Portable Audio: Creative's TravelSound Travel Speakers

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=jasondunn-20&path=tg/detail/-/B00007FKBK/qid%3D1092088413/sr%3D1-1' target='_blank'>http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/r...088413/sr%3D1-1</a><br /><br /></div><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/creative-travelsound.jpg" /><br /><br />One of the things I don't like about my current laptop, a Fujitsu P5010D, is that the speakers just aren't very loud. With it's wide, crisp 12" screen, it's perfect for DVD playback but the lack of audio punch makes watching DVDs practical only when using headphones. So I set out looking for a set of external speakers that would connect to the laptop and give me more audio, yet still be small enough to easily travel with me. My first attempt was a set of small $20 un-powered Sony speakers that were touted as being a walkman accessory – the audio level was no louder than what my laptop could produce (being un-powered was my first clue that they wouldn't be sufficient).<br /><br />Next I tried a much more expensive solution: the Creative TravelSound speakers. At $75 CND, this was more than I was comfortable spending, but I knew I could return it if I wasn't happy. Here's a quick Photo Review of the Creative TravelSound speakers, an accessory appropriate for any type of portable audio device, including a Pocket PC and Smartphone.<!><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/creativelabs-1.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 1: The Creative TravelSound is quite small and very portable. It comes with a nylon pouch for travelling. The pouch is nothing special, but it does the job.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/creativelabs-2.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 2: I liked the fit and finish of the speakers – the silver and black looks sharp. Creative opted for no speaker covers, which is a good decision given the need to eek out every last decibel from these.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/creativelabs-3.jpg" /><br />Figure 3: The Creative TravelSound connected to the headphone jack on my laptop. How does it sound? Compared to the built-in speakers, loud! The audio is crisp and clear, with strong high and mid tones. Given the size of the speakers, it's not surprising that there's little to no bass response. One thing that I'd like to see added is some sort of a removable plastic mounting bracket – it's a bit disorienting to have the audio coming from one side or another, so I'd like to see a way for the speakers to mount to the LCD screen of the laptop. This may or may not be practical based on the weight of the speakers, but it sure would be cool to see.<br /><br />Two other features worth noting: there's a normalization button on top, less useful with a TV signal, but more aimed at an MP3 player with songs that might have different audio levels. There's also the line-in jack, for connecting your device, and a headphone jack, which I find a bit curious. I'm having a hard time imaging a scenario where someone would prefer to connect the headphones to the Creative TravelSound instead of the headphone jack on the audio device itself. Perhaps the TravelSound would amplify the signal beyond what the original device can put out.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/creativelabs-4.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 4: The base of the unit is where the four AAA batteries are located, so the unit is weighted towards the bottom. This makes positioning the speaker simple, and the swivel-mount allows you to position the speakers at whatever angle suits you best. Shown here, I have the speakers connected to my Shuttle ST62K – I didn't have any other speakers set up, so I connected these in a pinch. I ended up keeping them in place for several weeks and several sets of batteries. The TravelSound has a power input for AC power, but the unit doesn't come with an AC adaptor – I imagine it's available separately.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/travelsound-pocketpc.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 5: The Creative TravelSound connected to my Dell Axim X30 - it worked quite wel!</i><br /><br /><span><b>Conclusion</b></span><br />The Creative TravelSound speakers are the perfect solution for what I was looking for: small, easy to pack speakers that still proved to have much more audio punch that what my laptop can accomplish alone. They're a bit pricey, and I wish you'd get an AC adaptor for that price, but from a design standpoint the speakers deliver quite well. They can be <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=jasondunn-20&path=tg/detail/-/B00007FKBK/qid%3D1092088413/sr%3D1-1">purchased from Amazon.com</a> for $64.99 USD, and also include a short minjack to minijack audio cable. [Affiliate]

[Deemo]

Weren't those puppies on sale at Futureshop recently?
Thanks for the review as I may need to trip down there and check them out now. :mrgreen:

[SHC]

In the UK you do get a mains adapter which is good because the AAA batteries last about 5 minutes!

[welmoed]

Maybe I'm dim, but what's wrong with headphones? On my last trip I used a little battery-powered splitter to allow two sets of headphones to be used on my laptop, and my husband and I both got to watch the movie. Seems to be a cheaper and better-quality solution, rather than trying to pump big sound out of tiny horns.

--Welmoed

[Jason Dunn]

Weren't those puppies on sale at Futureshop recently?
Thanks for the review as I may need to trip down there and check them out now. :mrgreen:

Could be - I bought them at Best Buy a few months back...

[Jason Dunn]

Maybe I'm dim, but what's wrong with headphones?

Nothing at all, this is just an alternative solution if you don't have/want to use two sets of headphones. Different solutions for different people, right?

[Deemo]

Maybe I'm dim, but what's wrong with headphones? On my last trip I used a little battery-powered splitter to allow two sets of headphones to be used on my laptop, and my husband and I both got to watch the movie. Seems to be a cheaper and better-quality solution, rather than trying to pump big sound out of tiny horns.

--Welmoed

Headphone's don't work well in the shower :devilboy:

[Deemo]

Weren't those puppies on sale at Futureshop recently?
Thanks for the review as I may need to trip down there and check them out now. :mrgreen:

Could be - I bought them at Best Buy a few months back...

They are $30 off until August 12th.

[piperpilot]

Jason, is there a volume control? I have some Sony powered travel speakers ($90 US) which I use for playing music on my iPAQ when I don't want to wear headphones and for watching movies on my portable DVD player, but there is no volume control and I have found that when I'm trying to concentrate on work (see picture below), the volume put out by the speakers is too loud even with the system volume on my iPAQ on the lowest possible setting.

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/assets/common/FileObject/jpg.gif PICT0025.JPG (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/media/users/8094/PICT0025.JPG) (Size: 1,955.1 KB)

[GoldKey]

Jason, is there a volume control? I have some Sony powered travel speakers ($90 US) which I use for playing music on my iPAQ when I don't want to wear headphones and for watching movies on my portable DVD player, but there is no volume control and I have found that when I'm trying to concentrate on work (see picture below), the volume put out by the speakers is too loud even with the system volume on my iPAQ on the lowest possible setting.

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/assets/common/FileObject/jpg.gif PICT0025.JPG (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/media/users/8094/PICT0025.JPG) (Size: 1,955.1 KB)

I know I am just being nosy, but what is the multicolored thingy in the upper right hand corner. Looks like a color swatch, but seems kind of thick and a low color assortment.

[piperpilot]

I know I am just being nosy, but what is the multicolored thingy in the upper right hand corner. Looks like a color swatch, but seems kind of thick and a low color assortment.

Those are tiny little window shutters in various colors. We are having an addition to our house built (construction starts at the end of the month) and we decided, as part of the project, to put shutters on the front of the house. Those are what we used to select the style and color. On one side are louvered shutters; on the other side are paneled shutters. It's so funny you should notice that! They are sitting on top of the architectural plans and construction documents.

[Darren Behan]

I've had these for some time now and have they were even more expensive back when I bought them :( (they did come with an AC adapter if memory serves me, though). Still, I was pretty impressed with the sound out of such a portable package. They certainly aren't going to give you the surround sound experience of a 5.1 system - but then they're really not supposed to. Grab your PPC & these speakers and you've got passable music or movies at the beach, on the porch, whatever - with plenty of room to spare in the picnic basket for your favorite food or grog.

To answer piperpilot, there are volume control buttons on the top of the unit in addition to being able to control volume from your PPC, notebook, etc.

db

[bluevolume]

This is a little off-topic, but what case is that on your X30? Is that the one where you can sync without taking it out of the case? Will it fit the extended battery?

Thanks,
Blue

[arebelspy]

I see a PPC picture was added between DMT & here ;)

-arebelspy

[piperpilot]

This is a little off-topic, but what case is that on your X30? Is that the one where you can sync without taking it out of the case? Will it fit the extended battery?

Thanks,
Blue

It's an iPAQ 5455 with a black leather Vaja iPAQ case. It can be synched without removing the case. That was one of my main requirements when I was shopping for a case.

[piperpilot]

I see a PPC picture was added between DMT & here ;)

-arebelspy

No, Jason secretly added a media folder for PPCT subscribers (maybe just for the "lifers") without any fanfare. I was pretty psyched that I finally had occasion to use it. :wink:

[pjtrader]

I picked up these speakers recently knowing I was going to be able to use them for multiple purposes: To add speakers to my PPC, my laptop and to serve as the external speakers for my satellite radio while it was docked at my office desk. The portability of these babies are sweet (well, unless you forget the cord that connects them to the headphone jack...then they're pretty useless...)

I'm so pleased with them that I can't recommend this solution enough for a small portable option that simply doesn't get much better. I'm not an audiophile by any stretch of the imagination, but if you want clear, crisp and decent volume, this is a good choice.

[piperpilot]

The portability of these babies are sweet (well, unless you forget the cord that connects them to the headphone jack...then they're pretty useless...)

On my Sony speakers, that cord is permanently attached, making them idiot proof. :wink:

[Jason Dunn]

Jason, is there a volume control?

Yes, there's an up button and down button on the top of the unit.

[Jason Dunn]

This is a little off-topic, but what case is that on your X30? Is that the one where you can sync without taking it out of the case? Will it fit the extended battery?

It's a Vaja case (http://www.vajacases.com/affiliate&ID=100) for the X3i, but the X30 is of course the same size so it works nicely. It can't sync in the case, nor can it fit the extended battery. But it sure looks nice. :-)

[Jason Dunn]

I see a PPC picture was added between DMT & here ;)

Yeah, a little customization for each site - Smartphone Thoughts will have a Smartphone picture. ;-)

[Brad Adrian]

On my last trip I used a little battery-powered splitter...
I've got one, called The Kangaroo. It takes two AA batteries and really pumps up the volume. Much better than a simple splitter.

[foldedspace]

I was never real happy with the portable options, so I compromised. I went with the Bose Mediamates and despite the lack of a separate Bass, they sound quite nice. I also have a set of Sonic Impact speakers, but I hear that the latest ones are much better.

[rene_canlas]

On my last trip I used a little battery-powered splitter...
I've got one, called The Kangaroo. It takes two AA batteries and really pumps up the volume. Much better than a simple splitter.

Are you referring to the Boostaroo?

On the topic of the TravelSound's battery life, I've been using my TravelSound with batteries on my XDAII and Lifebook P7010D and alkaline batteries last around 10-15 hours on mine. From what I read on the manual, the button on the top center of the TravelSound is for stereo wide effect, which is designed to make the listener think that the left and right speakers are much farther apart than they actually are.

[gorkon280]

A Place called Medelsons in Dayton, OH has always has laptop speakers at the Dayton Hamvention.

http://www.meci.com/Catalog/Item/09c9e1c0-368d-4376-9b48-466351cc3016

For 11 bucks those sound good as well and mount on either side fo the screen.

[arebelspy]

Froogle found this all over the place, but while several said "w/o AC adapter" (like this one: http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=77096&_LOC=US), most listed in the description about the AC adapter powering it and said "not included". The ones that have an AC adapter seem to cost more (if you can find them).

BUT here it is for only $45.72 + shipping (which was 8.36 to CA) WITH AC adapter ("Bundled with a universal power adapter and carrying case..."! 54.08 total with AC adapter isn't bad.. I just ordered one.. supplies could be limited (it showed 3 available when I ordered, but it could not be accurate, like eCost which blatantly lies).

http://www.theboyz.biz/product_info.php?products_id=3707

-arebelspy

[Jason Dunn]

...and Lifebook P7010D...

You have one already? Nice - very nice. :way to go:

[foldedspace]

The new P looks sweet. Pity it still doesn't have high end video, but that's Fujitsu for ya. But if I was in the market, I'd look real hard at it.

[rhmorrison]

Maybe I'm dim, but what's wrong with headphones? My wife can't stand to wear headphones and she uses her Jornada 565 exclusively for listening to MP3's and playing games. When she is on her numerous vacations she likes to listen to music so I also bought a Creative TravelSound unit and she has been very happy with it. It has a volume control on it (which the Sony units do NOT) and produces excellent quality sound.

To thank me she put my PocketPCThoughts mini light in the wash machine and killed it!!! :mecry:

...and after I bought an extra one from Jason just for her! :multi:

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

Jason, is there a volume control? I have some Sony powered travel speakers ($90 US) which I use for playing music on my iPAQ when I don't want to wear headphones and for watching movies on my portable DVD player, but there is no volume control and I have found that when I'm trying to concentrate on work (see picture below), the volume put out by the speakers is too loud even with the system volume on my iPAQ on the lowest possible setting.

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/assets/common/FileObject/jpg.gif PICT0025.JPG (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/media/users/8094/PICT0025.JPG) (Size: 1,955.1 KB)
I have the exact same speakers... I assume that putting the speaker into passive mode (with iPaq volume turned further up) puts out sound that's not loud enough?

[rhmorrison]

I have the exact same speakers... I assume that putting the speaker into passive mode (with iPaq volume turned further up) puts out sound that's not loud enough?
I tried to buy those Sony speakers but it was impossible to get here in Germany and the Creative TravelSound I could order from Amazon GERMANY.

But I do think that it is nicer to have a volume control on the speaker unit itself instead of having to play with the volume on the Pocket PC.

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

I have the exact same speakers... I assume that putting the speaker into passive mode (with iPaq volume turned further up) puts out sound that's not loud enough?
I tried to buy those Sony speakers but it was impossible to get here in Germany and the Creative TravelSound I could order from Amazon GERMANY.
They're actually not that easy to find here in the US either. I live in the US but I actually bought mine while I was abroad in Japan.

But I do think that it is nicer to have a volume control on the speaker unit itself instead of having to play with the volume on the Pocket PC.
Agreed. But the passive mode on the Sony units do provide other listening options, and that's all I was pointing out.

That said, I'm actually quite curious as to the sound quality difference between these two units. The Sony's that I have is impressive. My only complaint is that the unit itself is a little on the larger side... and with the 4 AA batteries, it can be a bit heavy too.

If this Creative unit can match or surpass my Sony's in sound quality, I'll seriously consider purchasing it.

[rhmorrison]

That said, I'm actually quite curious as to the sound quality difference between these two units. The Sony's that I have is impressive. My only complaint is that the unit itself is a little on the larger side... and with the 4 AA batteries, it can be a bit heavy too.

If this Creative unit can match or surpass my Sony's in sound quality, I'll seriously consider purchasing it.
I had read such a comparison on the web between these two units and for the author of the article (that I can't seem to find) he thought the sound of the Creative unit had a little better bass and he liked the volume control. Both units had excellent stereo sound.

You micht take a look at the following links: Creative TravelSound portable speakers (http://www.pocket-lint.co.uk/review.php?reviewId=435) Creative TravelSound MP3 Titanium Review (http://gear.ign.com/articles/382/382946p1.html) Creative TravelSound (http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/Creative_TravelSound/4514-5_16-30420025.html) Creative TravelSound Review (http://www.hexus.net/content/reviews/review.php?dXJsX3Jldmlld19JRD00MTY=) Honey, I shrunk the speakers! (http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/4520-6450_16-5136402-1.html) Sony SRS-T57 (http://reviews.cnet.com/Sony_SRS_T57/4505-6467_7-30788705-2.html) Creative TravelSound - CNET editor's preview (http://askmen-cnet.com.com/Creative_TravelSound/4505-8900_7-30420025-2.html) Sony SRS-T77 - CNET editor's preview (http://att.com.com/Sony_SRS_T77/4505-3179_7-6900789-2.html)

[MdMM]

:roll:

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