Intex 5400W FM 5.1 PC Speakers

We at Tech2.0 have no bias towards any brand, or any market segment for that matter. After reviewing a lot of high-end LCDs recently, costing half a lakh or more, I feel the time is right for us to pay attention to the more humble and affordable PC speaker segment.

Intex is a company that can challenge any brand when it comes to price. A recent market survey trip to Mumbai's Lamington Road resulted in vendors enthusiastically offering us its 5400 PC speakers for review.

Considering the current financial slowdown, does it not make sense to look at a low-priced 5.1 PC speaker system? Let's give the Intex 5400 FM a fair chance...

Design and Features
The design of this speaker set is satisfyingly clean and refreshing. No gaudy or fancy finishes, what you get is a set of five similar-shaped mini bookshelf (satellite) speakers. The speakers are rectangular and stand vertical on their bases. The material used for the cabinets throughout is MDF, which is predictable in such a low-priced unit.

The bases are padded to improve grip. The center should have been flat, to facilitate easy positioning under a PC monitor. But it's like the rest, and stands erect, which can obstruct your view of the screen a bit. But you can rest it sideways, so it's no big deal, especially as the satellites are one-way, only one 3-inch driver each. The 5.25-inch woofer is a side firing model.

The body of the woofer is slim and tall, with a narrow front panel done up quite well. The flat silver buttons are laid out simply, with a very basic red LED screen on the top. At the bottom is the reflex port, rimmed by shiny, reflective metal; this completes the futuristic look.

The back panel of the sub takes inputs in the form of RCA jacks, and has similar RCA outputs for connecting the speakers (which come with wires attached). For further details and specs, see the table below.

A remote control is included with the unit, which looks totally different – it's perhaps an OEM supplied by one of our friendly Asian neighbors. But I'm not complaining so long as it does the job. It's tough to find units with a remote at this price.