Laptop Speakers - USB, Portable, Compact, Travel Speaker for PC and Mac - B-Flex 2 Hi-Fi Stereo USB Speaker (Black) Reviews

• Surprising sound

  
  By A2BD0FRF1GABAA on 2007-02-12
  Great sound from a little package. This is the tiniest unit and you would never guess but it has a huge sound for it's size. I have an Acer laptop which I love. It's performance is practically flawless --- Except the speakers, which are the worst. You can barely hear music from them. So I purchased these speakers for a boost in sound and they work great. I think they're priced a little high, but they do have a tremendous sound for the size. Very portable and easy to take along.I would recommend them for the traveler. There a great addition for a laptop with low sound performance and very portable.
  
  

• Are we listening to the same speakers?

  
  By AHKOPVTQ3IEBL on 2007-08-07
  We bought this speaker for our Gateway M505 Media Laptop on a recent trip. The M505 has reasonable speakers for a laptop, but their volume level isn't quite strong enough for us to be happy--we'd always find ourselves straining to hear dialogue from movies.
  
  From reading the reviews I honestly thought this would solve our problem in a nifty self-contained USB-powered fashion.
  
  For us it didn't.
  
  We found the speakers to be nearly identical to the M505 speakers, and while the B-Flex did give us the tiniest improvement in volume, it wasn't enough to really give us adequate volume, or the "big sound" many reviewers have mentioned. Also, there is no way a speaker the size of these can give the kind of frequency response any level of audiophile would be happy with.
  
  So, who should try out this speaker? If you have standard tinny sounding laptop speakers (the almost nonexistent kind), these will be a big improvement. Also you will like the fact that it is USB powered so no batteries, no cords are needed.
  
  However, having said that, I really think the bottom line is, to get truly better sound, you need to use a powered speaker. I think some of the JBL's may be the way to go.
  
  For cost of these guys, unless you catch them on sale, my advice is to keep looking. We had to return ours. (Thanks to Amazon a really fair & generous return policy).
  
  

• Lightweight and compact

  
  By A3LS6OJMQ9ME6K on 2007-02-15
  Very good speakers. Except.
  I use them with PowerPoint with small groups. The volume is OK but I bought a second unit and found the computer would only run one speaker at a time.
  Dan Poynter, Author, Publisher, Speaker.
  Author of The Self-Publishing Manual.
  DanPoynter@ParaPublishing.com
  
  

• NOT RECOMMENDED FOR DELL LAPTOPS

  
  By A1DVZRLG41EYHZ on 2007-09-02
  After several weeks of light, mid-volume use, the speaker stopped working on my Dell Latitude D500 and I began receiving error messages noting a "device malfunction". After trading emails with J-Lab customer service, I was instructed to return the speaker by mail (at my expense) for a refund. The refund I received was 80% of the original purchase price because, according to J-Lab, the device was still "working" upon receipt. The representative handling the return acknowledged that there has, in fact, been a history of compatibility issues with Dell laptops-- in other words, a "working" speaker may not always operate correctly when connected to a Dell laptop. Is trying this speaker on your Dell worth the risk of paying two sets of shipping charges, losing 20% of the purchase price, and spending time emailing representatives and repacking/mailing the device? If not, maybe it's worth considering alternatives.
  
  
  

• Oh Happy Day!

  
  By A28JII7FE3LUSR on 2007-01-07
  I love my laptop. I had it now for 5 years. The one problem ... I broke the stereo output jack and one of the internal speaker connections a while back when I dropped it. When I saw this product (an external speaker pair that only needs to be plugged into a USB port) I felt that perhaps I'd found a way to once again listen to my music. I placed my order and waited with cautious optimism.
  
  Joy, joy. They are everything I had hoped. I plugged them in, they work, I've got sound again. They even sound better than my original speaker ever did. Not audiofile quality of course, but quite acceptable for a laptop speaker system. My thanks to those responsible for developing and marketing this great little product.
  
  
• Terrific Little Speaker with Clear, Strong Sound
  By A1SESAC1IHP749 on 2007-09-06
  After reading several dozen consumer reviews describing laptop speakers I puchased this one. You simply plug it into your laptop, or USB hub, swivel the gooseneck to position the speaker where you want, and you've got an excellent speaker that fits in a small laptop utility bag.
  
  The only complaint I have is that there is no quick volume control; once you've plugged it into your USB port, it overrides the laptop's volume control "knob". You have to open the volume icon in your Control Panel every time you want to adjust the speaker volume, which can be too slow when you're being blasted by a loud video.
  
  This is not to say that there is anything wrong with the volume modulation in the speaker itself, just that there seems to be a wide volume range across items I view--YouTube, email messages with videos from friends, etc.
  
  If this speaker had a volume control knob it would be perfect!
  
  
• Amazing USB powered speaker - B Flex
  By A921JOUKG5MQ0 on 2006-12-18
  The built-in speakers on laptops stink.
  This speaker is the first light, portable speaker to give your audio a bigger blast. Plus, the real beauty is it's powered by your computer's USB port. AMAZING - NO WIRES GOING TO A POWER OUTLET. I work in the media business, so i'm constantly screening stuff off my laptop. I bought one, but my clients kept borrowing it - so we decided to give them away this year as a holiday present. One of the best gifts ever! Love this thing.
  
  
• Powerful Speaker for a Small Price
  By AKQCH02SB6QBH on 2007-01-17
  When shopping for a laptop speaker my one requirement was that it be usb powered. There were very few products on the market that did this and the reviews for almost all of them were terrible. I finally stumbled upon the B-Flex, the reviews were good and the price was right. This is a great product. You're not going to be blown away by the sound, but given its price and its small size, it gets the job done. I'm very happy with it.
  
  
• Excellent Speakers
  By A3RIN075894RVV on 2007-01-30
  I have been meaning to buy speakers for my Toughbook CF-18 since they are mostly busted.
  
  And I found these JLAB speakers on here and the reviews were fantastic.
  
  I now know why they have such good reviews. I plugged in the speaker, went to control panel/sounds and set it for USB speakers and WOW.
  
  Clear sounding.
  Great volume levels.
  
  
  
• Perfect for our needs
  By A3AP6WDFR9M5LZ on 2007-02-10
  We usually take our laptop on vacations and often use it as an in-room DVD player. Our Toshiba Satellite's built-in speakers are, like most laptop speakers, poor at best. We wanted a very simple, small speaker system that packs easily, had good sound, and importantly was self powered thus avoiding plug wires.
  
  Knowing that we weren't going to get knock-out bass or stereophile sound from small self-powered speakers, the B-flex looked perfect. It turned out to be true plug-and-play, the bendable arm allows you to position it best for your needs, it was inexpensive, and the sound was much better than expected.
  
  If you're looking for a great solution to travel speakers or simply an easy inexpensive way to upgrade your laptop sound, this is a great choice.
  
  
• my macbook speaker woes are over!!
  By A2B73DK91HGJ5Q on 2006-12-16
  WOW! This product has totally boosted my macbook's speakers! I could just barely hear them before. Can hear all my music loud and clear now and the sound quality is super good. My girlfriend tried it on her dell and loved the sound, so I got her one for Chanukah. Great product!
  
  
• I Love These Speakers!
  By A1D2MMV7FN3R6B on 2006-12-16
  I recieved a b-flex speaker as a gift not too long ago and I love it! It doesn't require a power cord, it instantly installs itself (I'm running windows XP), and it sounds great! It's a clever idea and a well built device. I haven't had any problems with it at all and I highly recommend it! Anyone with a USB port should have one! I just bought the JLab J-Buds as well for my iPod.
  
  
• What You See is What You Get
  By A6KSYQEW8UOUQ on 2006-12-25
  Don't expect great audio quality from these speakers, or any discernible stereo separation. But you do get a reasonable speaker for the price.
  
  
• Terrific Sound!!!
  By A1OHCXUP9H9IRS on 2006-12-17
  Great sound from little speakers! The sound is terrific - I recommend these to family, friends and co-workers. Great service and excellent communication. Great associate of Amazon. Don't miss out on this terrific speaker - it may be small but the sound it GREAT!
  
  
• Great Volume for a Little Speaker
  By AS7OKNIVXHIAC on 2007-05-09
  Might not thrill audiophiles but for someone who just wants more volume then the laptop provides it works just fine. It is light and easy to transport. I use it for presentations where sound from the laptop was not loud enough in a large room and it works great.
  
  
• small but powerful speakers
  By AF3SPJ5GHVQW6 on 2007-01-07
  This is a small USB speaker. I was surprised at the sound that came out of those small speaker.
  
  
• Ok Sound
  By A2AKTBRML05X69 on 2007-02-14
  The speaker provides average sound. I was disappointed because I was expecting more. It often crackles when the volume is turned up.
  
  
• Amazed at the sound!
  By A1S08Z2OENVAKO on 2007-04-01
  I cannot believe the large sound from this tiny speaker. I love the flexibility of it and the sound is SO MUCH better than my everex speaker. If you need a laptop speaker this is the one to buy. It is very portable and kinda cool looking!
  
  
• Flexible, Mobile & Fierceful
  By A3JJOD458THRQK on 2007-05-13
  Love this laptop speakers!! My laptop speakers suck so much that this little guy just gives me the wonderful sound my laptop deserves!! I highly recommend it!!
  
  
• Definite improvement over stock, and extremely portable
  By A1J5UUVOES4BRW on 2007-07-07
  My boyfriend bought me this speaker. It is plug-and-play. On my computer, often movies are not loud enough for some reason and with this speaker it's as loud as we could possibly want. Also I can blast my music throughout the house from my laptop - before I could not because it sounded horrible at high volumes.
  
  I'm not much of a sound expert, but I think it sounds pretty good.
  
  
• Good Stuff
  By A342T4Q3VGZUPU on 2008-05-14
  This product performed well out of the box. It's best to plug into your laptop before you turn it on. This will enable you to utilize your volume controls for your laptop. I tried plugging it in after my laptop was already turned on and this prevented me from using my volume controls. Rebooted...no problem. You get great sound from a small package.
  
  
• Just what I needed
  By A3T8H5O0CZL8X8 on 2008-02-15
  These are just what I needed for my Thinkpad x60s. Now I can finally hear the movies and TV shows I download and watch with iTunes on my laptop while traveling! I recommend this item for anyone who needs a simple and inexpensive way to increase laptop sound when watching downloaded video.
  
  
• Great until they broke!
  By A1AQJH19EV13OS on 2008-05-03
  I loved these little speakers. They're extremely easy & portable. I had been using them for about one year, up until yesterday when the USB connecter separated itself from the speakers. I guess the flexible wire was just a little too flexible and got worn out. Be careful!
  
  
• OSX 10.5.2 Leopard and JLAB - great!
  By A134AUWFQFCU2N on 2008-06-01
  I bought this unit despite some negative reviews, and.. I'm impressed! It's about 5x as loud as the internal speakers on the macbook (white). there were some audio/video sync issues with pre OSX 10.5.2 but its working great now! there was also some comments about 'preferred usb port' on the macbook - but after the OSX update both ports work perfectly.
  
  its a small package, so don't expect the fidelity to be miraculous, but if you're traveling and watching movies in itunes, you won't have to strain to hear!
  
  --Chas.
  
  
• Very Cumbersome
  By AAMS9MK1Y6KQ3 on 2008-06-18
  I was hoping to get a sound that was a bit better on my laptop to listen to itunes. I plugged it in the the speaker was so top heavy it kept pulling out of the usb. After proping it up I started to play my itunes and the sound didn't come through. I checked all my settings and it wouldn't work. I have since returned the item.
  I will say that the "ding" from my computer was pretty clear...
  
  

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