If you have read through the MMS 305's review (4.1 speakers) you will notice that the specs above are almost identical between the 4.1 and 5.1 systems.  The speakers themselves appear to be nearly identical to the 4.1's, but with an additional speaker to add the critical center channel source.  The rear of the speakers each have a second side-mounting point (only used for the center channel) that allows any speaker to be used as a front, rear, or center source.  I'm sure this is done not only to guarantee sonic matching (identical speakers for all uses), but also lowers production costs by only producing one type of unit.  The notable difference in the 5.1 satellites is the updated base that holds each speaker.  The 4.1's suffered from a poor design that left the speakers extremely light...allowing them to move around a desk or table with little effort.  The updated base contains a metal plate at the bottom of each, adding weight that supports the speakers and prevents them from walking around the desk.

The subwoofer looks identical to it's counterpart, but is rated at 5.12kg, versus the previous models 3.7kg.  The new sub produces 50W of power, a 10W increase from the older unit.

Setup of the system went smoothly, the most time consuming task was removing the speakers from the packaging.  A feature added is the addition of two extension cables that allow more flexible placement of the rear satellites.

Connecting the system:

I must admit, I once again did not read the manual prior to setting up the hardware.  The installation was very intuitive, with each input on the subwoofer clearly labeled, and the connections to the pc's sound card is color-coded for ease of setup.  For those that prefer instructions, a multi-lingual manual is included, as well as an installation CD with detailed information.

Input 1 is a 9-pin connector that splits into 3 mini-jacks (as seen above) for your pc's 5.1 sound card.  Both Input 2/3 accept the mini-jacks (3.5mm).  The included audio cable is intended for connecting an external CD, DVD player, etc. 

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