laptop speakers

Not happy with the audio coming from your laptop? No surprise there -- it's fairly miraculous that manufacturers manage to squeeze in speakers at all.

And yet many folks use their laptops as media centers in dens and bedrooms. So how can you get more aural enjoyment from your games, movies, and music?

Simple: add a sound bar. Even an inexpensive one should offer a huge improvement over the tiny, tinny speakers built into your system. If nothing else, it projects the sound forward instead of down, out, or up (depending on where the internal speakers are mounted).

Today … Read more

Altec Lansing has previously gone with a single, mono speaker for its Orbit line of portable PC speakers. But now it's doubling up with the latest Orbit--the Orbit Stereo--a set of USB powered speakers that snap together into one long tube when not in use, so you can tuck them into a suitcase or laptop bag. While the Orbit Stereo aren't tiny, they are lightweight, weighing in at 12.8 ounces.

We've been playing around with a pair and they sound decent enough at close range, and while they don't exactly fill up a room with … Read more

Logitech on Wednesday adds two new additions to its line of portable speakers: the Laptop Speaker Z305 and the Wireless Speaker Z515. These portable audio solutions are the ideal way to add a soundtrack to your outdoor activities.

The $60 Logitech Laptop Speaker Z305 is a reimagining of the Z205 that earned a "very good" rating earlier this year for its simple setup procedure, USB-powered convenience, and adequate sound quality for its size and price. This time, the Z305 update still retains the compact, clip-on design but now features "surround sound" thanks to its dual forward- and backward-firing 2-inch drivers.

The Z305's USB cord delivers both sound and power to the speaker, but there's also a 3.5mm headphone jack to draw audio from external devices like an iPod or a Zune. At 12.75 inches long, the speaker is definitely longer (and $20 more) than the Z205, but the "360-degree" sound feature is likely a worthwhile trade-off. We'll know for sure once we finish testing, so keep check back with CNET for our full review!

The $100 Logitech Wireless Speaker Z515 offers full stereo sound up to 50 feet away from its audio source thanks to the 2.4GHz wireless connection. Unlike Bluetooth, the signal can connect to any computer with a USB port available for the adapter, which is included in the box.

Like the Z305, the Z515 also includes a 3.5mm stereo jack for external devices. Dual 2-inch stereo drivers pump audio out of the speaker and an impressive rechargeable battery keeps the party going for up to 10 hours. One more picture of the Z305 after the break.… Read more

Road warriors who want to improve the sound of their laptops' speakers have several choices to select from, including Altec's Orbit speaker and various other portable PC speakers; however, many of these can be a bit bulky and aren't the easiest with which to travel.

The Philips SPA5210B is a little different from most of its competitors in that it's a sound bar-style speaker that clips on to the top of a laptop screen--it can also sit on a table, if you'd prefer. It includes a clip-on mechanism with a hand-screw on its back that lets … Read more

To date, Altec Lansing's little portable Orbit speaker has come in a few different colors and designs. The latest offering, the Orbit USB ($49.95), offers USB connectivity so you can conveniently plug it into your laptop.

In going to USB, the overall design of the speaker hasn't really changed (though we do prefer the black finish), but Altec has added a flip-out kickstand to the bottom, so you can prop it up at a 45-degree angle. Previously, the speaker fired upward or you could stand it up on its side, though not an angle. The kickstand is … Read more