Customer Reviews

Sonic Impact SI-5 2.1 Portable Flat Panel Computer Speakers (3-Speaker, Silver Graphite)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

Yes, these are small and light. Now the bad news: The separate amplifier and all the wires going everywhere makes the connected assembly look like a science lab project, especially if you opt for the USB power connector.

Yes, the sound quality is better than the one inch speakers in my IBM ThinkPad but not nearly as good as your typical $19 desktop computer speakers. The problem is that the sound is limited to highs with little if any midrange. Bass is nonexistent. It's like listening to a pair of big tweeters. The enthusiastic reviews are a mystery to me.

Small, portable, nice design with plenty of treble and middle frequencies but no bass. If you want your CDs and MDs to sound as if they were being played through an old 2" TV speaker, these are for you. If you prefer a fuller sound, you won't like these speakers. Another caution: They have very powerful magnets. Don't put them anywhere near any magnetic-type data storage (floppies, hard disks).

I ordered these to carry around in my notebook bag after reading good reviews, and was seriously disappointed. The sound quality is mediocre. The low-end is nonexistent, and my notebook speakers have slightly better mid-range; only the high-end comes through at all. Moreover, the sound is REALLY quiet (2 watts per channel, maybe I should've expected that).

Two other drawbacks: you can clearly see the DC-in on the little amp module in the photos, so I expected it to come with a wall power converter--not so. I keep having to remember to turn it off when I step away to conserve batteries. And, the speaker magnets are strong enough (and unshielded enough) that I can't throw it in a bag with my computer without thought.

Overall, a waste. I'm sending it back.

Easily the best portable speakers out there and probably the only portable speakers that aren't more then glorified headphones. The sound is rich and full, although the bass will hardly rattle your teeth. The speakers are incrediably compact, about the size of a double cd jewel case. The I-Mac-esque color scheme is an aquired taste (Am I the only one that misses the days when computers and electronics only came in Black, Silver, and Putty?). For a pair of speakers to throw in with your laptop, MP3 Player, or portable CD player there's nothing better.

PROS - Superior sound
- Very Compact
- Easy to set up
- Fairly long battery life

CONS - [light] plasic and cardboard construction
- Somewhat pricy
- Weak bass
- Questionable looks.
- Seperate amplifier

This is a very good effort and I hope Sonic Impact tries again. Make it with heavier plastic, integrate the amplifier into one or both of the speakers, raise the bass a tad, bundle it with a compact DC adapter (or better yet a USB power option) and lower the price into the sub-50 dollar range and this would be a breakthrough product.

I picked this system up recently to take on a camping trip. Size and weight were important considerations, so the SI-5 system seemed like a fine choice, and also it looks cool. I was quite pleased by the sound quality. This is not to say they sound like full-range bookshelf speakers, they are simply too small to provide much bass. They sound excellent, however, for their size and price. Furthermore, the amp unit was quite miserly with the 4 AAA batteries -- I'm sure that I got at least 15 hours of use per set. I recommend that you give the amp as strong as signal as possible from your cd/mp3 player (short of distorting) so that the amp can work efficiently. There are 3 settings for the switch on the amp: off, surround, and bypass. You'll want to strictly use the bypass mode, the surround mode is totally useless. All it does it reduce the volume and make the sound very diffuse. The supplied wires are flimsy but sufficient, and long enough to let you spread apart the speakers to get a reasonable soundstage. I strongly recommend the SI-5 system, I have not seen a similar product that provides such good performance, light weight, cool design, and overall value.

I bought these speakers to use with my Toshiba Satelite 2805-s402 Laptop. Unfortunately, i found that these speakers were not a significant improvement over my laptop speakers.

They are very small, and they snap together handily, making them great for traveling, but i would only buy them for use with a discman, mp3 player, or something similar that has no speaker function.

When you look at their size, they are the size of a CD jewel case, you would think they can't be that good. But these speakers are great. The sound is awesome. Of course, you wouldn't expect a great sound in a large room, but for a small office or bedroom they are fantastic. The only problem is the unit which connects the 2 speakers. This contains the on switch and batteries. If you forget to shut the switch off you drain your batteries rather quickly and it is easy to do this at first. Otherwise the speakers are great and quite portable.

As far as small portable speakers go, these sound very good. Of all the portable speakers I've listened to or own/owned, I'd say that these are the second best as far as sound quality, with very rich and crisp sound. As with any small speakers like this, the bass is a little weak, but still pretty decent, especially for it's size.

My only real complaint is that the included amp/battery holder is a seperate unit rather than being integrated into the speakers themselves, which can be a little cumbersome since you have to deal with 3 parts, not including cables, instead of 2. Also, I think the plastic that they used is a little "cheapish" feeling.

Since I said "second best", you might be wondering what I found to be the first best. It was an older Sony model (I don't have the exact model number handy at the moment) which has since been discontinued and replaced by the Sony SRS-T77's, which was certainly a step down in quality from that previous model.

Anyway, pros and cons:

Pros:
Crisp, rich sound
Light weight
Relatively inexpensive
Sounds better than Sony SRS-T77, in my opinion

Cons:
Cheapish plastic
The seperate amp/battery holder can be a little cumbersome and would have been better if they had just built it into the speakers instead of making it a seperate part.
Bass could be a little better, but is still pretty decent for it's size

I bought these to use with my ipod, I just couldn't see spending the $100-150 for the high end Altec Lansing and Creativ speaker units, especially given the fact that reviews seem to be love 'em or hate 'em for those models as well.
I quite like these speakers, the sound quality is good and reasonably full with Jazz, Classical or Rock music. True given the rather limited output, these would not be suitable for a display at a convention or a raging party, but they are perfect for a hotel room, (quiet) dorm or office. Yes, there are three wires (2 for the speakers the other from the music source (ipod, mp3)) but the advantage is that you can space the speakers farther apart then with other speakers I've seen. The unit does not come with a power adaptor but has an input for one which can be purchased on the manufacturer's website www.si-5.com. Otherwise it uses 4 AAA batteries.

Wow!! These babies are smaller than I imagined. I put them in a CD bag with 10 CD's, my MP3 player and still had room. Stereo in a pack. The speakers are crisp and the surround sound is phenomenal. Give me more of this for my travel lifestyle. Thanks.