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Product: 2.1 speaker system
Developer: Guillermot Corp. S.A.
Minimum Requirements: Any Macintosh, MP3 player, CD/DVD player, TV set or game console with an 1/8” stereo mini jack
Retail Price: $69.99
Availability: December 2008

The name Hercules comes with certain expectations. Personally, I think of two things: shiny, bare-chested, overdubbed dudes and this giant pinball machine at Cedar Point with a pool ball for a pinball. It’s kind of a negative connotation, now that I consider it, as the Hercules movies were always pretty bad, and the Hercules pinball machine was never really that fun to play. So, was the Hercules XPS 2.1 50 Speaker Kit also a let down? Not really, but it’s not exactly a champion of speaker systems, either.

The Hercules XPS 2.1 50 Speaker Kit (XPS 2.1 50) comes with two magnetically shielded satellite speakers measuring 8.125"H x 2.25"W x 3.75"D when on their stands, and a wooden subwoofer that measures 8.5"H x 6"W x 8.5"D. The satellite cases are made of a black plastic that’s polished on the faceplate, but slightly textured on the sides and back to create a subtle contrast. An 8W RMS speaker is centered vertically in each satellite, curving out a bit from the body itself. The speaker itself has been painted orange, which you can kind of detect through the speaker grill. It’s a nice design touch that’s complemented by a ring of orange light around the volume/power knob on the right satellite.

Unfortunately, the satellites are very light and have a cheap plastic feel to them. Again, I’m harping on the name, but I expected something called “Hercules” to have a bit more substance. There are a couple of nice touches that help out, though. They can be mounted if you prefer to go that route over using the plastic stands to place them on your desk. To facilitate this, the headphone and line-in jacks are on the right side of the right satellite, not the back. This is beneficial for desktop placement, too, because it makes the jacks easier to reach. When using speakers at the office, I need to have easy access to the headphone jack for when my coworkers don’t want to hear my music (which is 92% of the time). The speakers are automatically muted when headphones are plugged in, so you won’t need to worry about unplugging them from your Macintosh.

However, the headphone output level through the XPS 2.1 50 is very, very low. When the volume is set to a decent level for the speakers, it’s almost completely inaudible through headphones. You have to crank the volume almost to max, which is fine until you unplug the headphones without first turning the speakers back down. You’ll make quick and permanent enemies of anyone else in the room with you.

Thankfully, the cheap feel of the satellites doesn’t carry over to the subwoofer. Although fairly small, the wooden construction (still black, of course) instantly makes it feel more substantial. Not as much attention was placed on the design as compared to the satellites—it’s a simple black box with no curves or orange accents. However, the subwoofer is meant to be placed on the floor, where it’ll likely be out of view, anyway. The cables that connect the subwoofer to the satellites are about six feet long, which is a decent length, but may not be enough for some set-ups. The cables are permanently attached to the satellites, so you’ll be looking for extensions instead of replacements if you do need more cable.

The subwoofer has some pretty big, full output for its size, which helps the overall sound quite a bit. The satellites tended to center in the mid area, losing some of the highs and getting “fizzy” at times. But the subwoofer was able to compensate in some instances to give the sound a fuller reach than should have been possible. It ends up working very well for games and movies, but I couldn’t get past the feeling that something was missing when listening to music. I liken it to listening to my car stereo system when one of the front speakers was out; it was obvious that something was wrong even if the problem wasn’t immediately identifiable.

One other item worth noting about the subwoofer is the smooth volume adjustment. On my current Yamaha system, it seems the subwoofer is either going to be too loud or not there at all; the cutoff is just too finicky. Here, it’s quite smooth, so I can much more easily get the bass exactly where I want it.

Overall, the Hercules XPS 2.1 50 Speaker Kit gets decent sound for the price, but there’s nothing here to differentiate it from competing products. Offering 32W total RMS and dynamic ranges of 40Hz - 220Hz (subwoofer) and 200Hz - 20KHz, it’s going to be enough for many people. But if you’re seeking something more—either from sound, construction or design—you can find it out there at comparable prices.

And that’s just not very Herculean, now is it.