Cooler Master Choiix Boom Boom Speaker
Submitted by jwhitakr on Fri, 08/27/2010 - 15:22
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Let's face it – the built-in speakers with most laptop and netbook computers are horrible. They are typically underpowered and the resulting sound is shrill and harsh at even modest volume levels. And you can forget about getting any semblance out of bass of them. Luckily, this is not something that you are forced to suffer through as there are many aftermarket portable speakers available for notebook and netbook computers.
Today we'll look at the newest portable speaker offering from Choiix – the Boom Boom Portable Speaker. If you haven't already gathered this from our other Choiix product reviews, it is the newest brand of Cooler Master that focuses on computer and laptop peripherals. The BoomBoom sure is priced attractively at about $25 online, but does it really offer much benefit over typical laptop speakers? Read on to find out.
Design
The thin, flat BoomBoom speaker is unassuming looking and resembles an oversized women's compact case. It is small enough to fit in a pocket, although you'll want to keep it separated from your keys or other items in your pocket as the glossy finish can get scratched or get scuffed easily. The gloss finish also picks up dust and fingerprints easily.
The top cover of the speaker flips open to double as both a stand and a protective covering over the speaker drivers. The 4 identically sized drivers are arranged horizontally from left to right in a similar fashion as a home theater center channel speaker.
Embedded in the unit is the 3.5mm cable to connect to your laptop, MP3 player or other source device. The 3.5mm cable wraps around the unit for storage, which is quite handy as it keeps the cable from getting caught on anything when it is not in use.
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| Box | Overhead View |
Features and Specifications
- Ultra slim design with storable cord for convenient portability
- High gloss finish has a clean appearance and elegant feel
- Four integrated highly-sensitive drivers and amplifier provide impressive sound quality and volume
- Rich and clear sound for your music, movies and teleconference calls
- Protective speaker lid doubles as a speaker stand
- Standard 3.5 mm audio cable makes it easy to connect to any audio device
- Plug and Play – no software required
- Powered by USB
- Dimensions: 160 L x 90 D x 12 T mm (6.3 L x 3.54 D x 0.47 T inch)
- Weight: 115g (0.25 lbs)
- Driver: 4 x high sensitive drivers
- Power: 2W X 2 Channel (Total 4W output)
- Power Indicator: Blue LED
- Input Power: 5V DC (via mini USB)
- Audio input: 3.5mm audio cable
Out of the Box Setup
The test unit came in the black color and included the following:
- Boom Boom speaker
- USB-to-USB mini cable
- User manual
Setup was extremely simple and took only a few minutes to unpack the Boom Boom, plug it into my laptop and get it running. There is no driver or other installation needed, so the unit is truly plug-and-play. It took me a minute to figure out how to flip open the cover to use it as a stand, and then another minute to figure out how to unwrap the 3.5mm cable.
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| Accessories | Back View |
Sound Quality Performance Testing
The sound quality performance evaluation using the Boom Boom was done exclusively with my Dell Inspiron 1525. I listened to MP3s with bit rates of 128kbps and 320kbps. A wide selection of classical, rock, alternative and hip-hop music was used in the evaluation.
The Boom Boom speaker sounds similar to what you'd expect it to sound like – good amount of treble and clear mid-range frequencies, but not much in the bass department. High frequencies were only somewhat smooth and occasionally sounded harsh – especially with the volume turned up. The speaker can handle plenty of volume for portable listening and can play much louder than what you would expect, as long as your source can deliver it. There is no volume control on the speaker itself, so you are reliant upon the source component to control the volume level.
The 4-speaker array does a respectable job with instrument separation, with clear mids and highs for most tracks. It struggles with complex tracks and loses some points there in the clarity department. At reasonable volume levels, I enjoyed listening to fast paced music with the speaker as long as the track was not overly complex. The biggest drawback, which is not too surprising, was the lack of bass. There was very little bass energy and low frequencies lacked any authority.
The sweet spot for listening is, unfortunately, directly in front of the speaker. Move a few degrees to the left or to the right and the sound quality starts to diminish quickly. At about 45-degrees off-center, the speaker starts to sound very flat. With portable users in mind, this is probably not a huge drawback but it is something to keep in mind if you plan to have multiple people listening to the speaker. Given the diminutive size of the 4 drivers in the Boom Boom speaker, the sound quality limitations were not exactly surprising. I can't expect that a portable speaker with the price tag of around $25 is going to deliver full, rich sound that excels in low, mid and high frequencies.
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| Side View | Powered On |
Portability
The small size of the Boom Boom speaker and the fact that it is USB powered make it extremely travel friendly. Add in the fact that it comes with its own built-in stand and the 3.5mm cable can be wrapped around the unit, and it becomes the most portable speaker I have ever laid my eyes upon. It really couldn't be easier to take a speaker with you and I could easily see this being used with other portable music sources that have USB plug-ins.
The only thing I would have liked to see with the speaker is some sort of carrying case. With no case, you run the risk of scratches and dings whenever you travel with the speaker. It also collects dust and fingerprints easily, which would be minimized by keeping it protected in a carrying case.
Cooler Master Choiix Boom Boom Portable Speaker
With such a well-thought out and compact design, along with such a wallet friendly price of about $25, the Boom Boom speaker is a suitable choice for a portable speaker. The sound quality is certainly not on par with a quality set of earphones, and has many of the same limitations as other portable speakers, but it trumps the sound quality produced by typical laptop speakers. I wouldn't use it as my first choice for listening to music, as there are similarly priced headphones that provide better sound quality. But it fills the need quite nicely for those who don't want to use headphones for their portable listening.
Pros: Thin, compact design; inexpensive.
Cons: Sound quality is mediocre; no carrying case.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
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