Defender is a Russian brand that produces many different devices for the computer, including special cleaning products for a particular office equipment and peripherals.
The products of this company are loved primarily for low and affordable prices, as well as for decent quality. Today I would like to talk about one of the company's products, namely, the Defender Mercury 55 speaker system. As part of the review, we will consider in detail the speaker design, their characteristics, customer reviews, current price, and much more.
Description
Defender Mercury 55 appeared on the speaker market in 2007 and replaced the rather outdated Defender Mercury 50 speakers, which have been produced since 2003.
The type of audio system Defender Mercury 55 is 2.0, that is, only speakers are present, without a subwoofer. It is logical that since the subwoofer is not here, the power of two satellites should be sufficient to ensure good sound quality. So it is, the total power of the kit is 60W, which is more than enough for home use.
It is worth noting that in addition to the usual Mercury 55 model, in 2012 an updated version of the Defender Mercury 55 MKII was released. Among the main differences can be noted only a modified design and slightly updated components on the chips. Otherwise, there is practically no difference.
Another interesting feature of the Defender Mercury 55 speakers is a completely wooden case and the presence of two phase inverters on each satellite at once. In addition, the manufacturer took care of the bass and timbre controls, which is good news. Well, the most important plus of the speakers is, of course, in their cost. Now, perhaps, about everything in order.
Speaker system
Defender Mercury 55 speakers are shipped in a medium-sized plain cardboard box. The packaging is absolutely standard, without any pictures and colorful photos. All that is is some information about the key features of acoustics and technical specifications.
In principle, nothing special. Yes, an important point - there are no additional handles or special slots on the package so that the system can be delivered from the store to the house. And this could be forgiven, if not for the weight of the acoustics - about 16 kg with the box.
Inside the package, in addition to speakers (speakers), the user will find a fairly typical set. Inside there is an instruction manual and a warranty card, an RCA cable with a 3.5mm plug for connecting to a computer’s sound card, a 2RCA adapter for a 3.5mm jack for connecting speakers to an external sound source, such as a player or smartphone, and a leaflet showing the connection diagram . That's all.
Of course, the equipment is not rich, but there is everything necessary for work here.
Design and appearance
Now you can familiarize yourself with the design of acoustics, its appearance and the location of the connectors and controls.
So, the first thing that immediately catches your eye is, of course, the huge size of the speakers. Indeed, their height is no less than 50.5 cm. Placing such a system on a computer table next to the monitor will not be the best idea, since it will simply be lost against their background, and such a combination will look extremely ridiculous. Best of all, try to hang the speakers on the wall or place it on the floor, only so that the wires do not get tangled under your feet.
The columns are sold in only one color - black, and they look, by the way, very cool. The case is completely made of wood, but there are also plastic inserts, which are presented here in the form of chrome trim on the front. Yes, at first glance, it may seem that all these shiny elements are made of metal, but no - this is the most ordinary, colored plastic.
At the back of the speakers (speakers) are all the necessary connectors for connection, namely: 2 inputs for connecting an RCA to 3. 5mm jack and one output connector for an adapter for external sound sources. A little lower is the on / off button and the outlet of the network cable. This is all located, of course, on the active speaker.
On the passive satellite, there is only a hole in the back from which the cable exits. The logo of the company flaunts on the front part at the very top, a chrome plated plastic cover is attached just below, on which the inscription "Karaoke" flaunts. Then there are 2 speakers and at the very bottom a pair of bass reflex outputs. By the way, the inscription "Karaoke" is not accidental here: the speakers allow you to connect 2 microphones to them and, moreover, adjust their parameters - echo and volume.
As for the active speaker, its front part is completely the same, only instead of the usual lining, there is already a panel with volume, bass, timbre, microphone volume controls and echo settings. Also, just below are two gold-plated 3.5mm jacks for connecting those same microphones. Well, the small LED completes everything, which signals whether the speakers are on or not.
Well, and probably worth a few words about what has changed in the updated version of the Defender Mercury 55 with the MKII prefix. Actually, everything practically remained the same, only the chrome plastic completely disappeared, the speakers changed slightly, the entire front side became completely glossy.
Main characteristics
Speakers Defender Mercury 55 have the following characteristics:
- type of acoustics - 2.0;
- power - 60W;
- speaker power - 30W;
- speaker sizes - 25mm, 165mm;
- frequency range - 50-20000Hz;
- type of control - manual;
- system power - from the network;
- connectors - RCA, 3.5mm for microphone;
- in addition - karaoke, microphone volume adjustment, echo adjustment (reverb);
- dimensions (W / H / D) - 210mm / 505mm / 250mm;
- weight - 15kg.
In general, the characteristics are very good for a 2.0 system, but it is much more important how it all sounds.
Sound quality
Finally, we can proceed to testing. So, if we talk about sound quality, Defender Mercury 55 shows a very good result, but, unfortunately, falls short of the ideal. The fact is that at high frequencies, the acoustics show themselves extremely confidently. One could even say that high “fluctuations” prevail here to a greater extent.
There are also no problems with the bottoms - the bass is good and rich. The problem is manifested at medium frequencies, namely: medium "fluctuations" of the low range and medium - high range. Here, there is a small failure. Moreover, if the low can be adjusted by regulators, then with the high it will not work. In general, there is nothing critical, and most users will not even notice this flaw.
Cost
Today, a set of speakers Defender Mercury 55 can be bought for about 4800-5500 thousand rubles, which, of course, is a little expensive. As an alternative, you can look in the direction of the updated version of the Defender Mercury 55 MKII, the cost of which is about 5000 thousand rubles. Of course, for the acoustics 2.0 the price tag is still a bit overpriced, but, on the other hand, the buyer gets 60W speakers.
Customer reviews
Reviews of the Defender Mercury 55 show that basically users do not like the too bright diode located on the front panel, the rather weak frequency range, extraneous noise from the speakers at maximum volume. Large dimensions, according to users, are both a plus and a minus. Otherwise, there are no complaints.
Conclusion
To summarize, I would like to note the following: Defender Mercury 55 is a very good option, among most 2.0-type speakers on the market. The sound quality is more than good and will satisfy most tastes, even despite some disadvantages among low and high frequencies.
The only thing that can push away from the acquisition is a too high price tag. Nevertheless, there are cheaper and not inferior in quality alternatives that look much more profitable.