Philips SGC5103BD amBX 2.1 PC Gaming Speaker System Peripherals Premium Kit (Includes 3 Free Games)

The feeling of gaming with this thing is really enhanced when you're playing something that has full support. Games without support don't do anything, unfortunately. I wish this would do some simple hooks into the underlying graphics interface for Windows, and detect when a game is using 3d acceleration, and appropriately sample the data passing through it to produce at least a generic complement of lighting. If you want the full AmbX experience you have to stick to AmbX enabled games (games specifically written with AmbX in mind.)Oh yeah, the wrist pad is a waste. I never use it. This kit is all about the lighting and fans. Oh, and last complaint is the volume control. I have no clue why they thought this was a good idea, but the volume control actually controls the volume control slider in Windows. It's not an actual volume control for the speakers themselves. I find that there's not enough granularity when it comes to adjusting it. It's either on at a modest volume, and scales up from there to become really loud. You can't adjust it to play at really low volumes. This could be related to my sound card and OS, but if this was an actual volume control as opposed to a multimedia Windows volume control, it wouldn't be a problem.I think AmbX has a ways to go before it becomes really powerful, but it's a neat effect for the time being.

So these have been sitting around my house for years...unopened. My fiance had them in her basement but had never set them up, and we've just moved them around the past few years. Finally decided to crack them open and see if I could make use of any of it. I'm not a gamer - I'm actually a video editor, but I love lighted color effects. I was hoping I could make use of the speakers and color wash as a simple RGB color splash. Well, there was nothing simple about this, as it was designed for XP with compatibility for Vista, but not Windows 7+, and no support seemed to exist anywhere. All links to amBX's website were no longer working. After many failed attempts, a friend was able to track down an archived version of the instructions and the last known driver set. Very finicky set-up, and hit a few snags in my first attempt, but got it all up and running on my Windows 7 laptop. Installed on a second laptop running Windows 10 relatively easily now that I knew the steps. Note: I am only using the 2.1 speaker set-up w/ subwoofer and back color wash. I did not even take the rumble bar or fans out of the box. I have no use for them and have no idea how much support these newer drivers provide for those peripherals. Anyway, I got it to do exactly what I wanted. I can pick various color set-ups, program different static colors into the 5 lights (2 speakers / 3 lights in the wall wash piece), and also build custom animation settings. This is what I am using. I have a green/aqua/blue animation I use, and a Green/Aqua/Blue/Purple setting with longer delays for my fiance. Could not be happier at this point, but really wish either Philips or amBX would put the Windows 7+ info and drivers back up on their sites. So sad to handcuff people and make these almost useless - especially since there seems to be no similar product out there to compete. Maybe the audiophiles would disagree, but when I'm not at the real job editing in a suite, I edit about an additional 40 hours a week on my laptop with just the built-in speakers, so these 2.1 speakers sound really good to me in comparison, and are VERY loud. I normally run my laptop audio at about 50% level for most editing, but with these speakers I had to drop it down to about 15-18%. Quite full sounding too.

Gaming on my pc is even more immersive now with games that support the ambx backlight, fan, and rumble effects. Even games that don't have built in ambx support utilize the ambient backlight effect very convincingly. On top of all the extra gaming effects, this is a REALLY solid set of speakers. I upgraded from a 50w Logitech 2.1 setup to this, and WOW! 160 watts blew my old speakers out of the water! Overall, great buy although I wouldn't go for the full $400 price tag when it can be had brand new for less than $300.

So I went a bit overboard with these kits. Was lucky enough to get my first set for free, then a second speaker kit and 2 additional light kits on Woot when they were getting cleared out....so a total of 4 kits for ~$200 I love them, although one of my control units did see it's green and blue LED controllers burn out.The default support isn't great, but there are some 3rd party programs out there (Aurora synethesia) that work great for ambient screen or audio. Takes a little bit to get it installed on win 7 / 8, but there's a nice wiki out there for itIn my case, I've got them hooked up to my HTPC in the living room, and it's great for gaming on my TV. I also have a set hooked up to speakers in the kitchen, and they provide some great lighting above my cabinets. They also work nicely in conjunction with sound activated EL wire for a very tron-styled effect. (I would call it man-cave, but for those in their 20s, they seem to be female approved too).4 stars because the fan and rumble strip are pretty much useless clutter.The speakers may not win over audiophiles, but it's not a half bad 2.1 system overall, weaker at the top end but good on mids and low (adjustable subwoofer is great for apartments. Sadly I have to have mine almost flat or I'd likely piss of neighbors)