Customer Reviews

Audio Source DB5 Portable Powered Speaker System

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I got these because my old IBM ThinkPad laptop has "speakers" that can't really be heard unless you're hovering right over them, and I'm not a headphone fan (besides, there's nobody to disturb), and the quality of those built in speakers is worse than tinny. When I listen to streaming video from certain web sites, I want to park the laptop away from me and do something else. Hence the search for external but portable speakers.

These do indeed come in a neat storage box that everything fits into without you being a puzzle master. Hookup is a no-brainer, and for the size, the sound is amazing. I even tried them with a classical music CD, and they are fine. The "3D" feature makes them sound like much bigger speakers.

The supplied USB power cable is nice, with an attached protective cap for the USB end.

The controls are simple and having it wake up with low volume is good design.

They're exactly as described in the specs and the preceding reviews. All I could offer is a wish list: The storage box is not something you'd carry around, so I'll probably manufacture a simple carrying bag. If you were going to use it with a portable player, you wouldn't even need to pack the input extension & power cables, just the little dog-bone shaped device itself with the short input cable tucked neatly inside.

The speaker part does tend to drop kerclunk! on the base when you unfold it until you know it's going to do that. I also noted that if you don't have the little inplut cable carefully tucked into the base, the speaker part leaves a dent in the cable, which would be wearing after a while, and the input cable is hardwired into speaker case, so difficult to repair/replace.

Also, I wish there were another power input cable besides the USB cable, so you wouldn't have to use batteries with devices like portable CD players.

But I'm very pleased with this purchase.

I agree with all the positive reviews of this product. I just got mine today, stuck all the batteries in it, hooked it up to my CD Walkman, and cranked it. It didn't seem to be too loud, until I cranked the volume on the Walkman. :) THEN it got loud! The sound quality isn't as good as, say, a decent boombox, but it IS better than a comparably priced boombox, so it is good value for the money.

The dimensions listed above are the shipping dimensions for the box the speakers come in (a very nice box, too). The dimensions of the speaker unit itself (closed) is 6 in long, 2.75 in wide, and 1.75 in high. Opened up, The height is 3.75 in. Weight with batteries is just under a pound. So it's pretty small and light!

One note - the manual says that it can take a DC power source, but it doesn't say what voltage. I called Audiosource and talked to Matt in tech support - he said that it would need a DC source of 6-8V (the more the better) and that you can get a converter at any electronics store.

Thought I would try these because all of the reviews were positive and the price was cheap enough to gamble. I have to admit the "unit" is smaller than I expected, but I actually think this is a bonus, as I bought them to basically be travel speakers. The packaging is great (over the top really, but I'm not complaining) and they(/it) came with a USB power cable. The 3.5mm plug is built in, short, but more than fine for any portable music player. Like the other reviewer, I bought from the cheaper vendor with cheaper shipping and I got them in 2 days (ordered 9th arrived 11th). Sound is clear and solid. I don't think it will wake the neighbors, but I think it will be plenty loud as music for a small gathering (campfire, hotel room, etc). I've just received them, so this is an initial review, but from what I see I think it was a great purchase and wouldn't be surprised to see more quality products from Audio Source in the future.

Well, from the 14 other reviews giving this product 5 stars, I thought I found a pair of speakers that were better and cheaper than the competition, especially with them boasting a 60 Hz to 33 kHz frequency response(the frequency response claimed in the owners manual is 100 Hz thru 20 kHz). In reality, these speakers are cheap, I will not oppose that argument. But the fact of the matter is that once they are turned up beyond the listening volume of normal laptop speakers, the distortion is REALLY bad. Songs with more bass than a normal alternative rock song were distorted so badly I could not hear the lyrics behind the bass, just a mess of jarbled notes. For the money, they will suffice for soft music in the office, but if you want to hear the music outside of the room you are in, get a pair of JBL OnTour Portable Music Box or Virgin VS0200 Boomtube Portable Speakers.

WOW! I've hardly ever taken the time to write a review for anything but I feel I've been so fortunate to come across these that I felt compelled to share my good luck. I did a lot of research and read a lot of reviews and I was a little doubtful that these speakers would live up to the hype of this review forum - but HUP AH! WHAT A FIND! These speakers have a truly great sound that would please all but the most fanatical audiophiles (keeping in mind that they are small, portable speakers). They have a full rich sound and definately provide a good bass. Some have complained of varying degrees of distortion at high volumes, but during my testing, I found that when I cranked these babies at full blast, all I had to do was play a bit with the equalizer for different songs to control the levels and that would take care of any distortion...and really, how often are you planning to blast your speakers at full volume anyway? (I mean, at full volume you can hear it clear across into the next room. Now, I'll address the specific pros and cons:
PROS:
-Completely Plug and Play
-Volume control is located on the actual unit.(Unlike some other speakers)
-Can be powered by a USB cable (which is included) Some other types do not allow for power to be provided through a USB cable.
-The signal input plug is located and stored right in the unit.
-Additional 3.5 audio plug extenion cord is included. (a definite bonus because the attached plug is really short)
-Clam Shell design closes and protects the speakers and allows for convenient self-contained travel.
-Has a 3D effect that actually makes a difference in fullness of sound and is not just a vanity button.
-Due to its design, I am able to hook it over the top of my laptop and rest it above the screen. (Which is nice because it centralizes the source of the sound and gets it off the ground if I want.)
CONS:
-It's kinda bigger than I expected (thicker really) and a little heavy...just a hair smaller than a box of checks, but with a kidney bean shape. (The shape is actually a PRO though - it is aesthetically pleasing and actaully fits in the palm of the hand nicely.)
-Doesn't come with an AC Adapter, although apparently it does allow for it to be powered by one.
SO TO SUMMARIZE: Although it may be a little bit bigger than some of the other choices out there, I think it's a great trade off due to the sound it gives (both in quality and volume). And since I bought it to use primarily with my laptop, I love that it can be powered with a USB cord and don't really care that it doesn't come with a AC Adapter (which I can always get later). It can be run on 4 AA batteries which also adds to its ease of portability. So when you combine all of these reasons with the incredibly affordable price, this speaker system is really all that you could want!

I bought this DB-5 based on the reviews. The Unit is well build and compact. Good enough for travel and better than my laptop speakers. But beware that both and treble & base will not reach the amazon quote of 60hz - 33Khz. The max these speakers will reach are 100hz - 20Khz (-3db).

And Power is not 7W (total)(3.5Watts/channel) but are 4W (total peak) (2 watts per channel into 6 ohms).

Sound wise the base lacks clarity and distortion increases proportionally with volume. For the cost of the DB-5 one can't complain, but could I make my decision to buy a pair of speakers all over again, I would gladly pay a few extra bucks to get a clearer sound for both bass & treble.

This one of the most impressive products I have purchased in a very long time. The sound quality is excellent, which is of greatest importance, but there were many other things about this little system that made me say, "Wow" out loud.

The design of this unit is superb. The visual design is outstanding and the designer(s) didn't treat any detail as insignificant. A place for the connector cord is attractively built into the base, so you don't have to contend with a dangling cord. The USB connector has a cap that protects it from dirt and damage. Even the box it came in is impressive and worth keeping and using.

The design of a product doesn't usually warrant attention or accolades, but the design of this product is in a class of its own.

I needed small portable speakers for an ipod shuffle so that when I'm exercising at home I wouldn't have to use the earbuds. These are absolutely perfect. Even the box they came in is fun! Great buy.

Keeping in mind that this is a portable speaker system, it's hard to find a flaw on it. It looks great, and it sounds great for a portable. It made our new Zen V Plus MP3 Player a moving audio player around the house. Perfect for showering, laundry time and what not. The 3D sound should always be one (who would ever turn it off?). Battery life is excellent. As some reviewer said before, you can place it in a corner of the room to make it sound like a larger system. Excellent buy.

I bought these speakers for use with my iPod when traveling, since earbuds get on my nerves when I'm in my own space. The unit design is sleek, when removed from the outside shipping package the self-contained speaker set is just slightly larger than a hard eyeglasses case. With the 4AA batteries installed, it weighs just *13 5/8 ounces* (less than product specs stated), a real advantage for someone like me who is always pushing the 50-lb luggage weight limits for domestic travel. The connector for iPod is cleverly tucked into the inside edge of the case as well, totally self-contained. Volume can be increased by using iPod controls and/or volume control on the speaker unit. My only small disappointment was there is no AC powercord included; there is a hookup to connect one but it is sold separately, which was unclear to me in the product description. Depending on battery life I may add one later. I received a HoMedics iPod speaker as a gift recently and between the two--this little Audio Source model actually has better sound (I'm a bass fan) and it's less than half the size. The unit also comes with two other audio cables, one with a USB port for hooking into your laptop if you choose to use it to augment computer speakers. HIGHLY recommend these speakers--I'm looking forward to travelling soon & testing out the battery life. Great value and super-smart design--well done, Audio Source !