Surprisingly terrible sound; set-up is not user friendly without a monitor
357809
The sound quality is poor.  For example, FM radio sounds as poor as AM radio does on my decades old receiver. Playing Spotify with Bluetooth through my phone on this unit sounds even worse than its FM radio does (and at a MUCH different volume -- beware).  Onkyo has always had a very good reputation for high quality and accurate sound reproduction; so I really looked forward to using this receiver.  I got it in the mail today, and was utterly disappointed. The sound is so bad no matter how one has the treble and bass set up.  I'm using this solely for two-channel audio (with my speakers connected only to the Front Left & Front Right channels).  I don't have a monitor  connected to it.  The set up is cumbersome without a monitor.  Connecting it directly to Spotify (instead of via Bluetooth with my phone) without using a monitor is no mean feat; I'm not sure I'll be able to do it.  I would not recommend this unit at all--not even if using a monitor.  A MUCH cheaper receiver should sound better.
2655425
You will probably find some better PC speakers for this price, my recommendation is to keep looking don't settle with this one.
1511412
Not worth a plug dime... terrible sound quality
2786064
Got this over the holidays and set it up as a combination TV / computer monitor. The picture is very good with almost exactly 100% of the sRGB color space after calibration, and the support for 4:4:4 4K@60hz works fine.  I have two main complaints:

1) The sound quality is GARBAGE. I don't just mean the usual "the built in speakers are small and bad" complaint, but that there's a subtle background hiss on all audio. It's not noticeable in big loud scenes or music, but if there is a quiet scene of dialog I am watching at night when it is quiet, it's very noticeable and infuriating. If a quiet room is 30 decibels I'd estimate the hiss to be around 35 - subtle, but once you notice it you can't un-hear it. I'm ending up buying a sound bar (which I didn't want) because I don't trust that whatever local tech repair company Samsung has a contract with would properly diagnose / fix it. I might have just plugged in some computer speakers instead except:

1.5) NO AUX AUDIO OUTPUT. The only options are optical, HDMI-CEC, or (sigh) Bluetooth. Seriously?!

2) The UI is brain-dead. On one of the three HDMI inputs I have a Chromecast plugged in and powered by one of the USB ports. I went into the menu and manually changed the HDMI3 label to "Chromecast" which also magically changed the icon for it to a little Chromecast icon (hooray for undocumented features). However, since it's powered via the TV, whenever the TV turns off, the Chromecast also powers off, and whenever it turns on, the Chromecast has to boot back up. And guess what happens to the input setting when the TV doesn't detect something on HDMI3 right when it turns on? That's right, it forgets the "Chromecast" label and reverts back to just saying "HDMI3" every single time.  Hoo-freaking-ray.
3218618
I thought I would use an external microphone to avoid the buzz from my Mac's fan interfering with the internal microphone.
This microphone has a cable long enough to pull it away from the laptop, but the sound quality is horrible.  There is a ton of static noise.  I tried plugging it into different USB ports, but nothing.  It's just extremely cheap, extremely poor hardware.

The only good thing I found is that it is indeed directional.  But what good is that, if the sound quality is so terrible?

If I knew, I wouldn't have wasted my few bucks.  Better pay more and buy something that at least works as well as the internal microphone.
4513981
Power cord too short, needed to adjust resolution screen out of the box and the speakers sound like real crap
3357730
If your looking for a monitor and speaker combo, look somewhere else. If you want a decent monitor for a good price then congratulations. Lets start by saying I review game peripherals and high quality headphones so please excuse the harshness on the speakers, but oh my lord do the speakers perform terribly. You can not here anything outside of someone talking. On the monitor side, the image quality is very clear, providing a quick refresh rate and response time for gaming or video use. The color balance is quick to adjust and the brightness doesn't washout the shades. For about the $100 range the monitor performs excellent, but if you plan to use the integrated speakers, your probably deff.

The Audiophile Junkie
3179755
I purchased this monitor on December 1, 2014. I purposely searched for a monitor that had built-in speakers to watch videos and make conference video calls using headphones.

This monitor has done hooked up to a Chromebox.

Until two days ago.

There is a humming noise coming from the speakers that no amount of tweaking brightness or audio gets rid of it. It can be heard with and without the headphones and it is very annoying.

Doing a search on the web, it seems that other brands have the same problems as this one. However, one big difference is the work-around some have found by using the control settings on brightness and/or sound in their video/audio computer controls. Since this monitor is hooked up to a Chromebox, we have to rely on the monitor's controls and it has been a consistent failure after spending several hours researching and tweaking the controls.

The pros:

Decent size.
Decent resolution for surfing web, videos and working on documents.
Inexpensive enough at the time ($137.09)

The cons:

The control buttons on the underside of the monitor are not user friendly. You have to "feel" your way through the menu and remember to press the 1st button to exit, the second button to select, the third and/or fourth button to increase or decrease volume, brightness, etc. If you press the wrong one, you have to start all over again.

The buzzing sound is enough to render this monitor useless. Putting speakers on mute eliminates the issue, but watching a video makes this action pointless.

Based on our experience, I would not recommend you purchasing this monitor.&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/ViewSonic-VX2252MH-22-Inch-LED-Lit-LCD-Monitor-Full-HD-1080p-2ms-50M-1-DCR-Game-Mode-HDMI-DVI-VGA-VESA/dp/B00EZSUWFG/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">ViewSonic VX2252MH 22-Inch LED-Lit LCD Monitor, Full HD 1080p, 2ms, 50M:1 DCR, Game Mode, HDMI/DVI/VGA, VESA</a>
3442947
This monitor is nice - the picture is good and it's easy to set up.  HOWEVER  - there are no speakers in the monitor, so you will have to buy them separately.  I'm not sure who is using a monitor nowadays who doesn't want sound - my guess is, almost no one.  I find it very frustrating, since the lack of audio wasn't mentioned in the description, so when it arrived I spent a bit of time trying to figure out what I had hooked up incorrectly, only to discover that there are no speakers.  Now I've had to spend an extra hundred dollars for external speakers that add to the clutter on my desktop, whereas if I had known this monitor didn't have audio capability, I would have simply spent that extra hundred dollars to buy a monitor that does.
4864216
I agree with the guy that was not impressed with the speakers. I have got some high quality headphones, by swopping between the two the poor sound out of the speakers is obvious. The system is good if you disregard the speakers. I'm thinking of finding some decent speakers from somewhere. I would rather pay an extra $100 to $150 and get good speakers with the system.
4747168
Very low volume/gain, and terrible sound quality.
4574018
Stats look good on paper, but laptop arrived with touchscreen already seeming to click and activate itself without even being touched. As other reviewers have mentioned, sound is absolutely egregious. Even hooked up to my Logitech Z-2300 speakers, as well as fiddling with the equalizer (both in their "MAXXAudioPro" utility, as well as through the Windows one), the bass is drowned out and/or muddy and weak. And this is in comparison to the sound you would get out of a regular, beat-up old ipod (or ancient laptop--in my case a Dell Inspiron 6400 from 2007 that this computer was supposed to replace...).

Even worse, laptop has a tendency to heat up on its right hand side; when this happens, the touchpad begins to activate itself, clicking, scrolling, and opening programs and webpages at its whim. Tried calling up Dell tech support, but they only offered to fiddle with the software and both the egregious audio and touchpad issues persisted after said fiddling.

Definitely steer clear of this laptop. Only got it because of the uber-awesome Lightning Deal price ($599.99), but this was so not worth anything close to that price. Am returning for full refund because Amazon is amazing with its return policies.
1353769
Purchased this through another seller, but felt compelled to warn folks. The output from this DAC is of VERY poor quality. A noticeable and distracting hiss through the audio, and the highs are just plain uncomfortable. Even my computer's very standard on-board audio was noticeably better, which is the real indictment of what's supposed to be a dedicated product. I can't recommend this to anybody.
314043
The sound is terrible.  Don't waste your money.
2877675
As the title suggests. It's ok.

The sound is weak, even for a usb powered speaker. It needs a little more treble, and I'm not talking about the equalizer settings,  the speakers themselves in this a are a little too muffled.

If your Dell monitor does not have a built in speaker like mine, and you want something that doesn't occupy space on your desk, then consider. Otherwise pass.
4862797
Not pleased with the distortion.  Just set up as computer speakers.  There sound awful.
4819926
If you need the audio feature of this unit to be functional, then you'd best look elsewhere.  The audio is completely useless. If you only need the video portion, then it may be fine for you, although I can't imagine spending this much money for video only.
For us, with a newborn on the way soon, this non-functioning feature makes this product a failure  As another reviewer mentioned, you must put your ear right up against the speaker on the unit to hear ANYTHING.  My wife, who has sonic hearing, said she couldn't hear a thing, and she's right.
Actually, I'm going to change my review to one star from the two I was about to give this item.  It boggles my mind that a company would manufacture crap like this and try to sell it.