Creative Labs 51MF5045AA000 Travelsound 250 Speaker System (White)
By: Creative Labs Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 17
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 On: 2008-06-26
This is truly a great design and easy to use. The sound is terrific and balanced.
On: 2008-06-07
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3RGY63AY4RLAD These speakers regularly priced at over $100, but now only $12 are the best bargain out there. They get louder than the speakers that come with most new computers, they look and sound good and they have great battery life.
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 On: 2008-04-23
I feel that this is a decent product for some people. Ive tried to use it multiple times outdoors to watch movies on my laptop and it has to be turned up all the way and the sound isnt that great. however, it is extremely portable which is very nice. also, if you are using it inside the volume is plenty loud enough and has good sound.
On: 2008-04-08
This is an amazing product with such a small price but such a big sound. I am very impressed with it!
On: 2008-03-29
I am a traveling music teacher and really dont want to lug a boombox around with me. Further, I prefer to use my Creative Stone Plus to store my music, rather than a multitude of CDs.
Enter the Creative 250 portable speaker. I can have my elementary school bands play along with the recordings...something they couldnt do with a typical boombox (volume couldnt compete).
I had my reservations, but ordered 3 systems online (one for two different schools, and one for home) and figured it was worth the gamble for the price.
Overall, I am immensely pleased with this purchase.
Now, for some ideas for improvement...
1. The line in cord SHOULD be longer. Yes, you can buy one on your own, but I dont see the purpose for such a short cord (other than cost-cutting).
2. Have a digital volume readout.
3. (This is for the seller, not the product:) Dont raise the price by $5 in one week. I know, I know, its STILL an amazing deal. You have a right to make a profit.... Sigh.
On: 2008-02-14
Bought it as a gift. Cant tell the diff in sound with its previous incarnation - travelsound 400 that I own personally. Seem to use the same titanium drivers. But these look more stylish. For their size - and thats the key here - "For their size", these may be the best sounding speakers out there. They use digital amplification - quite efficient and can play pretty loud. If you can equalize a bit - the sound really rocks.
One issue with these speakers is lack of protection for the speaker drivers - difficult to pack and take along. The case that comes with it is only a drawstring bag. The "folding stand" cant be turned to cover the speaker drivers - That would have been smart and wonder what kept Creative from going that route. and the stand itself is bulky and a waste of space. Also - the volume control is on the front and hard to press. You have to hold the unit with one hand and press the volume control with the other - stupid design. The vol control should have been located on top. Also, the input jack is at the back - so you cant place the unit flush against the wall on a narrow shelf or ledge. The input jack too should have been placed on top or on the side.
Minor issues - so one star taken away.
On: 2008-02-14
For $8.70 you cant get better than this. the sound is loud enough for a room, its clear and crisp upto a level, then distorts (acceptable). the controls on the speaker for on/off and volume work ok. sound is better than the logitech mm28 which i hav used and that was good too, but had to gift it to a relative.
the wide sound effect is good though not any exciting
unit looks good and size of the unit is small - a lil bigger than a whiteboard duster/wiper.
though i havent exactly measured it, batteries last a good amount of time, more than 3-4 hours.
Cons:
the connecting cord is not very long, though enough for me (heard u can get a longer one for $1-2 or so from radioshack)
u got to have 4 AAA (preferably rechargeable and a charger) - i have a charger that can charge only 2 AAAs at a time, so takes me some time to get it running once the charge is drained out.
the wall charger is not easily available in the market or is crazily costlier than the unit itself.
the tilting stand that the speaker sits, isnt any use, i beleive it is not required and the unit wud be smaller and cuter if it wasnt there.
Finally, i hate to pay shipping as much as the unit price ($8)... check other place, i saw a $12 deal with free shipping at some website.
Overall, there arent much better options in this price range... i resrched quite enough... this product is sure worth its price, if not more.
On: 2008-02-08
I wasnt expecting too much from the price but I was amazed by this
speaker. It has all the volume I could ask for and the sound quality is
outstanding. Battery life is excellent and the carry bag has plenty
of room for my mp3 player, too. Couldnt be happier.
On: 2007-07-01
I bought this speaker for the days Im home and cleaning or whatever without using my headphones (especially when the Rents will be calling me for some task or other.) I was a bit weary at first because of the disappointed reviews with distortion of the sound but bought it anyhow because i like the company!
Well i wasnt disappointed with the speakers and if i dont try to put the volume up too loud on my Mp3 or on the speakers its loud enough to hear without distortion another reviewer said it best i think "people want a tall drink in a short glass" or something of that nature. So honestly for its size dont expect boom box/ surround sound quality and youll be just fine!
On: 2007-03-11
I bought this at Wal-Mart for [...] after reading about many different portable speakers. I hadnt encountered this model in my search, however. With every intention of taking advantage of the return policy, I brought it home and tested it immediately. It sounded quite good. I turned it up; it still sounded good. I turned it up such that it hurt my ears and there was no distortion. It even maintained its modest, but audible bass. I began to compare it to my 2.1 THX approved computer speakers at similar volume. Naturally, its bass didnt compete with a sub-woofer, but the important thing is that you can HEAR the bass. Instruments and vocals at the low end of the spectrum are not lost at any volume. I was so pleased with the clarity and breadth of sound that I forgot that it was powered by batteries. I was shocked, actually, that it was putting out such volume on four AAA batteries.
Now, to be a bit less sensational, Im very pleased with these speakers and Im confident that theyll provide more than adequate enjoyment, even as I consider myself an audiophile. Its a perfect solution for those parts of the house where I want my music without headphones: the kitchen while Im cooking, the garage. The speakers are quite light. Not tiny in comparison with my iPod Shuffle, but miniscule in contrast with the sound they produce. I also appreciate that the provided line-in cable is very minimal without any bulk around the plug, like most cheap 3.5mm plugs have. It comes with a felt pouch which I will definitely use, as the speakers are not protected by any kind of mesh or screen.
Finally, I discovered a switch on the back when I was putting in the batteries. It activates the "Wide Sound" feature which makes the speakers sound further apart. Ill have to spend more time with this feature to judge for certain, but so far its effective and subtle.
On: 2007-01-12
Easy to bring it everywhere and the sound quality is very good.
On: 2007-01-11
This was another fun little add-on that I got so I could listen to my MP3 player. Really, I wasnt expecting much, since they are after all external speakers, but I was pleasantly surprised... This is a great little unit... Certainly the best Ive ever owned in the "external speaker" market. :)
Its really plug-and-play... Add the batteries, connect your MP3 player, and youre done. Ive gotten about 20 hours out of the batteries that were included with the unit, which isnt to shabby. No, theres no AC adapter which would have been nice, but I dont miss having it, since Id usually be running it off the battery anyway. Its great to just pick it up and move it without having to disconnect anything when I want to move to another part of the house. And having it run off the batteries is WAAAAAY better than having it run off of the MP3 players juice.
The sound quality is fantastic, in my opinion. Definitely impressive considering the size of the speakers. Sure, it distorts when you turn it up too loud, no, it doesnt sound as great as a stereo, but this isnt a stereo and some distortion isnt uncommon for external speakers such as this. The fact that theres no distortion when its played quietly, or even at a moderately loud level, is a miracle in and of itself when it comes to speakers like this, a lot of which sound like distorted garbage at any level, much less a loud one. The sound quality is fantastic, not flat or echoed, and really quite impressive.
On my player, playing a song heavy in bass, I had the speakers turned all the way up (they have a volume control independent of your player, which is helpful for fine-tuning the quality of the sound being put out) and my volume control set to 13 (out of 20) with no distortion, some distortion at 14, and moderate distortion at 16-17. When I turned my players volume to 20 (very distorted), but turned down the speakers to a point where I could hear no distortion, it was still louder than when I had the speakers turned all the way up with my players volume at 13. When I played acoustic music, I could have both the speakers and my player as loud as they could handle with almost no distortion.
The volume on that is quite loud, loud enough to need to speak louder than normal voice to get heard in a room where its playing. If you need to go louder than that, well, thats not what these are made for, and youre better off buying a cable to connect your MP3 player to your stereo.
Overall, this is a great unit and a great value, and I highly recommend them. I wouldnt pay $90 for it (since thats apparently the list price), but since you can find it everywhere from here to Wal*Mart to Best Buy for $29-$40, you shouldnt have to.
On: 2007-01-11
Easy to bring it everywhere and the sound quality is very good.
On: 2007-01-10
This was another fun little add-on that I got so I could listen to my MP3 player. Really, I wasnt expecting much, since they are after all external speakers, but I was pleasantly surprised... This is a great little unit... Certainly the best Ive ever owned in the "external speaker" market. :)
Its really plug-and-play... Add the batteries, connect your MP3 player, and youre done. Ive gotten about 20 hours out of the batteries that were included with the unit, which isnt to shabby. No, theres no AC adapter which would have been nice, but I dont miss having it, since Id usually be running it off the battery anyway. Its great to just pick it up and move it without having to disconnect anything when I want to move to another part of the house. And having it run off the batteries is WAAAAAY better than having it run off of the MP3 players juice.
The sound quality is fantastic, in my opinion. Definitely impressive considering the size of the speakers. Sure, it distorts when you turn it up too loud, no, it doesnt sound as great as a stereo, but this isnt a stereo and some distortion isnt uncommon for external speakers such as this. The fact that theres no distortion when its played quietly, or even at a moderately loud level, is a miracle in and of itself when it comes to speakers like this, a lot of which sound like distorted garbage at any level, much less a loud one. The sound quality is fantastic, not flat or echoed, and really quite impressive.
On my player, playing a song heavy in bass, I had the speakers turned all the way up (they have a volume control independent of your player, which is helpful for fine-tuning the quality of the sound being put out) and my volume control set to 13 (out of 20) with no distortion, some distortion at 14, and moderate distortion at 16-17. When I turned my players volume to 20 (very distorted), but turned down the speakers to a point where I could hear no distortion, it was still louder than when I had the speakers turned all the way up with my players volume at 13. When I played acoustic music, I could have both the speakers and my player as loud as they could handle with almost no distortion.
The volume on that is quite loud, loud enough to need to speak louder than normal voice to get heard in a room where its playing. If you need to go louder than that, well, thats not what these are made for, and youre better off buying a cable to connect your MP3 player to your stereo.
Overall, this is a great unit and a great value, and I highly recommend them. I wouldnt pay $90 for it (since thats apparently the list price), but since you can find it everywhere from here to Wal*Mart to Best Buy for $29-$40, you shouldnt have to.
On: 2006-09-11
Wow...reading the other reviews gave me pause.
If you expect miraculous sound from a speaker that costs $40, look someplace else and let me know because come on.
For $40 this small speaker is handy and sounds fine to me. If you turn it on full blast, yes, its distorted, but its quite good at moderate levels. It actually sounds better as it breaks in. I doubt audiophiles would bother with it, but it delivers a lot for its cheap price.
On: 2006-09-10
Wow...reading the other reviews gave me pause.
If you expect miraculous sound from a speaker that costs $40, look someplace else and let me know because come on.
For $40 this small speaker is handy and sounds fine to me. If you turn it on full blast, yes, its distorted, but its quite good at moderate levels. It actually sounds better as it breaks in. I doubt audiophiles would bother with it, but it delivers a lot for its cheap price.
On: 2006-09-03
I am only using this speaker with my MP3 player, usually at work. It works really well for playing music at my desk. I dont know how long the batteries will last (no AC power adaptor included). I am still using the batteries that it came with and they have not died yet after about 2 weeks of use at the office. I dont know how much use you will get with 4 AAA batteries, but I guess you can always plug it in if you have an adaptor.
On: 2006-09-02
I am only using this speaker with my MP3 player, usually at work. It works really well for playing music at my desk. I dont know how long the batteries will last (no AC power adaptor included). I am still using the batteries that it came with and they have not died yet after about 2 weeks of use at the office. I dont know how much use you will get with 4 AAA batteries, but I guess you can always plug it in if you have an adaptor.
 On: 2006-07-14
They look nice, but that is about all I can positively say. Once you turn up the volume they distort wildly. The connecting cable is tiny and, annoyingly, no power adaptor is supplied. If you are playing your music loudly through them the batteries just dont last. Value for money? I think not.
On: 2006-07-13
They look nice, but that is about all I can positively say. Once you turn up the volume they distort wildly. The connecting cable is tiny and, annoyingly, no power adaptor is supplied. If you are playing your music loudly through them the batteries just dont last. Value for money? I think not.
On: 2006-07-05
I bought this item pretty much for my iPod, as the other reviewer said it does come with a short cord but hey buy a longer one which costs $2 at radio shack. one thing I dont like is that it doesnt come with an AC adaptor.
So far the sound quality is pretty good for a little speaker system, theres a subwoofer which is sold seperately so when you do turn up the volume it does get distorted a bit.
To me its great for hotel rooms etc. when traveling.
On: 2006-06-07
I love the looks of this speaker system... but then the fun ends. The audio-in cord is about 8 inches long, which doesnt give you much placement option; the unit is freestanding only, and I had to keep grabbing it while traveling to keep it near the computer; and worse of all, any volume greater than my original pc speakers caused severe distortion... like the speakers were busted already. I listen to a lot of talk, as well as music, which fared no better. I cringed at the sound from these speakers for about 6 hours on a road trip before promptly returning them for a refund.
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