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Tech Bargains Reiveiws Sound To Go

Posted on: Mar 09, 2011

Filed under: Reviews

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Techbargains Review - Edifier Sound To Go Sound Bar , Mar. 9 9 AM

The Edifier Sound To Go sound bar is a nicely styled auxiliary speaker that enhances typical built-in laptop speakers and, with a USB power source, can play sound from most MP3 players. The housing is brushed aluminum and the unit has a solid feel, weighing in at about 2/3 of a pound. The included cords enabled connection to both tested laptop models (Toshiba and IBM); however, while the sound bar fit nicely over the speakers of the Toshiba, it was too deep for a Thinkpad and overlapped some function keys on that unit. In addition to the stylish design, performance was pretty good too ... but before we discuss that, let's have a look at the specs and features:

USB powered audio streaming
Volume controlled on the device as well as through the source
Connects to auxiliary sound jack of sound devices
Full range 30mm - 70mm magnetically shielded speakers with bass reflection port
Carry pouch
USB and patch cords provided
S/N =75 dBA
Total harmonic distortion = 1%
Input sensitivity 800 mV ± 50 mV (USB) / 500 mV ± 50 mV (Aux)
Dimensions W261 mm x H36 mm x D44 mm, 295 g

What We Liked

Clean Midrange - With clear, natural midrange, acoustic music sounds great coming from the Edifier sound bar. Most movies that are not sound effects extravaganzas sounded just fine too. Treble ran a little high, which causes some sounds to sound "tinny," but overall, we found the sound bar to be a real improvement on the built-in speakers of most laptops.

Concealed Volume Button - Though it's a bit strange at first, the concealed volume button quickly grew on us. Unlike the little plastic dials we are used to with laptops, the sound bar has an aluminum button on the right side that you push and hold to decrease volume, and push repeatedly to increase volume. You can't turn the sound WAY up by accident with this design.

Solid Build Quality - The exterior is well finished, and the unit has some weight that makes it feel solid.

Simple Connection - While our initial review unit had some connection challenges, a replacement sound bar connected flawlessly with both tested computers.

What We Didn't Like

Lack of Bass - Music and movies with a lot of bass suffer when played through the Edifier because the sound drops off significantly at about 125 Hz. (Note, however, that both laptops tested has their sound dropped off at about 200 Hz with their built-in speakers, so you do gain some low end with the Sound To Go sound bar.)

Lack of Cord Management -- We think for a product with the clean lines of the Edifier, some kind of cord management would have improved the perceived aesthetics. A retractable USB cable would be just the ticket here.

Our Verdict:

The Edifier Sound To Go sound bar is an improvement over the built-in speakers found in most laptops. There is an airy sound quality to the sound bar, much like larger bipolar speaker designs. Acoustic and vocal music are very natural sounding. Television and movie viewing are generally improved with the Sound To Go sound bar, except that the lack of bass renders action movie playback, as well as more bass-heavy music types, less than fulfilling. You will lose entire instruments with sounds below 100 Hz being absent, as well as explosions, rumbles, and other deep bass sounds. Still, if you are looking for home theater quality subwoofer impact from a laptop, even with an add-on speaker you are likely to be disappointed. If your expectation is improved sound quality for general multimedia purposes, then the Edifier Sound To Go sound bar is a good performer at a good value.

Our Score: 4 out of 5
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