LaCie USB Speakers

Ease-of-use is a highly prized feature of any gadget, and LaCie has designed a set of portable speakers with that goal in mind. The LaCie USB Speakers are as simple to use as a keyboard or a mouse, and the modern “chic” design may fit as well in your living room as they do in your office. They are also priced at a modest $59 USD. But with pricing and styling aside, how do they actually sound? Read on for our take on these USB powered speakers.

Design

The LaCie USB Speakers were designed by an artist named Neil Poulton, who is famous in artistic circles for his mass-produced minimalistic products. The speakers feature a curved design that looks a lot like the top of a 18-wheeler exhaust pipe. The white housing surrounds a black speaker cover, with a small grill covering each.

The design is clean looking and definitely follows a simplistic style, which was the goal of the creative design team. The circular ring underneath the speakers is made of a sticky rubber that gives them a solid footing and keeps them from slipping around on your desk. The right speaker houses all of the connections - one cable that connects left speaker to the right one, and a USB cord to plug into your computer. Also included in the right speaker is a line-in jack and an input for an AC adapter (optionally sold). One additional nice touch is that the speakers have a small cutout on the bottom that neatly guides the two cables and allows the speakers to sit flush against a hard surface.

Features

• Interface : Hi-Speed USB 2.0
• Output Minimum : 2W audio; 1W per channel
• Amplifier : Class D
• Driver : High excursion neodymium driver (2 inches/5cm)
• Signal Processing & Frequency : 16-bit / 48kHz
• System Requirements : • Mac or PC with a USB port • Mac® OS X 10.3.5 or higher / Windows® 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista
• Frequency Response : 90Hz - 20kHz
• Size : 5.31 x 3.94 x 3.54 in. / 135 x 100 x 90 mm
• Warranty : 1 Year Limited Warranty

In the Box

• Right and left speakers with built-in cables
• Audio device input cable
• Quick Install Guide
• Carrying bag

Out of the Box Setup

Using the Quick Install guide, the installation and setup of the LaCie USB speakers could not have been easier. After plugging in the left speaker to the right one and plugging in the USB cable to the computer, the system automatically recognized the speakers and set the audio output to the USB speakers. There was no driver installation to mess with and no other configuration needed. There is no volume control, no on/off switch or any other buttons/knobs on these speakers. Using Windows XP as the operating system, these speakers are literally plug and play.

Performance Testing

The sound quality performance evaluation using the LaCie USB speakers was done by listening to MP3s stored on my laptop. The laptop uses an internal Realtec audio chip for sound processing. I listened to a number MP3s with bit rates of 128kbps and 320kbps. A wide selection of classical, rock, alternative and hip-hop music was used in the evaluation.

First impressions showed that the speakers are very bright sounding and almost brassy. They do provide a lot of detail when you have them positioned directly in front of you, and the sound was very clear and crisp. However, I had to quickly open up the software equalizer to dial back the treble in order to be able to enjoy listening to them.

Bass drums and low frequencies were practically nonexistent, and moving the low frequency slider down within the equalizer resulted in a lot of muddy sounding gurgles that were not pleasant at all. Keeping the size of the speakers in mind – 2-inch drivers for each speaker – this was really no surprise. All things considered, however, I had hoped for a bit more punch.

Further testing revealed that the speakers sound good with jazz and classical music, but struggle with most hip-hop and rock music. Mids and highs are fairly balanced, but I could not find any equalizer setting that smoothed out the highs while still keeping the vocals from sounding recessed. In many songs it sounded like the best vocalists were either drowned out by the high frequencies, or they were buried beneath a few feet of thick carpeting.

The depth of the sound stage is minimally produced with the speakers directly in front of you, and sitting anywhere other than straight in front will reveal a very narrow sound stage. Mids were mostly lost as you moved off-center, and the fullness of the music was diminished.

Turning up the volume exposes a harsher tone to the sound, although the speakers actually do produce quite a lot of volume for only being powered by a USB connection. They are more than powerful enough to fill a small office or small dorm room. Do not expect them to fill an average sized room, such as a kitchen or living room, however.

Portability

The small stature of the LaCie USB speakers makes them easily portable, and the included travel bag is a nice touch. The travel bag could easily fit into a suitcase, although it would not be easy to stuff it into a laptop bag. It would fit into a standard sized backpack, so that is definitely an option if you are interested in traveling with these speakers. The USB power also makes them a very nice travel companion, as you never need to worry about plugging the speakers into an AC outlet. Portability is a definitely a strong plus point of these speakers.

LaCie USB Speakers

The LaCie USB Speakers offer a very portable and easy-to-use speaker package at a relatively modest price of $59 USD. Style-wise these speakers are sleek looking and feature a clean and modern look.

But at the end of the day, the sound quality of the speakers was not overly impressive. The sound quality is a step above most laptop speakers - albeit only a minor step. If you really enjoy listening to music and appreciate full, rich and balanced sound, I recommend that you do yourself a favor and spend a bit more money on a more powerful and sonically pleasing speaker set. In this reviewers opinion, LaCie has gone for style over substance with this speaker set. Whether the style, ease of use and portability trumps the substance is up to you, but for my money I would spend a bit more to get a sweeter sounding speaker set.

Pros: Truly plug-and-play using USB power, compatible with Mac and Windows, chic design, easily portable with included travel bag.

Cons: So-so sound quality, lacking bass.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

www.lacie.com