Tired of the tinny sound from your laptop? Try the TaoTronics PC Sound Bar, which offers surprisingly decent audio — despite being shorter than a standard keyboard.
Quick specs
- USB-powered
- Frequency response: 50Hz ~ 20KHz
- Dimensions: 417mm x 53mm x 73mm
Simply connect the soundbar's attached USB cable to a USB Type-A port to power it up. I had the soundbar hooked up to my gaming keyboard, but a smartphone charger works too. Plug the blue cable to your device's 3.5mm audio-out jack and the pink cable for the microphone input. If a quiet environment is desired, you can connect headphones to the soundbar's rear audio outputs.
My favourite feature is the volume knob that is conveniently located on the right. Build quality is better than expected — its plastic housing does not creak under pressure. Its compact size makes it more suitable as a PC or tablet companion, but you can pair it with a TV, too. Two mounting holes at the back lets you attach the soundbar to the wall.
I was surprised at how loud the soundbar could get. Movie dialogue came across clear and crisp while I could make out song lyrics without any issue. There is, however, a fair amount of distortion at higher volumes. Bass is somewhat lacking, though I managed to boost it to a reasonable amount by tweaking my computer's audio settings.
At around S$54 on Lazada, the TaoTronics PC Sound Bar is a cheap audio upgrade for those using laptops or tablets. Compared to the usual two-piece PC speakers, this mini soundbar takes up less space and fits comfortably under my 24-inch monitor.
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