this thing is awesome. i just came back from a trip in the philippines and i stayed everywhere around manila. whenever i'd have guests over. an unplanned party would always happen thanks to this little gadget. works great with my ipod and a round of beer. thanks woot!

doublemhi wrote:I want to clear up some things:

3) I doubt that it will return to you if you throw it.

well damnit...

fuzzymemory wrote:I'm gonna wait until someone posts about how this is a bad deal because you can create your own 2.1 system for less money using an old laptop & misc parts from a washing machine.

very funny, but actually this is what you do:

1. get an old pair of walkman headphones from the 80's. they were made of a higher quality metal alloy back then, and the sound carries better. remove the speakers and the wires. discard the rest of the assembly.
2. find an old HP laptop that has the sound card that is capable of operating independently of the motherboard.
3. take apart the laptop, and remove the sound card. discard the rest of the laptop, or use the remaining parts to make yesterday's project: an LCD picture frame. (see yesterday's discussion for the instructions)
4. purchase an enclosure at radio shack that is capable of housing a lantern-sized battery. Also purchase (4) 8 inch lengths of wires and one standard switch.
5. drill two holes in the enclosure that are slightly smaller than the walkman headphones. affix the headphones flush behind the holes using a quick dry epoxy, being careful not to use too much so it won't drip down onto the speakers.
6. remove the primary resistor from the sound card board, and replace it with a much larger resistor so that the sound will carry through the little walkman speakers when you crank it up.
7. install the sound card board into the enclosure. being careful to align the audio input jack with a pre-drilled hole in the side of the enclosure.
8. drill a hole in the enclosure for the switch to go through, and install the switch.
9. solder two wires running from the power input on the sound card board to the switch.
10. solder your two remaining wires from the switch to the positive and negative terminals on the lantern battery.
11. strip the ends of the walkman wires and solder them onto the sound card board where the laptop speaker connectors used to plug into.
12. probably some other things, too. use your imagination. I can't spell it all out for you.
13. enjoy!

jessiebyrd004 wrote:check check useful linkage for the comparison links... and then you'll know... cuz a friday morning woot! ain't nothin to f' with... but i sure loved this one back in december '06.

(... every woot!... every day (mostly)... all the comparison engines... it's useful. )

Seems like the Woots you missed were the ones where I really needed you. Do not miss another - just in case. BTW, it is VERY useful, sometimes.

Stilton wrote:It's a UFO!

Yep, sure is! I knew it looked suspiciously familiar!

vansmith wrote:

well damnit...

And i was about to purchase it just for that feature

If I didn't already have to Saitek iPhonic portable speakers (similar to this, but only a fraction of the size (not as loud, though), I'd be all over this. The sound on these is great, and they're pretty darn loud for being able to be powered by batteries. I saw this model at the local computer fair (LA Fairgrounds/Pomona Fairplex) and was very impressed with them. I was amazed that I could hear them at all inside the merchant auditorium with all the people and noise in there. These are winners if you want a good *portable* speaker system.

phr wrote:Analog input is good, coax etc. is useless in a low end thingie like this, and proprietary connectors for single brands of mp3 player are the last thing you want.

You cant really call coax a proprietary connector. Pretty much every high end home theater amp / dvd player has coax inputs / outputs. Hell, even my computer has a coax out. However, I agree that it would be overkill for this situation.

brettm73 wrote:


Yep, sure is! I knew it looked suspiciously familiar!

wow, that was fast

kwelles wrote:

very funny, but actually this is what you do:

1. get an old pair of walkman headphones from the 80's. they were made of a higher quality metal alloy back then, and the sound carries better. remove the speakers and the wires. discard the rest of the assembly.
2. find an old HP laptop that has the sound card that is capable of operating independently of the motherboard.
3. take apart the laptop, and remove the sound card. discard the rest of the laptop, or use the remaining parts to make yesterday's project: an LCD picture frame. (see yesterday's discussion for the instructions)
4. purchase an enclosure at radio shack that is capable of housing a lantern-sized battery. Also purchase (4) 8 inch lengths of wires and one standard switch.
5. drill two holes in the enclosure that are slightly smaller than the walkman headphones. affix the headphones flush behind the holes using a quick dry epoxy, being careful not to use too much so it won't drip down onto the speakers.
6. remove the primary resistor from the sound card board, and replace it with a much larger resistor so that the sound will carry through the little walkman speakers when you crank it up.
7. install the sound card board into the enclosure. being careful to align the audio input jack with a pre-drilled hole in the side of the enclosure.
8. drill a hole in the enclosure for the switch to go through, and install the switch.
9. solder two wires running from the power input on the sound card board to the switch.
10. solder your two remaining wires from the switch to the positive and negative terminals on the lantern battery.
11. strip the ends of the walkman wires and solder them onto the sound card board where the laptop speaker connectors used to plug into.
12. probably some other things, too. use your imagination. I can't spell it all out for you.
13. enjoy!

WOW, you have WAYYYY too much time on your hands dood.

doublemhi wrote:

wow, that was fast

Lol. We ought to have a contest.

lol I bought this a few months back when it was $40, nice price drop. at least the speaker is pretty nice, i use it to play sound when i hook my laptop up to my tv.

tazowolf: you have way too much time and not enough to do...

I got one of these the first time around and it is easy to pick up and move from one room to another. Plenty of sound for a dorm room. Not the most impressive bass but much better sound than laptop speakers.

This has got to be my favorite product description ever.

fuzzymemory wrote:I'm gonna wait until someone posts about how this is a bad deal because you can create your own 2.1 system for less money using an old laptop & misc parts from a washing machine.

I don't think you could do THAT, but you COULD make your own digital picture frame out of an old laptop!!

I started a topic in the forums with some pics of one of the ones I made. Check it out...

weemdog wrote:
I don't think you could do THAT, but you COULD make your own digital picture frame out of an old laptop!!

I started a topic in the forums with some pics of one of the ones I made. Check it out...

yes you could: here is re-pasted:

1. get an old pair of walkman headphones from the 80's. they were made of a higher quality metal alloy back then, and the sound carries better. remove the speakers and the wires. discard the rest of the assembly.
2. find an old HP laptop that has the sound card that is capable of operating independently of the motherboard.
3. take apart the laptop, and remove the sound card. discard the rest of the laptop, or use the remaining parts to make yesterday's project: an LCD picture frame. (see yesterday's discussion for the instructions)
4. purchase an enclosure at radio shack that is capable of housing a lantern-sized battery. Also purchase (4) 8 inch lengths of wires and one standard switch.
5. drill two holes in the enclosure that are slightly smaller than the walkman headphones. affix the headphones flush behind the holes using a quick dry epoxy, being careful not to use too much so it won't drip down onto the speakers.
6. remove the primary resistor from the sound card board, and replace it with a much larger resistor so that the sound will carry through the little walkman speakers when you crank it up.
7. install the sound card board into the enclosure. being careful to align the audio input jack with a pre-drilled hole in the side of the enclosure.
8. drill a hole in the enclosure for the switch to go through, and install the switch.
9. solder two wires running from the power input on the sound card board to the switch.
10. solder your two remaining wires from the switch to the positive and negative terminals on the lantern battery.
11. strip the ends of the walkman wires and solder them onto the sound card board where the laptop speaker connectors used to plug into.
12. probably some other things, too. use your imagination. I can't spell it all out for you.
13. enjoy!

For those who love to comparison shop, you can get these (online) from Target for $99.99. Target's picture seems to show what they would look like in expanded mode (do they really expand?:
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_16/601-9775577-2756957?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B000AU3V0Q

weird shape...yea...

I have this, and it is OK for what it is. The Philips Shoqbox is an all around better investment for about the same price or even less though. It is smaller, sounds better, and doubles as an alarm clock. You can even add a few favorites to the (smallish) internal memory, though its main use is as powered speakers ala the Saitek. Check out the Philips outlet, they often have the 128MB version for $20 or less.

kwelles wrote:

yes you could: here is re-pasted:

1. get an old pair of walkman headphones from the 80's. they were made of a higher quality metal alloy back then, and the sound carries better. remove the speakers and the wires. discard the rest of the assembly.
2. find an old HP laptop that has the sound card that is capable of operating independently of the motherboard.
3. take apart the laptop, and remove the sound card. discard the rest of the laptop, or use the remaining parts to make yesterday's project: an LCD picture frame. (see yesterday's discussion for the instructions)
4. purchase an enclosure at radio shack that is capable of housing a lantern-sized battery. Also purchase (4) 8 inch lengths of wires and one standard switch.
5. drill two holes in the enclosure that are slightly smaller than the walkman headphones. affix the headphones flush behind the holes using a quick dry epoxy, being careful not to use too much so it won't drip down onto the speakers.
6. remove the primary resistor from the sound card board, and replace it with a much larger resistor so that the sound will carry through the little walkman speakers when you crank it up.
7. install the sound card board into the enclosure. being careful to align the audio input jack with a pre-drilled hole in the side of the enclosure.
8. drill a hole in the enclosure for the switch to go through, and install the switch.
9. solder two wires running from the power input on the sound card board to the switch.
10. solder your two remaining wires from the switch to the positive and negative terminals on the lantern battery.
11. strip the ends of the walkman wires and solder them onto the sound card board where the laptop speaker connectors used to plug into.
12. probably some other things, too. use your imagination. I can't spell it all out for you.
13. enjoy!

Where are the washing machine parts?!?!? Just kidding! That sounds pretty ri8z, yo.

photonh2o wrote:

Quite sure: VideoYug - Saitek A-200 Speaker System And look - it works on a Mac!

Great post photonh2o! Woot owes you a sales commission!!

I bought this a while ago and really like it. I hook it to an MP3 player and play my daughter's accompianments (sp?) so she can sing her opera stuff when we visit the Grandmothers, etc. The bass is good enough, the sound nice and full and, yes, the puffed up bullfrog thing is pretty unique.

weemdog wrote:
Where are the washing machine parts?!?!? Just kidding! That sounds pretty ri8z, yo.

I'm saving the washing machine parts for tomorrow's item. I can't use up all the parts on one item! I need them parts!

queencityrunner wrote:For those who love to comparison shop, you can get these (online) from Target for $99.99. Target's picture seems to show what they would look like in expanded mode (do they really expand?:
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_16/601-9775577-2756957?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B000AU3V0Q

Yes it does expand, its demonstrated in this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az5u3tla5w4

I Just ordered two of them

I have one of these. bought it off buy.com for either 30 bucks or 40 bucks, don't remember which. It has great sound quality, but don't expect huge thumping bass. The glossy finish is a fingerprint magnet which bothers me like hell cuz i'm paranoid about that. Overall i'd say this is one of the best values for portable speakers due to sound quality.

these work great, they're portable but good enuff for the computer...good bass

goateater wrote:
Yes it does expand, its demonstrated in this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az5u3tla5w4
I Just ordered two of them

Anyone know how these compare to the Logitech 28 mm speakers?

aznofazns wrote:I have one of these. bought it off buy.com for either 30 bucks or 40 bucks, don't remember which. It has great sound quality, but don't expect huge thumping bass. The glossy finish is a fingerprint magnet which bothers me like hell cuz i'm paranoid about that. Overall i'd say this is one of the best values for portable speakers due to sound quality.

I'm intrigued by your paranoia. Do you mean paranoia in an OCD sense, or in a covering your tracks sense?

queencityrunner wrote:For those who love to comparison shop, you can get these (online) from Target for $99.99. Target's picture seems to show what they would look like in expanded mode (do they really expand?:
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_16/601-9775577-2756957?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B000AU3V0Q

Wow! You got tot be friggin' kidding me. For what Target is selling theirs for, this is a steal!
Thanks for the link.

I have a set of extremely sexy and loud Logitech speakers already, but had to post my admiration for the awesome description for this woot. Very nicely done!

Now put up something that I want to buy for a change, and we're all set.

:D

Good review from PC Mag discussing what types of music it is (and isn't) good for:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1872262,00.asp

queencityrunner wrote:
Anyone know how these compare to the Logitech 28 mm speakers?

If you mean the thin silver ones that are cylinder shaped, I own a pair of those, I use them to toate with my laptop for better sound when i play WoW at a friends I specifically purchased these siateks tonight so i dont have to take the logitechs anymore (i use them for portal gaming at home, gameboys ect.. So i wanted 2 portal speakers specifically.. I like the Logtechs very much for the most part, but i had to try's these cuz i just gotta know how they compare..

I can write up a detailed report on these vs the logitech's if anyone is interested i love reviewing stuff.. Wish i had a site i could do it for!

almostnerd wrote:anyone have one of these?

I got these a while back on a 2 for Tuesday...they sound great on my laptop and mp3 player.

A few weeks ago I wooted the Logitech mm28 portables. Those are pretty rockin, however I'm not goina lie, these look like they could be lots of fun.

dl.tv seemed to like them...

In for three. These will go good with that 1gig sandisk mp3 players I got last week.

Have I mentioned I curse the day someone introduced me to woot? Now I have so much woot crizznap, foo I can't fit it into my office anymore.

Links to Saitek.
Product Page
Quick Start Guide and User Manual

swingbozo wrote:In for three. These will go good with that 1mg sandisk mp3 player I got last week.

Have I mentioned I curse the day someone introduced me to woot? Now I have so much woot crizznap, foo I can't fit it into my office anymore.

What are you talking about? You've only bought two things. Imagine having a square like mine...

akarchangel wrote:I have this, and it is OK for what it is. The Philips Shoqbox is an all around better investment for about the same price or even less though. It is smaller, sounds better, and doubles as an alarm clock. You can even add a few favorites to the (smallish) internal memory, though its main use is as powered speakers ala the Saitek. Check out the Philips outlet, they often have the 128MB version for $20 or less.

I'm glad you made this comparison. I bought the ShoqBox a few weeks back, and I love it. I won't bother with this if the ShoqBox sounds as good or better. Also, as an aside, my ShoqBox ran for about 7.5 hours at about 80% volume while I was doing yard work, and still had one bar left on the battery meter. LOVE IT.