Setting up the LaCie USB Speakers is easy: just connect the two speakers and plug the USB cord into any available USB 2.0 port on your computer. You might need to tweak your operating system's settings to use the "USB Audio Device," but the speakers are plug-and-play, so there's no driver to install. The speakers are small and simple, but they lack a headphone jack and volume knob, falling victim to the classic "fashion over function" adage.
Performance
The output quality of the LaCie USB Speakers also leaves a lot to be desired. With only 1 watt of output from each channel and a limited frequency range (90Hz-20kHz), they can't reproduce music in the same aural ballpark as most digital music recordings intend. We used the speakers to play several different genres of music including modern recordings with digitally enhanced instruments and we were consistently disappointed with the results. Bass guitars and other instruments with a baritonal low end are distant and unenthusiastic and the treble sounds painfully shrill without a solid foundation. The sound quality is a small step above the stock speakers built into the average laptop.
We can cut LaCie some slack since the speaker are self-powered and are intended to be a no-fuss desktop companion, but the competition offers a much better overall deal if you're willing to plug in a power cord. For example, you can spend the same $50 on the Altec Lansing VS2421 and get a much crisper overall sound and even an adjustable subwoofer for fine-tuning to your particular taste. Another space-saving solution is the Yamaha NX-A01 that manages to squeeze an entire speaker system with headphone and stereo ports into a portable package.
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- digital music,
- FireWire
Where to buy
Lacie USB Speakers:
$25.71 - $29.99
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
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$29.99 | Yes |
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$29.99 | Yes |
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$25.71 | Yes |
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