<>@2 -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ *4@3 GET SERIOUS! - SPEAKERS *3]5@4 by Converse / A51 *1]1@2 _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- @1 All new Amiga users please note that you need fifteen megabytes of Fast and 4 Meg Chip Ram along with a 68060 processor and a five gigabyte hard disk, to make them work. ]5Just kidding!]1 Seriously, we take a look at the ZyFi twin speaker system by... ermm... Zydec and the Sound Force 1 and Sound Mate 4 from QuickShot. First are the ZyFi. For £34.99 they offer two dinky speakers at entry level prices which are reasonably clear, good for the average gamer but not much more. They sound a little muffled but not that much. They handle bass quite well without distortion. You could attach a subwoofer to the speakers to enable them to handle bass better (i.e. low pitch drums, bangs. etc.) Mind you, for 34 pounds you may as well save an extra three pound and buy the Sound Force 1 speakers from QuickShot. These are powered from the mains, as are the Zyfi. They handle the bass very well apart from when they are on full blast as they totally distort. They handle high pitch noises exceptionally well and are very loud. Mind you with fifteen watts power behind a computer system speaker set, they should be quite nifty. The mains adaptor is supplied is quite a good one and the actual speakers are quite large, but not too big. They look strong and seem smart (and they are), for £37.99 they are very good. The price is expected to fall very soon, so by the time you have read this they should be dropping to about thirty pounds. Finally, we have the QuickShot Sound Mate 4, these cost £33.99 and are 4 watts. They are very loud speakers and are reasonably compact. They recreate high pitch noises well but bass and beats aren't too good. The cable is very short and is about two and a half foot long. All in all, they are a bit overpriced for what they offer so avoid them. The scores in relation to price and performance are: *3@3 ZYFI - 85% SOUND FORCE - 87% SOUND MATE 4 - 77% *1@1 ]5 (Since writing this article, prices of all the speakers mentioned has dropped by around 10 pounds.)