Creative TravelSound Notebook 500 Speaker Review (pics)

by Amber M. Barry, Oklahoma, USA

Creative TravelSound Notebook 500 speaker (view large image)

With the advances in technologies for laptops, you would think that we would have better integrated  notebook speakers by now as well, but obviously that isn't the case. Lately there has been a trend to put speakers in the front of the laptop. For those of us that have this feature, you know that there is the good, the bad and the ugly.

• The Good: nice when listening to music with lid closed.
• The Bad: its okay when watching a DVD unless you have your laptop on a desk.
• The Ugly: unless you enjoy distorted or blocked out music, you might as well forget about listening to music while actually using your laptop.

Hence the need for external speakers, but what is the sense of having a laptop if it can't be completely portable (something important to those of us that likes to stay in bed or sit in our favorite recliner)? Creative has designed a set of external speakers that solve this problem -- TravelSound Notebook 500. These are one of the few sets of speakers that I've seen clip on to a laptop.

Some would call me a bit of an audiophile. Whether it's catching up with NotebookReview.com, websurfing, or in the slightest chance that I might actually be doing homework -- I'll be listening to music. For me, the frontal speakers are just not an option for listening to music while using my laptop, so I decided to give the TravelSound speakers a try.

The Basics

Specs:

• Power: USB, 4 AAA batteries, or AC adapter (sold separately)
• Size: 8.3in x 1.2 x 1.8 (L x W x H)
• Weight: 8.6oz

Package Contents (view large image)

Included in the package is a battery pack (includes 4 AAA batteries), USB power cord, Input Cord, Speaker, and travel bag.

Speakers in folded position, showing all of the options (top view) (view large image)

As you can see, you do have several options with these speakers. One of the best features is being able to choose the power source.  Most external speakers require you to use an AC adapter, but with these, you can plug them directly into your laptop for power.  This makes the speakers completely portable. If you don't want to use these with your laptop or have limited USB ports, you can use batteries (rated to give about 30 hours) or buy an AC adapter.

The speakers do have their own power button and volume control, so you don't have to depend on XP's volume control.  Of course, an increase in the XP volume will increase the volume in your speakers -- a plus for those of us who have media buttons. 

Probably by now, you've hopefully notice the subwoofer output, and if you are like me, you are probably wondering: why in the world is there a subwoofer output on a portable speaker set? I mean, it's not exactly like you are going to carry around a subwoofer in your laptop bag. Anyone have the answer? (plays the Jeopardy theme) Time's up! 

The answer is: I really don't know. If this was any other speaker set, I wouldn't wonder why. Most external speaker sets require some type of flat surface to sit on, but these speakers are specifically designed to be on your laptop -- meaning completely portable. It doesn't make sense on why you would want to hook up a subwoofer to speakers that are less than 18 inches away from you.

You must be crazy if you think that I'm clipping something on to my LCD...

I thought the same thing when I first saw these -- no way was I going to do this, but after looking at the clip more closely, I decided to give it a try. One thing to remember: to clip on to laptop lids or external LCDs -- the hardware must be .5 inches or smaller.

With that said, on most laptops, the top bezel should be long enough that the clip does not touch your LCD or cause any damage. The clip itself has a rubber bumper around the part that touches your bezel/LCD to prevent scratches.  Also the clip doesn't have a tight fit, so it's not putting any pressure on the LCD.

Attached to Inspiron 9300 (view larger image)

Close up of the clip (view larger image)

Side view of Speakers attached to Inspiron 9300 (including Quicksnap Color Kit) (view large image)

My only complaint about the speakers being clipped on to the laptop is that you have to be careful when moving your laptop, or else the speakers will fall. Now, I'm not talking about wiggling around in your chair or minor movements. Things like picking up your laptop and moving it from one location/position to another will cause the speakers to fall.

For desktops and portable electronics, you can use the clip as sort of a kickstand or you can open the speakers so the base (part that has all of the connections) is used for support.

MP3 player with battery pack and Speakers (using the kick stand) (view large image)

So how is the sound quality?

Since the speakers are on top of your LCD, the sound is very crisp and clear. At the same time, the speakers do use either the line out or headphone port on your laptop, so the sound quality is going to depend on your internal soundcard. If you want the best sound possible, I recommend getting an external sound card like the Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS. 

When using the internal sound card, the speakers created an enjoyable listening environment. I wasn't straining to hear the sound as I normally would with my internal speakers.  I could move my arms and not be annoyed by the fact that the sound would go in-n-out like it previously did. Overall the sound quality was very good. My only real complaint is the lack of bass, but that was an easy fix by changing a few settings in Winamp. 

As for use with MP3 player, the sound was very good. Better than with the laptop. So much so that even if you just need a speaker set for your MP3 Player and not your laptop, this would be perfect.  Again, my only complaint was lack of bass, but I was able to adjust my player's settings to accommodate this problem.

Pros

• Portable & Lightweight
• Good sound quality
• Several features & options
• Dual led lights -- blue for USB, amber/yellowish for battery and power adapter
• Clip doesn't cause damage

Cons

• Low bass quality
• Speakers fall off laptop easily
• Cost is a bit expensive

Conclusion

This isn't going to turn your laptop into a surround sound system, but it will give you better quality that most internal speakers.  For those of us that have to deal with the frontal speaker problem, this is one way to help solve that problem.

Purchase Information

You can buy these directly from Creative for $99, or most retailers have them for a cheaper price. 

Creative's Website for this product: http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=4&subcategory=465&product=10796