Last month, we told you about the nifty G100 compact guitar amp from Tascam. This month we're not repeating ourselves and you're not seeing double — we're taking a look at a pair of Tascam LSX8 non-powered speakers, which bear more than a passing resemblance to the G100 mini-combo.

The LSX8s are housed in the same sort of solid, cast aluminium case as the G100, and also have a similar main driver. Unlike the G100, however, the LSX8s have no integral power amp, and feature a more grown-up, two-way speaker design, with a four-inch poly woofer and a one-inch soft dome tweeter. The frequency response is quoted as a creditable 80Hz to 20kHz, although a screened legend on the side of the speakers claims a bottom limit of 50Hz, which I am disinclined to agree with. An internal crossover means that the woofer doesn't have to handle anything above 2.5kHz, leaving it to more efficiently handle the mid and bottom. While high frequency performance promises to be good, I don't think we're into ground shaking bass, although there should be enough audible low frequency to be useful. Power handling is 40W, and the input impedance is 8 Ohms; as always, I tried the speakers with my trusty Akai hi-fi amp (with EQ bypassed, I might add!), and was able to fill a reasonable sized room with quite loud, undistorted sound.

To be honest, I expected the 8s to have a middly or over-bright sound, but what I actually heard was quite honest, within the limits of their frequency response. Given that the bass response of speakers of this size is never going to be that realistic, the sound was very full and pleasing. The LSX8s have a bright detailed sound, and in general, middle and top parts were reproduced clearly. Any lack of bass should, of course, be taken into account when mixing. I don't know if it's the cast casing, but there's nothing at all artificial or plasticky about these little monitors, physically or sonically.

The LSX8s are an attractive sounding and well-priced pair of small monitors; where one perhaps stops short of recommending a pair of G100s for sole monitoring in budget home recording applications, it is far easier to recommend the 8s, given a suitable small amp (of, say, 50W a side). And, of course, they work well as a secondary or near-field monitoring source.

Further Information
£69.95 per pair including VAT.

TEAC UK, (Contact Details).