Asus is a common name in computer components. We have taken a look at more than our share of their products from the mundane to the extreme. One area that Asus has been taking more of an interest is the higher-end side of the HTPC market. Here is where things get interesting. Unlike gamers, or overclockers a person that wants to build a high-end HTPC is looking for the best combination of performance, cooling and power draw. If you can build it fast, cool and power efficient then they will want that. But building an HTPC is not only about what you drop inside the system. You also need some good hardware on the final end of the output side. Not to worry, Asus has you covered there too. They have their own line of HD capable monitors and even speaker sets to keep you happy. We are taking a look at t new one to hit the market. It is a speaker bar that is capable of providing 5.1 surround sound to your viewing area. Called the Cine5, this small and stylish speaker system runs for about $130 on the internet. We are going to take a look and see if it is worth it.
Value -The Cine5 has a price tag of around $130. This is not that bad of a price when you consider that most other 5.1 surround sound systems in this wattage range will cost this and often more. The size if a benefit to those that are space limited while the design and construction show the Cine5 is a quality product. The dual vented chambers are sealed well enough to make the ports effective but are not overdone either.
Conclusion -There are lots of things I can say about the Cine5. That it is a nice piece of audio hardware for small rooms and for close viewing is one, the other is that there are a few items missing that would make the Cine5 a much better product. One of these missing items is digital input; by adding either Optical or Coaxial digital input, the Cine5 would have a leg up on most computer speaker systems. It would also allow for a single cable to connect the speakers to your output source. This leads me into the second missing item, HDMI. With HDMI again Asus would have a product that would almost be singular in the computer audio market. Of course HDMI input would need an output as well. The input would carry the audio to the speaker and the out would continue with the video to your monitor. This is a complex little bit of hardware and would probably cost too much to implement, as such Asus would have left it out to maintain costs.
Still even without these two items the Cine5 is a good product. You can get some great sound as long as you place it properly and of course combine it with the right audio source. The $130 price tag will be attractive to people looking for a compact speaker system that still gives them wide vibrant sound. We would not recommend it for larger rooms as the Cine5 just does not have the power to fill them up.
