I bought these 10 years ago new, for a very low price. I wasn't expecting much from them, so it was a nice surprise that they actually sound great. Better than any desktop set I've had. Sometimes they fool me into thinking something is happening inside my house, when it's actually on the computer.
I don't need a lot of volume, and I don't know if I've ever tested the limit of these speakers. I have turned it up so I can hear music or video from another room, and I get concerned that it might bother the neighbors, so the speakers aren't weak. I game a lot and they keep it real.
I move my monitor and speakers every day because of daylight reflection. I have yanked them off the desk, or just dropped them, on occasion. The sound was unaffected for about 9 and 1/2 years, until the cord to my right speaker started loosening where the wire meets the speaker case. I have to adjust it carefully to get it to respond well. It's surprising that it lasted as long as it did, considering what I've put them through. The left speaker still works like it did they day I bought them. I did break the base off of the left speaker - the stand that keeps them upright. They are cheap plastic and can't withstand much abuse; one of the times I dropped it off the desk, it cracked off, so I duct taped it back on. I'm not docking them a star for the cheap plastic, because they are inexpensive speakers. If you want durability, you're going to have to pay more than $30.
The one thing that I would dock any points from my rating for is regarding the subwoofer. There's a knob that adjusts the loudness of the bass, and it goes from little to no bass on the 9 o'clock side, to muddy loud on the 3 o'clock side, with almost no transition in the middle at 12 o'clock. I had to adjust it by millimeters to get it right, and have had to do that a few times over the years. Once it's set, it stays there though, so it's not bad enough to dock them a star.
For the price, these are by far the best desktop speakers I've had. The sound is much bigger and more faithful than I expected. I love them for that, and that's why I came here to buy another set.
Walmart, on the other hand, I give 0 stars to on this one. I ordered it, got a ship by date, and a UPS tracking number. The Walmart shipment tracker said "Shipped from Harrisburg, PA on Jan 5th" and "Expected delivery date Jan 13th". After the 13th came and went, I waited a few more days, then contacted the automated online customer support. It told me it was lost in transit and they were sending another. Got an email soon after that said a refund was being issued. Turns out the item was not in stock when I ordered it, and still wasn't. Even that much information I had to pry out of them. Very bad customer service and, in fact, misrepresentation. They offered nothing but the refund, since they couldn't tell me if or when they would have them in stock.
