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35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best PORTABLE speaker out there., November 7, 2006
This review is from: Saitek A-200 Portable 2.1 Speaker System (Electronics)
The Saitek A-200 is probably one of the best PORTABLE speaker right now. Remember, it is a portable speaker and must be compared to other portable solutions, not full-fledged home audio or even multimedia speaker, as even cheap multimedia speakers will trump this little baby at least in bass department.
That said, I found that the Saitek is pretty good compared to some other portable speakers like Altec Lansing XT1, Tritton Sound Bite, Phillips DGX320, Virgin Electronics Boomtube EX (Now ThinkOutside Boomtube). I personally own ALL of these speakers that I listed.
Treble :
This unit's treble is a little on the harsh side, comparable to the harshness of Tritton Sound Bite. I found that DGX320 is the best on this area, while XT1's treble is almost non-existent. I wonder how in the world Altec got XT1's upper limit of frequency response in the specs to 20khz, while Saitek listed their unit's upper limit as only 18khz but has a lot more treble. That said, for a portable speaker this is acceptable. The Boomtube EX is by far the harshest speaker.
Midrange :
A-200's midrange is just ok, not as smooth as XT1 or as natural as DGX320, but is acceptable. Better than Boomtube EX for sure (It seems that Boomtube is just made to BOOM. In other words, high SPL in compact package while disregarding sound quality.) Tritton's Sound Bite is also ok.
Bass :
A-200's bass is set at a low level in factory (presumably to save battery), but a little EQ gets the bass out. This unit is capable of producing mid and high bass better than any other portable unit except Boomtube EX. A-200 is a little bit muddy when it comes to bass handling though, but not something that I'd worry about when you're talking about this small package. Again, DGX320 has the most natural tone. XT1's bass is not real bass, only psychoacoustics.
Stereo separation :
Altec XT1 wins here, with way better imaging than Boomtube EX and DGX320. A-200's imaging is almost non existent because of the small distance between left and right speaker. Same can be said for Sound Bite.
Overall :
Saitek's A-200 is a very good unit which is pretty balanced in terms of sound. It does not win any category but is not a loser in anything either (except maybe stereo separation). IF Phillips' DGX320 was a little more reliable I would choose a DGX320 over this, but the USB cable on my unit broke after a light use, and the USB cable is too short. XT1's non-existent treble irritates me as it blankets the sound, although I like their packaging the best. Tritton wins for sheer value ($19.99 last time I checked) and Boomtube EX wins for sheer SPL it puts (but it isn't as light or small as an A-200).
Note that I didn't compare battery life, because XT1, Sound Bite, and DGX320 draws from USB directly, while Boomtube EX has an internal rechargeable battery (that sucks, unfortunately).
A solid choice for strictly portable use. If you want something for a desktop then look somewhere else.
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21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Looks great but lacks substance, September 8, 2006
This review is from: Saitek A-200 Portable 2.1 Speaker System (Electronics)
I tested this with my iPod (second generation) as well as with my PC which has an external usb Sound Blaster Audigy NX sound card. For comparison purposes, I also own a pair of Creative SBS Vivid 80 desktop speakers, and a set of Creative Gigaworks S750.
Pros:
- Great looking, unique design
- Can use batteries (4AA) or the included AC adapter.
- Comes with a nice case for travel.
Cons:
- Mediocre audio quality. The sound is tinny and harsh.
- The speakers struggle at both the high end and low end with noticeable audio distortion
- No treble/bass knob to make adjustments.
- The glossy finish makes it easy to see all the finger prints, especially when you need to press on the speaker to turn it on and off. However, they were smart enough to include a micro fiber cleaning cloth is included.
- I'm not a big fan of the +/- volume switch since you can't tell your current volume at a glance.
Conclusion:
I really love the design of this speaker system. For the price, you're paying a premium for the looks and the portability. Sound wise, the A-200 is, unfortunately, comparable to a pair of $10-15 desktop computer speakers.
I'll keep it for a few more days in the hopes that a break-in period may improve the sound of the speakers. If it doesn't, these are getting returned.
A few suggestions for Saitek if they ever consider a version 2.0 of this speaker system:
- Add an analog knob or dial for volume control
- Add a bass/treble knob
- Spend a few more bucks to get better quality speakers.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Outta Control!, September 7, 2007
This review is from: Saitek A-200 Portable 2.1 Speaker System (Electronics)
I travel a lot with my job and I have half-a-dozen different sets of "PC" speakers that I have used at various times. I am a part-time computer musician/producer [you can check out our NOVAkILL CD's here on amazon.com] so I want to have a good, predictable sound. But sometimes I visit a lot of places in a short time and dragging out any of them, unwrapping them, plugging the right one in to the left [or the satellites into the sub], plugging in the PSU and then hooking up my discperson is often more work that I can be bothered with. I have been intrigued by this cool, little self-contained unit for a while now. I finally got to see and hear one and was hugely impressed. So I bought it and I am very happy with it.
The sound quality is good. Sure, there is a bias towards the upper-mid range but, given the unit's diminutive size the balance is surprisingly good. The mid-range is well defined with plenty of detail and the treble sits in nicely. The bottom end is not the best but again, it is clear and well-defined [as far as it goes]. I can happily work with this unit on day-to-day stuff. I wouldn't try to do any final mixes with it but for grunt-work of music production there is more than enough definition to allow me to do detailed work up to about 90% of the way to a final mix.
Being an old punk rocker, I like to listen to music as loud as I can get away with in a hotel room. Whilst the A-200 isn't going to get me in trouble with the management, it fills the average hotel room with plenty of good sound. I've been playing on maximum volume all morning and there has been no noticeable distortion.
Portability is another strong point with the A-200. It comes with a nice neoprene slip-cover and it is a great shape for throwing into a suit-case or even a laptop shoulder bag. It is very light and, because it runs on batteries, I can have music playing in seconds, not the minutes it used to take.
There have been some negative comments about the power socket but you just need to push it in until it clicks home and it works properly. Same with comments of a tinny sound - if you push the stereo plug home you'll get the sub firing. Comments of distorted sound could be due to overdriving the input. As a rule I keep my PC and CD player volume to 50% so as not to overdrive anything I plug them into and I've had no problems with distortion.
Overall, these are not the best sounding speakers I use for traveling [hence only 4 stars] but as an overall package, the Saitek A-200 stands head and shoulders above every other solution I have tried and I can see myself using them for as long as I have this job. They are really worth 4 1/2 stars [but you cannot do that].
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