Ship Date: Now

The market for magnetically shielded Dolby Digital 5.1 capable speaker systems for both PCs and home audio use has grown dramatically the past 18 months, particularly because of increased DVD-ROM and stand alone DVD player sales.

Today we're looking at a brand new six speaker kit from MidiLand (www.midiland.com) that offers 5 independent channels of sound reproduction, plus a dedicated subwoofer to achieve Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound compatibility.

Named the MidiLand S4 7100 kit, the new set is intended to be the audio company's flagship product, and is priced and positioned to compete against the older and more expensive Creative Labs Soundworks DTT2500 Dolby Digital 5.1 speaker set.

Creative's DTT2500 setup offers users some additional features that MidiLand's S4 7100 doesn't, we'll cover the nuances of both kits in relation to each other a little bit later in this review.

For now let's take a look at the S4 7100 and see what it offers to audiophiles seeking a DD 5.1 system on a budget.

The S4 7100 speaker kit includes a powered subwoofer, five satellite speakers (Front Left, Center, Front Right, Rear Left, Rear Right) and a small control module that's able to either stand on its own, or fit in a PC system's 5.25" drive bay.