Jazz Speakers' J1321 USB model: Speakers beyond my expectations

The usual complaint I say to myself when I use my ibook is the built in speakers. When I want to listen to music or watch movies in a not so quiet environment, I definitely cannot hear the sound. I have my old desktop PC speakers but that needs to be plugged in a power socket which limits its "portability".

As I went to Broadway Centrum to get some Mac stuff c/o another Mac enthusiast who has a Photo/Fuji film shop there, I passed by in Broadway's newly renovated computer shop area and saw a nice looking ball shape crystal speakers made by Jazz Speakers. Priced at 895 pesos in Gaisano PC shop, I was attracted to the shape as well as to the white covering which of course complements my iBook.

I asked the staff to try it out since I feel that the sound would be poor quality. However, when they played music, the PC shop staff and myself was pleasantly surprised that the sound was crisp and full. I am not an audiophile but I definitely see the more than expected sound quality that this unit produce.

As I tried it on my iBook, I simply plugged it in the USB port and voila!!!! I got a very nice sound system for my iTunes and movie playing. It is still bulky approximately the size of my closed fist with my other fist on top of the closed fist.

The good side is that it uses the USB port which gets its power there as well as the audio. It claims it has 200w PMPO. The crackling sound you hear when connecting speakers to the audio out port is not experienced which I often get irritated with my previous speakers. The usb and speaker to speaker cord is around 1.5 meters.

It works also on winXP (autodetect) and win98 (via drivers).
If you are looking for better sound at a good price and no power cords, this may be the unit you need.

The specifications: Jazz speakers Model J1321
Output: 0.5w x 2
Driver: 2.5" Full Range
Impedance: 4 ohms
Freq. Response: 100 Hz-20Khz
Magnetically shielded: Yes
Dimension (WxHxD): 103x103x80 mm
with Xear 3D technology

Pros:
No more power cord via USB
Digital sound via USB
More than expected sound quality for its price

Cons:
Size still a bit bulky
Use of USB port might be limiting for some