If only this was an oversize boombox, that I could stand outside of a girls window with it over my head as I try and win her back...... well maybe these will still work, I'll have to give it a try.

phacopida wrote:How's the longevity? I don't need to pass these down to my kids, but I don't wish to have them short out after a few weeks either.

We got a pair of these for our son's extended NICU stay to provide some classical music "white noise". They lasted until he was about 2 years old, in use every night at home and on every trip. It was finally all the chewing and poking at the center of the speakers and the pulling of the cord that eventually did them in, but they are super sturdy and sound good.
We never bothered with batteries in the amplifier, powering them directly from first a SONY Walkman and then an iPod. If you don't need a huge sound, then that is fine.

jobezark wrote:Will these play the album "Throwing Copper" by Live?

Love that album.. love the band.. *sigh* that is no more

mpatrick14 wrote:"Works with or without batteries for extra convenience by using either their own batteries or the portable audio player’s output signal"

What exactly does this mean? They can be powered by the same juice powering the mp3 player? So you drain the power of the mp3 player faster?

I'm sorry if this has already been answered, but it's a good question and since my background relates to this, I thought I should chime in.

Basically, if you're using this without batteries, then the power output will be limited by that of your MP3 player, but the speakers have no way to drain more current than a pair of earbuds do. However, you will probably find that you need to turn the volume up to a higher level than you normally would, which will eat up the battery faster.

While earbuds/earphones don't produce a lot of volume with the output from an MP3 player, it is possible to engineer a speaker such that it produces a reasonable (not huge) amount of volume from the audio out.

So in summary, when using these only with the MP3 as a power source:

-These won't use up your battery any faster, unless you turn the volume up and even then, it won't be any more of a drain than a pair of earbuds at the same volume setting.
-You'll probably need to turn the volume up.
-You can expect decent, although probably not very loud sound.

sadenis wrote:We got a pair of these for our son's extended NICU stay to provide some classical music "white noise". They lasted until he was about 2 years old, in use every night at home and on every trip. It was finally all the chewing and poking at the center of the speakers and the pulling of the cord that eventually did them in, but they are super sturdy and sound good.
We never bothered with batteries in the amplifier, powering them directly from first a SONY Walkman and then an iPod. If you don't need a huge sound, then that is fine.

So, how is your son doing today? I assume that he was a premie?

mmoconnor wrote:I have researched these pretty thoroughly and I don't think they have the usb port.

It looks like Philips had another, very similar, model that did have the usb port but this model does not seem to have it.

Here is the Philips fact sheet and there is no mention of usb. http://www.p4c.philips.com/files/s/sba1503_37/sba1503_37_pss_aen.pdf

To me the usb port would have been a huge advantage but I got them anyway.

The model with the usb port is Philips SPA3250/27 See it here at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Philips-SPA3250-27-Multimedia-Speakers/dp/B0016HW2CA/ref=pd_sim_e_2

Actually, now I wish I had spent $2 more at Amazon to get one set of speakers that I really want instead of buying 2 sets of something I don't really want here at Woot.

How hard is it to cancel a Woot order?

Thank you for that.. I had the same question.

These look great for hack projects. Cheap, small, loud enough, and you have a spare if you screw the pooch on your first attempt. If I had a project looming, I'd be in.

We've got a pair of different but very similar speakers that we've had for maybe a year now. They work pretty well and all, but when you pack them up into their compact little egg shape (speakers facing in, one on either side of the amp), airport security may think it's a bomb.

Of course, there are a lot of things that airport security might think are bombs.

I'm a little confused on the power supply. Obviously if I want to play it on the go I will need triple As, but is there a power cord where I could plug it directly into an outlet? These seem like decent work speakers.

dthacker9 wrote:Why yes! You'll find out How Deep Is Your Love for these speakers if the batteries aren't Stayin Alive. Hopefully you will realize that wooters were not Jive Talking and realize You Should be Dancin'

I wonder if I Started a Joke.

Woot on!

Very well done! I'm impressed!

Saintshirt7 wrote:I'm a little confused on the power supply. Obviously if I want to play it on the go I will need triple As, but is there a power cord where I could plug it directly into an outlet? These seem like decent work speakers.

No there is no other power supply. This was an issue for me too so I looked into it. Philips makes other models that have usb ports etc but these do not have that. See my previous post for details and links.

I could use a headphone splitter, and use both pairs at once!

So how exactly are the speakers connected from the power pack? Is it power pack > speaker daisy-chained to another speaker? And are those permanent chords or individual 3.5mm that I will be able to replace.

The reason I ask is because I would like to use it on hikes, stuffing one speaker into mesh water bottle holders on either side of my pack and worry that the cable between the speakers may not be long enough.

So if anyone knows that length or if it's replaceable I'd appreciate it.

MlKEY wrote:LOL!

REEEEALLLLLLY!

Gatzby wrote:Really?

lol

I had the non-powered version of these and you could only hear them if you put them over your ears like headphones! These should be decent, Im in for a pair.

How are these for podcasts? My car doesn't have a jack for an MP3 player (and my husband won't let me take a hatchet to the dashboard - as I am oh-so-tempted to do...) I've tried a couple of minispeaker sets - but they don't go loud enough to hear podcasts in a moving car!

Since this is powered -- will it produce loud enough sound to actually hear what's said?

Under Features description does it REALLY say:

"Wide stereo sound stage when speakers placed apart, giving the impression that each musical instrument occupies a different physical space"

Really?
Ya mean like ummm stereo?

Jillianzwerenz wrote:Does this also work with the iPad?

No. It contains a special iPad detector chip which automatically closes the 3.5mm stereo input jack when within 20 ft of an iPad.

P.S. It might work if you use a really long cord... ;-P

I have a couple of questions as a hip-hop fan:

1. Can I listen to artists other than Tupac?

2. Why do yall keep spelling his name wrong in the product description?

engineire wrote:Got these at Walmart for $10 last year. Best use is to mount them on the bike for instant tunes to cruise to. They are just loud enough to cut through the wind.

.
Oddly enough, that is exactly the use I was thinking of for them. Any suggestions on mounting techniques?

jgazin wrote:No. It contains a special iPad detector chip which automatically closes the 3.5mm stereo input jack when within 20 ft of an iPad.

P.S. It might work if you use a really long cord... ;-P

Um, I don't think that actually happens. What it really does is, it uses an iPad detector cord to detect whether an iPad is connected to it or not and just shuts itself off if it finds one. So it wouldn't matter if you used a long wire or not.

In for 2 (4). I am going to sew these to a fur coat, splice them to a single plug to a portable media player, and wear it to parties like PDF or Burning Man. a.k.a. P(I)MP

Sure, why not. Will be fun to take to the park and hiking and even in the car since I don't have a fancy-schmancy stereo system in my ancient Ford Exploder.

Anyone in Austin Texas want to split a two pack? I forgot my password and by the time I got logged in it was sold out

dliidlii wrote:Lenovo M220 Mini Portable Speakers for $9 + free shipping
Lenovo offers its Lenovo M220 Mini Portable Speakers, model no. 55Y2033, for $29.99. Apply coupon code "USPC11F42033" and they fall to $9. With free shipping, that's tied with our December mention as the lowest total price we've ever seen for these speakers. (They're also a current low by $15.) Sales tax is added where applicable. Features include a USB interface and integrated amplifier. Coupon expires February 28.
So price is same as woot price with shipping.
Per dealnews

In case anyone is still looking for something comparable.However they are USB powered for computer use so not as versatile as woots were.

nice cones.

raelalt wrote:.
Oddly enough, that is exactly the use I was thinking of for them. Any suggestions on mounting techniques?

I used velcro cable supports and a lite bungee for extra support. I also pull a tag-along behind and my kid can hear the music beautifully. Now I'm ready to hit the bike trails once the snow melts!

mkentosh wrote:why don't you guys ever use a SANSA player in the pictures?

agreed

snosbig wrote:Can I USB these to my Mac and listen to my full DISCOgraphy of the Bee Gee's?

No. They don't work with the Bee Gees.

jcallaha wrote:I'm thinking it would be easy to hack a usb cable for power if a phone charger works. I did this in the past to charge my old brick motorola from my laptop. Check out

http://www.instructables.com/id/USB-Cell-Phone-Charger/

easy as hell - black to black red to red
ok, i dont know the colors of the two wires attached to the battery pack, but it doesn't matter with dc, connect the red usb wire to one of the battery pack wires and black to the other. it should work, but this reply by no means makes me liable if your pc lights on fire!!! seriously, it shouldn't be a big deal

Wondering how long its gonna take to get these. Can't find the order history. I see What i ordered but no status of shipped or not.

I ordered this last week and I was supposed to get my order by Fedex delivery. The Fedex tracking order website says the following...

Mar 1, 2011 6:01 PM Package returned to shipper HOUSTON, TX
Incorrect address, unable to deliver - Returning package to shipper - Please contact shipper/merchant for details.
.
.
.
What is the shipper merchant info? Phillips? Who is the "returning shipper?" How am I supposed to find out this info? Can anyone help, please?


Thanks,

Everett

I ordered 3 (6) of these and they just arrived. Took me a couple of minutes to figure out how to insert the batteries and connect it up because there were no instructions in the box; but voilà ..... it works! And surprisingly well! Sound isn't bad even in the unpowered mode; not loud of course, but certainly adequate for casual listening. Keeping one and the other 5 will be great Christmas presents! Great Woot!

i recieveed my speakers in the mail today stoked but i went to go use them and they do not work is there anything i can do about this or did i just buy busted speakers?

dramaboy7 wrote:i recieveed my speakers in the mail today stoked but i went to go use them and they do not work is there anything i can do about this or did i just buy busted speakers?

W0W!...I feel for you Dramaboy, I can't believe the response you got from Woot!. I still have not received mine yet & I hope I don't have similar issues & if I do it'll be tough to give them an order again. If they are going to leave us hanging like this & not even suggest who to speak to @ the manufacturer, I'm done here. Whatever happened to simple customer service?