was of big concern to me, is about 15 -20' long, so I was able to go as far as I need to and still have some to spare for flexibility. The front speaker cables are about half as short. They're all made for spring clips, so they're very thin, and can go under a carpet without too much bulk. <br /> <br />A huge plus for the system is that everything, including the cables are color coded! Putting it together is a simple matter of determination. The only thing you have to be careful of is which speaker is the white-color-coded one and the gray-color-coded one. The colors are very similar and I had some problems distinguishing them from each other. <br /> <br />A gripe I have, and you knew it was coming, is that the remote is not very well designed. Switching digital audio inputs (optical and coaxial) involves several button presses, so it takes a little while, which can be an annoyance. There should have been dedicated buttons for each input. I now have quite a huge collection of remotes piled up on my table, and I've been considering getting a universal one. <br /> <br />The shortcomings of the remote is thankfully overshadowed by the performance of the system. Going from stereo to this is just amazing. The whole room comes alive with sound. It's easy to be startled by sounds coming from behind you when you play video games or when you hear music suddenly start to play from the rear speakers. And best of all, it's affordable.