Customer Reviews

Nokia MD4 Ultra Portable Speakers

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

UPDATE (5/17/09): I recently purchased the JBL On Tour portable speakers and have found that the Nokia MD-4 does not match up well in sound quality, after all, like I'd originally stated. Quite frankly, the JBL On Tour blows the Nokia MD-4 out of the water- this fact was immediately evident even to an acoustical noob like me when I listened to the speakers back-to-back (both run on the same set of fresh batteries).

Music that I'd originally foolishly thought sounded full on the MD-4 now sounds very tinny when compared to music played through the On Tour. In comparison, the quality from the MD-4 might be equivalent to what one would get from a decent set of speakers if they turned up the treble to max and the bass all the way down. Although the On Tour doesn't have much bass, either, it's not treble-centric, and its sound quality is only a notch below the (non-portable) Sony SRS-U10.

The MD-4 still wins in the size and portability department though. It's insignificantly small and light, and if these are truly meant to be travel speakers for you, the sacrifice in sound quality over something like the comparably much larger and heavier JBL On Tour might be worthwhile. Adding to the MD-4's ultra-portability is that its audio cable is permanently attached the speakers, while the On Tour's audio cable must be unplugged from the speakers in order to close the unit and make it suitable for transport.

--END UPDATE

Pros:
- Good sound quality and volume for its size
- Built-in volume limiter (protects damage to speakers)
- Very, very, very small form factor (4.5" x 1.25" x 1" folded)
- Long input cord (29.5")
- Good battery life (4 AAA's last about 25-30 hours)

Cons:
- Poor bass production
- Battery-powered only. No AC power option
- Slightly more expensive than many other alternatives
- Oddly overly-sized carry pouch (6.5" x 4"- big enough to hold the larger iPods)

Other Notes:
- No volume control on the speakers. Speaker volume is controlled entirely through the connected audio device
- Volume fades in when speakers are first turned on
- Speakers automatically shut off when folded up

There's not a lot of info on these, even on Nokia's website, and as far as I could find, there aren't even any official specs listed for the MD-4's beyond built-in amplifier and 12 micro-drivers (i.e., sound holes). According to second-hand sources (i.e., vendors), power output is 1.6 watts RMS (3.2 peak), but again, this info is absent from Nokia's website and packaging, so take with a grain of salt.

Before the MD-4, I was using the Sony SRS-U10, which is compact and attractive, but not portable, since even for around-the-house duty, an electrical outlet wasn't always in a convenient location (the SRS-U10 is not battery-powered).

Anyway, I'm happy to say that the speakers have surpassed expectations. Keeping in mind I'm a layperson when it comes to audio quality, I think the MD-4 sounds as good as any portable speakers I've heard (excluding the JBL On Tour). As expected, you're not going to get much bass out of speakers like these nor enough volume to be able to drown out a lot of background noise, but music comes out clear without the tinniness prototypical of small or cheap speakers.

Also, when testing distortion-free volume range, I found the MD-4 was louder than the Sony SRS-U10 (which are rated at 3 watts peak); however, the audio quality of the MD-4 was not as good as the SRS-U10's. The SRS-U10 produced a much fuller sound, while the MD-4 sounded a bit hollow; this was most evident with songs that had even a moderate amount of bass. If your mp3 has equalizer settings, you can improve audio quality a bit, but much of any bass will still be lacking.

The only other real downer with the MD-4 is that it can't be run by AC- 4 AAA batteries only. A definite positive though is that the Nokia speakers are MUCH more compact than other comparable speakers, so carrying around the MD-4 is zero hassle. Plus, thanks to its very, very small (and adjustable) footprint, finding a place to set the Nokia speakers is never a problem- a feature I've found to be extremely useful.

Overall, the MD-4 is great, and I highly recommend them.

While Nokia is known for making some off-beat phones, at times they hit a home run. These speakers represent the best of Nokia design; small, compact with surprising sound. As you would expect with something so small, you do not get high fidelity wide range response. The sound favors the mid and high range, but that still makes them pleasant when connected to an iPod or other portable music player. Voices particularly reproduce well. They are so small that you might just keep them in your laptop bag. The package includes the speakers, batteries and a cloth carrying bag. The nylon wrapped cable terminated in a 3.5 mm plug is permanently attached. There is even a couple of small, thoughtful design touches, such as the switch being pushed to the "off" position automatically when they are folded together.

I have owned several small portable speakers over the years, and these are the best, given their truly small size. I prefer to lay them flat on a hard surface when playing them; it seems to fill the sound out a little more -- it is a similar trick to putting a speaker against a wall or floor to increase bass response.

I bought these speakers for my son , they are really good quality and have stood up to the test of a teenager.
they are a beautiful black color and they sound decent for the price.
They fold up nicely and fit into the pouch.

I bought these Nokia portable speakers as spare parts...Don't ask but I needed the micro drivers and getting twelve drivers for $40 in the electronic world isn't bad. Long story on hold I never took these speakers apart and to my wife's delight actually used the speakers as intended. And to that end I have been very impressed with the clarity and power coming from this little unit. They are the perfect speaker for the beach and poolside lounge chair. More then enough power to please a pair of lounge chair sun worshipers, not I, but my wife for sure. If I had to pick a fault I would say that the black housing gets hot in summer when exposed directly to the sun's rays but I am sure these weren't designed for the beach or the way I have been using them so it is my circumstance observation rather than a design fault. You cannot please everyone so I won't be expecting a white case version of these anytime soon.

I needed travel speakers and thought that the price was right but wasn't expecting the sound to be great at this price. I was pleasantly surprised. Does the job and more. Happy with the sound, the size, the quality and the look. A bargain!

I have quite a bit of gear. We do commercial audio for events, we have a fairly good home system and I have a grad degree working in the field. These speakers have been actively advertised and sold for over $50 and recently I was able to purchase them here on Amazon for less than $20! Our family has probably 15-20 ipods and we have all sorts of speakers, etc. but finding something small and really good for travel has been a challenge. These work! They sound somewhat tinny, but this is what one would expect from something this size and something you want to carry around with you or on a trip. They also shut off automatically when you close them. I was so impressed with them I purchased two more from Amazon. The build quality is good (good cable, good housings, well designed construction) and small profile which is about the size of a mouse when folded. You really can't go wrong with these. (They won't give you the sound of larger speakers and they won't rattle the windows, but for small speakers to carry around with you to listen to your computer, an Ipod or something else I don't think you can find anything better...if they existed I either have bought them or would have bought them...)

There comes a time in life in which sharing ear buds with your wife looks stupid. When your 15 it looks cute, but when you are 51 it just doesn't work. You really need a pair of portable stereo speakers so that you can both sit back, relax and enjoy the show.

Many of our apps include mutually recorded music, down loadable shows and even foreign radio stations. These things are to be shared between me and my wife and "ear-buds" don't really work for this kind of scenario.

These speakers are really pretty good considering their size. In fact I really couldn't ask for more. They have excellent sound for small speakers. No I cannot turn then up so high that it shakes the neighbors windows, but I wasn't planning on that anyway. I can carry these easily in my pocket and it provides lots of sound for a small area. I can whip them out of my pocket and hook them up to my android for multiple purposes. We hook them up when we go to a local park for a weekend barbecue. We hook them up while staying in hotels. We hook them up in the car because the care stereo doesn't have adapters for my Micro-Card. etc.

These speakers do NOT have an a/c adapter so it's going to cost you some in batteries, but part of the fun of growing old is that you have enough money for extra batteries.

I read other reviews, and in my opinion these speakers are no louder than the speaker on my droid phone..... If your looking for something that packs a punch with small size then i would not recommend these speakers. I am pretty disappointed

Buyer beware. Only if I play music on the lowest volume do I avoid distortion. What a waste of my money. And only partial refunds are available, and returning is a pain! I buy hundreds of Amazon products a year. This is the worst one yet.

Speakers are very nice and small. The sound is very good for a small speaker. Would also recommend this seller.