ENCO AMUZE A10 USB Stereo Speaker, Personal Review (Updated: 04/12/2018)

ENCO Amuze A10 Multimedia Speaker's box art, shown here is the Light Wood colour. There is a similar box art on the other side of the box, showing Deep Wood colour.

I have been looking for a new set of speakers to replace my old desktop computer speaker I used for my 24 inch Toshiba LED TV, as the TV's speakers are of mediocre audio quality. Not only that, the desktop speakers, while it has good audio quality, have no volume control knob. To make matters worse, audio coming out from the TV's RCA output is of full blast and cannot be controlled by the TV at all!

And so, on Tuesday, 27 November, as of the time this post started, I am reviewing this new set of speakers which I ordered on 25th November. It is the ENCO Amuze A10, a USB-powered multimedia speaker with a volume adjustment dial. I bought this online through Shopee, at the price of RM 25 (excluding shipping fee). This speaker comes in two different wood-inspired colour schemes: Light Wood and Deep Wood.


UNBOXING

As soon as I removed the box from the courier plastic envelope (as shown at the beginning of this post), I started to unbox these set of speakers. I ordered this in Light Wood colour to match my TV cabinet's colour.

This is how the speakers looked like afer I removed it from the box. It is a 2-channel speaker with a USB plug for powering it, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a volume adjustment dial to control the volume. The front of the speaker is covered in black cloth, with the brand logo located on the lower part of both speakers. These speakers doesn't have a 3.5mm headphone port.

On the back of the speakers are its individual wires, coming out from the lower part of the speakers. (The photo above was taken on 28th November)

This is where the speaker unit is located.

While here is where the speaker's bass reflex port is located.

Finally, this is the speaker's USB plug, 3.5mm audio jack and volume control unit.


THE AUTHOR'S OPINION

I liked the speakers' rectangular wood enclosure, and the colour I chose matches perfectly with my TV cabinet's wood colour. However, the right speaker's body has two problems: it has no rubber feet and there is slight defect on the bottom right corner at the fron of the speaker.

As shown here, the left speaker has four, round-shaped rubber feet, while the right speaker have none of it, which puzzles me.

This here is the defect I'm talking about. While it doesn't affect sound quality, it does make some users to think that they just got a faulty item. Thankfully, the one here is only a very small defect, which doesn't affect me.

As shown above, this is how it looked like when I used the speakers for my TV: I had to lay the speakers on its sides, as placing the speakers on its normal stance blocks the TV screen. The wires are shorter than my old desktop speakers, but long enough for me to place the speakers on either the floor or on the top of the TV cabinet and connecting it to the 3.5mm to RCA cable and USB port on my TV.

The volume control unit, which consists of a control dial, is what I really liked about this speaker. In fact, speakers like these are best used for TVs with RCA audio output like my Toshiba 24P2300VM here. Normally, I played my PS3 using the TV's mediocre speakers for audio output; using my old desktop speakers, which has no volume control, would send out a ridiculously loud audio, as the TV's RCA audio output volume is fixed and cannot be controlled by the TV at all.


AUDIO QUALITY

Now onto the most important aspect of these speakers: audio quality.

I tested this speaker and used it for a week from the date I received it. The devices I use to test these speakers are of the following:

• Toshiba 24P2300VM LED TV
• Sony PlayStation 3 Super Slim 12GB
• Sony XPERIA ZR

I first tested the speakers by connecting the 3.5mm jack to my smartphone first, then tested it on my TV by connecting it to the old and slightly faulty 3.5mm to RCA cable I used for my old desktop speakers. (One of the cables tend to lose connection, causing me to think that one of the speakers did not make a sound).

RESULTS

In terms of audio quality, it is good for a speaker priced at RM 25. They are loud, more than enough to fill a small room. While these speakers have a bass reflex port, the bass quality of these speakers are best described as decent, but not the best. While I did notice some bass, it was not 'boomy' or cinematic, and it definitely won't satisfy bass lovers. I also noticed that my TV's equalizer doesn't work with these speakers at all.

Listening to a bass-heavy song like Higher and Higher by Kumoko (Sora Izumikawa) reveals that the deep, boomy bass was less noticeable on these speakers. Listening to Savage Garden's I Want You, on the other hand, has a bit more noticeable, but again, not boomy, bass. Maybe it was just my imagination, but I also noticed that the bass is slightly less noticeable when using my smartphone to test the audio, compared to when I tested it using my TV.

(UPDATE: 04/12/2018) I tested the speakers for bass again, this time, playing another bass-heavy song titled Maafkan Sekali Lagi by Andrian's Band. I finaly noticed some bass from the speakers, and just like what I have written before, it was not deep and 'boomy'. Still, for a set of speakers priced at RM 25, it was okay for average users.

Things are different when it comes to treble and clarity, however. Personally, I find that treble and clarity is better than bass, where some of the higher frequency notes are more noticeable on this speaker. Listening to Jounetsu Continue by Sphere is where I noticed it. While this song has bass, the treble and clarity, based on my observation, is much more noticeable and somewhat better than its bass.

Testing these speakers while playing Metal Gear Solid 4 on my PS3 is where these speakers' sound quality really shines. As I have gotten used to the mediocre sound quality of my TV speakers when playing on my PS3, the ENCO speakers improves its sound quality even more. Once again, bass is slightly better than my TV but not as strong, and treble and clarity of these speakers are good.

CONCLUSION

In my honest personal opinion, the ENCO AMUZE A10 is a good speaker. It is best used as a budget replacement for mediocre speakers on laptops or some LCD/LED TVs. While it has some bass, it is not as deep or 'boomy'. Then again, this is a budget set of speakers, it is understandable why. The speakers' treble and clarity, however, is good, perhaps better than its bass.

Will I recommend these set of speakers? Yes, if you're on a tight budget while needing a good set of speakers to replace your laptop or LCD/LED TV's mediocre speakers. Unfortunately, bass lovers need to look for something else, as its bass is not strong and 'boomy'.


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