Item: Creative TravelSound
Author: Tarinder Sandhu

Specifications and usage

2 micro-titanium drivers housed in a single-speaker unit with integrated digital amplifier.
Up to 35 hours playback on a single set of AAA batteries.
Wide stereo soundstage and headphone connectivity
Contents include TravelSound unit, pouch, DC adapter, interconnect, and instructions.
2 Watts (RMS) power output.
Frequency response 150Hz - 20kHz.
SNR 75dB.
2 year warranty.

Those of you who know your audio may scoff at its specifications, but remember that this is only a portable unit, and its portability is its selling point.

Usage

The uses for the TravelSound include augmenting the sound from all forms of portable audio including Walkmans, CD players, PDAs, and even laptop computers. I currently own a laptop computer with passable sound. Due to the restricted nature of laptops, there's no real provision for premium sound. You simply don't have the space to create a decent soundstage (top-end laptops excepted). I found the sound on my particular laptop to be rather tinny in nature, so any enhancement to that is viewed in a positive light.

I connected the TravelSound to my laptop once I had found a set of batteries. The 60cm interconnect was long enough for me to position the TravelSound in the best position. Changing from the on-board speakers to the TravelSound's made an immediate difference. I could hear a proper bass line for the first time. Subjectively speaking, the sound was considerably better than the one provided by Toshiba. I had previously refrained from listening to music due to its tinny nature, it now became more than adequate.

This is exactly how I see the TravelSound. A well-made unit that's primary goal is to enhance the listening experience for all types of portable music machines. The fact that the speakers are contained within one unit, and only have one interconnect, means that cable mess is not really an issue. The slight downside is the lack of stereo separation, although a pseudo wide-sound setting is provided.

If you have any form of portable hi-fi, and want to hear the music through a set of speakers, these should warrant your attention. Like me, if you have a laptop with mediocre sound, the TravelSound is just the ticket.

The downside to a quality package is price. After researching a list of on-line retailers and Creative themselves, the best price I've found this for is £50. I feel as if the quality just about warrants that kind of expenditure, others may not.

Highs