Creative TravelSound 200 Portable Speaker System

A detailed review from an audio guys point of view. This is an impressive set of amplified speakers considering their small size. They provide a nice, full sound covering all the notes from the highest high down to about 150Hz in the bass region just like the specs say. 150Hz is not low bass by any means but the overall sound is surprisingly accurate and clear. Songs (or voice recordings) sound just like they should with no problems. The amp itself is completely quiet with no coloration or hiss at any volume. 2 watts/channel (4 watts total) is more than enough to fill the average room with sound. Of course there is not a lot of bass but their is enough for songs to sound natural. Some tests with a Fluke 83 multimeter showed that it only takes about .2-.4 watts to equal the output of my TV at an average listening level. Since it has 4 watts to work with it can crank pretty well putting out clean sounds up to a maximum of 97dB in my listening room. It can go slightly louder on songs with reduced bass content but that is the average limit on a variety of music which is just fine for a unit of this size. I did some frequncy response tests with an audio meter set to C weighting which samples the full audio range. A sine wave function generator was used as the input to the TravelSound 200. Readings were taken at 12" rather than the usual 3' used for large speakers. Relative output vs frequency chart, 0dB reference at 400Hz: 10Khz 0 dB 5Khz +3 dB 1.5Khz +2 dB 1.0Khz +1 dB 500hz +1 dB 400Hz 0 dB 300Hz 0 dB 200Hz -1 dB 150Hz -3 dB 100Hz -8 dB 90Hz -12 dB 80Hz -15 dB 70Hz -25 dB That shows a nice flat response down to 150Hz where it drops off quickly. There is a little output even at 100Hz but it's basically all done at that point which is expected. The little speakers try really hard and get moving a fair amount when driven hard. Maximum Output vs Frequency chart: This is not the same as frequency reponse shown above. This shows the maximum volume at various notes limited by the speaker moving past it's linear range (distorting) or the amplifier clipping the peaks of the notes. Frequency - Loudness: 10Khz Ouch! Hurts ears. 1.0Khz 101 dB 500hz 100 dB 400Hz 100 dB 300Hz 99 dB 200Hz 96 dB 170Hz 90 dB 150Hz 88 dB 130Hz 85 dB 100Hz 77 dB 90Hz 76 dB 80Hz 75 dB 70Hz 73 dB 60Hz 70 dB This shows the speaker system as a whole has signiicant output from 200Hz and above. Current Draw measurements (to determine battery life) 0mA when off. 17mA at Idle 50mA at low music level., volume at 2 100mA average listening level, volume at 4 300mA This is quite loud ~ 95dB volume at 7 500mA At full volume. Using 2500mA-Hr rechargeable NiMH AA's I would expect: 50 hours of battery life at low volume 25 hours at medium 4 hours at full volume. (It should run about 6 days if you forget to turn it off) :-) Formula example: 2500mA-hr/100mA = 25 hours. The Creative Labs Travelsound 200 sounds very good for most applications requiring medium sound from a small package. I can honestly recommend it and I many years experience in audio and electronics to base that on. It can be connected to any audio device that has a typical stereo 1/8" (3.5mm) line out or headphone level output such as casstte walkmans, tape decks, CD players, MP3 players, computer sound cards, etc. This particular package does not include the AC adaptor. The unit itself has a 5V DC jack so one can be added.

This little speaker system will fit the bill for travelling on the light side. It produces O.K. sound - don't expect the full volumed stereo experience. It doesn't fill up a room with sound, but you can play your mp3 player without the headphones and enjoy all the music on it. If you're at home, you might just want to hook up your mp3 player to your stereo system, if you have one. This one's good for travel.

First of all, this will not "blow you away" with the sound quality. But it's battery driven, (a/c adapter sold separately) and it's relatively cheap, and much louder and crisper than the laptop speakers on my powerbook g4. Not much bass, but the 'wide' sound effect is pretty nifty, and you can get by with these in watching a movie on your laptop. I do wish that it had an option to be powered by USB, and that the a/c adapter was included. If you are looking for more bass, don't get these. If you are looking for better sound than your laptops that don't cost too much, get these.

I am very happy with these speakers. They provide good sound for the size of the speakers, have fairly long run time on batteries, and are very convenient. For those who did not rate this high, I offer the following. Know what you're buying. These speakers will work with any mp3 player and are not specific to a particular creative player, so no there is no specific place to dock your player. No, these will not fill a room with sound, unless the room is as big as a closet. If you want giant Klipsch speakers, then buy those, but I dare you to try and fit them in your briefcase and backpack and cart them along with you. These speakers allow you to listen to your tunes with good sound in a small environment, such as a small office, an office cubicle, a small dorm room, etc. The sound is very pleasant for their size and the current price is just right. You will need to buy an ac adapter, if you want one as it is not provided. Highly recommended for small portable speakers.

I had read other reviews before purchasing these speakers, so I was expecting an above average sound quality. I was still surprised with how they performed. I am an avid hiker and I hike alone most of the time with my creative mp3 player, but my son is almost 4 now and he is starting to go with me some. I didn't want to give up my music, yet I couldn't wear headphones while he was with me. I can plug my mp3 player into these speakers and drop it into an outside compartment in my pack and share my music with him. I also bought a Pelican 1050 micro case to protect it from the elements during float trips. It's nice to have big stereo sound in a tiny, portable package while sitting around the campfire! The only thing I would change is the speaker's on/off switch. The speakers fit loosely inside the Pelican 1050 and allows them to slide a bit. It has turned itself on inside the case, which will drain your batteries. However, I have used it quite a bit and I'm still on my first set, so battery life inside the speaker unit is very good. I highly recommend this product, especially to outdoor enthusiasts like myself!

I think this vendor should emphasize that there is not a AC adapter in the purchase and that it is strictly run by battery. My office ordered one similar to this one, but the company included the AC adapter, so I expected for this one to have one also. Then, to complicate things, we tried to find an AC adapter through the Creative TravelSound, they could not help us. We had to search around a bit to find other sources, and found that if we did order one it would have cost us an additional $40 or more. After looking around we found that a local Walmart had an adapter that would fit this model.

The sound was very good ...while it lasted. About 6 months after I bought it it was through. I did not use it very much but it broke very quickly.

This speaker is one of the recent innovative stuff in audio technology as well as the rapid demand in iPod and other latest mp3 technology. Its small portable size makes it easy to bring anywhere you go along with your cd player, iPod or mp3 player. Equipped with the surround sound feature, this speaker produces better fidelity in sound for its output power level. With affordable price, I can share the music with our family or friends while travelling or walking around rather than enjoying it alone with the headphone. And for people who do not have or can not afford stereo system in their cars, this stuff offers the solution to keep enjoying the music in the road.