Qualities But Inadequate Bass
The response curve stresses the high range, the midrange and bass being definitely behind. Even when you set the bass at maximum you don't quite get there. The bass itself does not go very low, the bandpass seems set in the 80 to 120Hz range, so the rest is soon attenuated. You have to work on filtering to get a good balance. Terratec decided to leave things as they were to make the 884 efficient and, in spite of its limited power, you get a good maximum sound level, though your ears suffer a bit.
Top Sound Level: 109dB SPL
The 884 certainly gives you sound in cinema mode. You will get a real earful if you turn up the volume. Unfortunately, there is practically no extreme bass and the bass in general is a bit weak, even on maximum setting. Action films suffer by this. This was predictable with a bass speaker of such a small diameter.
For music playback, the results were better than we expected from the response curves. The midrange is a bit weak and the top of the range not very prominent, but the sound is enjoyable, except with some kinds of music, which are often harsh at this pitch. Mostly though, the bass is perfectly adequate in level and quality. You catch the details with no problem and the end result is enjoyable and convincing musicality. The extreme bass is again sacrificed, though this is less serious for music than for movies.
