Showing posts with label computer tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label computer tips. Show all posts
How to Select Best Speakers for Your Laptop
"Nearly every PC includes some sort of default speakers, but they're invariably not very good," an October 2011 CNET article observes. The same goes for laptops, whose built-in speakers usually lack power unless designed specifically for multimedia use. Among three main types of external laptop speaker systems -- mobile, desktop and high-end audiophile quality -- the best kind for you depends upon your needs.
Often sold as a clip-on bar, mobile speakers for laptops are convenient to bring with you and easy to connect. Typically offering less than 5 watts per speaker, their small size can mean less responsive sound, but performance varies between models and manufacturers often don't provide exact specs. Plug in the USB cable and you're good to go, with power and sound connected at once. Some may also have auxiliary inputs to connect to mobile devices such as an iPod or smartphone.
The Logitech Z305 is one example of this kind of speaker, with 360-degree sound and healthy bass. Using USB, it requires neither batteries nor a bulky adapter, and it can clip onto your laptop or sit on a desk. If space is at a premium, you may want something like the compact, USB-powered Altec Lansing ORBIT. Its circular design fits where many other speakers cannot, and a built-in stand helps project the sound toward the audience. It only has mono sound but good clarity and power, although bass is a bit lacking.
Powered desktop speaker systems aren't particularly portable, but they aren't hard to set up, either. Often containing two desk units and a separate subwoofer, powered speakers are the workhorse of the laptop audio world. You need to plug them into the wall, but they contain built-in amplifiers and draw higher power accordingly, from 20 to 200 watts total.
The Cyber Acoustics CA 3602 comes in a standard two-speaker, one-subwoofer configuration. Each side channel gets 6 watts and the bass consumes up to 18 watts for 30 watts of total power. Adjustable volume and bass make for comfortable listening, with a 3.5 millimeter line-in and headset-out jacks. Sound reproduction is good and can easily fill a mid-sized room.
With 200 watts of THX-certified sound, the Logitech Z623 packs plenty of sound into an affordable product. Two RCA inputs and two mini line-in jacks make it simple to connect to any kind of sound output. A headphone jack is included for more private listening, and you'll find controls for bass and volume on one of the speakers.
A full speaker system includes magnetic shielding, variable crossovers and other features targeted at the audiophile market. Some sets include their own amplifiers, while others require a receiver connection, but all have superior sound quality.
Not quite as costly as a full speaker system, the Bose Companion 5 promises stellar quality in a desktop package. These speakers support USB and a mini-jack for connecting to your laptop. Along with volume and bass controls, this unit also includes a mute button on its wired remote, which may be easier to get to than the subwoofer. It also has a six-channel sound decoder inside for higher fidelity playback on movies and games.
Not for beginners, the Polk Audio RM6750 is a solid 5.1-channel system with magnetically shielded satellite speakers -- common to surround-sound systems -- for use next to electronics. It includes powerful controls such as low pass filter depth and phase selector, and the subwoofer cranks out 100 watts. Extra satellites will turn this set into a 6.1, 7.1 or even 8.1 system. These speakers need a separate amplifier to ensure the best sound experience, and connect with bare wires.
Once you know the kind of speaker you want, it's time to factor in your budget. As of March 2012, mobile speakers cost about $20 to $60, while powered desktop speakers fall between $60 and $150. High-end speakers start around $150 and go to upwards of $400.
A final concern is size. As with laptops themselves, there's a tradeoff between speaker performance and portability. "Bigger and heavier speakers almost always sound better than small, lightweight ones," says Steve Guttenberg of CNET, but high-end systems aren't designed for toting around with your laptop. Some music lovers decide on mobile speakers for on-the-run listening and keep a larger, better-quality set at home.
Mobile Speakers
Often sold as a clip-on bar, mobile speakers for laptops are convenient to bring with you and easy to connect. Typically offering less than 5 watts per speaker, their small size can mean less responsive sound, but performance varies between models and manufacturers often don't provide exact specs. Plug in the USB cable and you're good to go, with power and sound connected at once. Some may also have auxiliary inputs to connect to mobile devices such as an iPod or smartphone.
The Logitech Z305 is one example of this kind of speaker, with 360-degree sound and healthy bass. Using USB, it requires neither batteries nor a bulky adapter, and it can clip onto your laptop or sit on a desk. If space is at a premium, you may want something like the compact, USB-powered Altec Lansing ORBIT. Its circular design fits where many other speakers cannot, and a built-in stand helps project the sound toward the audience. It only has mono sound but good clarity and power, although bass is a bit lacking.
Powered Desktop Speakers
Powered desktop speaker systems aren't particularly portable, but they aren't hard to set up, either. Often containing two desk units and a separate subwoofer, powered speakers are the workhorse of the laptop audio world. You need to plug them into the wall, but they contain built-in amplifiers and draw higher power accordingly, from 20 to 200 watts total.
The Cyber Acoustics CA 3602 comes in a standard two-speaker, one-subwoofer configuration. Each side channel gets 6 watts and the bass consumes up to 18 watts for 30 watts of total power. Adjustable volume and bass make for comfortable listening, with a 3.5 millimeter line-in and headset-out jacks. Sound reproduction is good and can easily fill a mid-sized room.
With 200 watts of THX-certified sound, the Logitech Z623 packs plenty of sound into an affordable product. Two RCA inputs and two mini line-in jacks make it simple to connect to any kind of sound output. A headphone jack is included for more private listening, and you'll find controls for bass and volume on one of the speakers.
High-End Systems
A full speaker system includes magnetic shielding, variable crossovers and other features targeted at the audiophile market. Some sets include their own amplifiers, while others require a receiver connection, but all have superior sound quality.
Not quite as costly as a full speaker system, the Bose Companion 5 promises stellar quality in a desktop package. These speakers support USB and a mini-jack for connecting to your laptop. Along with volume and bass controls, this unit also includes a mute button on its wired remote, which may be easier to get to than the subwoofer. It also has a six-channel sound decoder inside for higher fidelity playback on movies and games.
Not for beginners, the Polk Audio RM6750 is a solid 5.1-channel system with magnetically shielded satellite speakers -- common to surround-sound systems -- for use next to electronics. It includes powerful controls such as low pass filter depth and phase selector, and the subwoofer cranks out 100 watts. Extra satellites will turn this set into a 6.1, 7.1 or even 8.1 system. These speakers need a separate amplifier to ensure the best sound experience, and connect with bare wires.
Making a Decision
Once you know the kind of speaker you want, it's time to factor in your budget. As of March 2012, mobile speakers cost about $20 to $60, while powered desktop speakers fall between $60 and $150. High-end speakers start around $150 and go to upwards of $400.
A final concern is size. As with laptops themselves, there's a tradeoff between speaker performance and portability. "Bigger and heavier speakers almost always sound better than small, lightweight ones," says Steve Guttenberg of CNET, but high-end systems aren't designed for toting around with your laptop. Some music lovers decide on mobile speakers for on-the-run listening and keep a larger, better-quality set at home.
How to Select a Best Screen Size
Measured diagonally from corner to corner, laptop screens range from very small to quite large. "It's the screen size that drives a lot of users' buying decisions" when shopping for devices such as laptops and smartphones, according to a July 2010 PCMag.com interview with John Jacobs, director of notebook marketing research for Display Search. It's not as simple as "bigger is better," however, because a larger laptop not only costs more, but also affects your computing experience.
With screen sizes, even an inch or two can make a big different in terms of portability. For example, Dell's XPS 15 and Inspiron 17R have similar technical specs, but the former has a 15.6-inch screen and weighs 6.14 pounds, while the latter offers a 17.3-inch screen and weighs a pound more. One pound may not sound significant, but a laptop along with its power cable, peripherals and whatever else you might carry in your bag can easily exceed 10 pounds -- a weight at which Stanford University suggests using a rolling carrying case to avoid shoulder injury.
Screen resolution is measured in pixels, length by height. Higher-resolution screens provide sharper image quality, which matters if you watch movies, play detailed games or edit photos frequently. Larger screens typically have higher resolutions and accommodate longer viewing distances than smaller ones at the same resolution. What does this mean for you? Although you must keep a small-screen laptop on your lap or nearby to watch a movie, you don't need to sit close to a larger screen with the same resolution.
Most of today's laptops geared toward casual use or multimedia viewing come with a wide-screen aspect ratio of 16-to-9, like a television set, which increases screen size by about 25 percent lengthwise, affecting portability and weight. If you will frequently play games on your laptop, a 16-9 screen delivers the greatest field of view, which proves especially important in first-person shooters.
Standard 4-to-3 aspect ratio screens are common on business-oriented laptops, and still appear on a few models marketed for home users. The 4-3 aspect ratio offers the most compact, lightweight option for creating documents and presentations for viewing on projection screens.
A bigger screen uses more power, which affects battery life and energy consumption. The Aspire AS7750G-6857, with a 17.3-inch screen, promises three hours of maximum battery life and uses a 90-watt power supply, while its smaller cousin, the Aspire AS5755-6647, with a 15.6-inch screen, provides 4.5 hours of battery time and uses a 65-watt power supply. A good rule of thumb: If your laptop must stay unplugged for much of the day, choose one with a smaller screen.
Portability
With screen sizes, even an inch or two can make a big different in terms of portability. For example, Dell's XPS 15 and Inspiron 17R have similar technical specs, but the former has a 15.6-inch screen and weighs 6.14 pounds, while the latter offers a 17.3-inch screen and weighs a pound more. One pound may not sound significant, but a laptop along with its power cable, peripherals and whatever else you might carry in your bag can easily exceed 10 pounds -- a weight at which Stanford University suggests using a rolling carrying case to avoid shoulder injury.
Resolution
Screen resolution is measured in pixels, length by height. Higher-resolution screens provide sharper image quality, which matters if you watch movies, play detailed games or edit photos frequently. Larger screens typically have higher resolutions and accommodate longer viewing distances than smaller ones at the same resolution. What does this mean for you? Although you must keep a small-screen laptop on your lap or nearby to watch a movie, you don't need to sit close to a larger screen with the same resolution.
Aspect Ratio
Most of today's laptops geared toward casual use or multimedia viewing come with a wide-screen aspect ratio of 16-to-9, like a television set, which increases screen size by about 25 percent lengthwise, affecting portability and weight. If you will frequently play games on your laptop, a 16-9 screen delivers the greatest field of view, which proves especially important in first-person shooters.
Standard 4-to-3 aspect ratio screens are common on business-oriented laptops, and still appear on a few models marketed for home users. The 4-3 aspect ratio offers the most compact, lightweight option for creating documents and presentations for viewing on projection screens.
Power Consumption
A bigger screen uses more power, which affects battery life and energy consumption. The Aspire AS7750G-6857, with a 17.3-inch screen, promises three hours of maximum battery life and uses a 90-watt power supply, while its smaller cousin, the Aspire AS5755-6647, with a 15.6-inch screen, provides 4.5 hours of battery time and uses a 65-watt power supply. A good rule of thumb: If your laptop must stay unplugged for much of the day, choose one with a smaller screen.
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)
