Cirago WeWa WAS-100

Quick Take: What fun is keeping all of your MP3s to yourself? It's time to let everyone listen to the music, and these portable speakers are designed to turn your MP3 player into a mini boombox. The WeWa WAS-100 features a USB jack positioned between the speakers to allow a direct all-digital connection with the WeWa Blastoff plug-in MP3 player; other players can use the line-in jack on the back of the unit. Just make sure you follow the instructions to a T: plug in the player, turn on the speakers, then activate the player so that the speakers can receive a signal. Although bass response was expectedly thin, music didn't sound quite as tinny as we'd anticipated. What we didn't like was the lack of a volume control--you have to crank the volume on the player itself to achieve the maximum 0.3 watt per channel. It's not a bad choice for listening in hotel rooms, but don't expect these speakers to kick your party into high gear. The WAS-100 operates on three AAA batteries or one nickel-metal-hydride rechargeable gum stick-style battery.