Sony SRS-A27 Desktop Personal Speakers with 2-Way Power Supply – Customer Reviews
Not good for music, but good enough for voice audio
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Initially I bought these speakers because they looked really nice, were made by Sony and were cheap.I guess none of that made any sense when I initally used them for music.These speakers are just bad for music.However, I got a job as a teacher a few years back and I used these speakers for audio books and they worked great.
7/23/2006 12:00 AM | Rating:
So much better than the other reviews say
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Before buying these speakers, I purchased the Sony passive speakers for $6.00.Those were absolutely terrible.After the wire snapped, I decided to pay a little more for these...best decision I've made in a while.They are much louder than you would believe, and have surprisingly good quality.
However, I bought these for a very unique reason.I put these speakers in my backpack to play during and after school, and things like that, and these are perfect for that.
I would highly recommend these speakers, hands down.5/9/2006 12:00 AM | Rating:
Stop the buzzing!
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These speakers have been trying my patience from the start. Direct mode (no power source) is useless unless the speakers are next to your head. The moment I added a power source (either with batteries or the Sony AC-E90HG adapter), the buzzing noise was present and would not stop. It seemed to be related to the non-removeable stereo cable. The buzzing was problematic enough to send these speakers packing after only a day.
12/26/2005 12:00 AM | Rating:
O.K.!!!!!!!
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These speakers are ok, they do not go up that loud and they do not sound that great!!! I would not get them i would spent a little bit more money and get something better.But they are great if you are listening to them at a low volume.
8/3/2005 12:00 AM | Rating:
Decent Sound for a Twenty
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How good can a $20 pair of speakers sound? For critical or primary listening applications, it's not a question worth asking. But for occasional use, the answer is: good enough for casual background music.
Deep bass is missing, but especially at this price point, errors of omission are preferrable to faux bass. The THUMP you might get from a boom box will sound more like a THWAP with these. Incidentally, the product description above says these have Sony's Mega Bass circuitry, but having heard the Mega Bass circuit any number of times on other Sony products, the THWAP-not-THUMP quality suggests otherwise.
They are also a shade hard-sounding. Unlike mellower-sounding speakers, you gain immediacy and articulation at the cost of slightly increased listening fatigue. This sonic character gets more pronounced with volume, but turning the speakers slightly off-axis (not pointing directly at your ears) helps.
Speaking of volume, I measured a continuous 87-88 decibels (A-weighted at 1 meter) without egregious clipping, but they definitely sound less shouty at lower volumes.
A power supply is not included, but occasional users probably won't miss it. If the four AA batteries run out (after about 30 hours for alkalines), simply push the power button from "on" to "off/direct." This lets your portable drive the speakers as though they were headphones. In this mode, volume drops considerably (into the 50-60 decibel range I'd guess). Just remember to turn your portable's volume up a notch or three.
These speakers are also magnetically shielded, which is a plus. Essentially all speakers leak magnetic flux that will distort a close-by TV picture unless they are shielded (cathode ray tube, or CRT, sets are particularly succeptible).
Each speaker is slightly larger than a 12-ounce can of soda and combined weigh only 17 ounces without batteries. This light weight, combined with edges and corners that will not snag things in a suitcase, suggest they would travel well.
Each speaker has a 44-inch cable terminating with a 1/8-inch jack. The one hard-wired to the left speaker plugs into a standard "mini" headphone jack, such as is almost universally found on portable CD, tape, and MP3 players. The other is a speaker cable that connects the amp to the right speaker. Batteries go in the back of the left speaker, which also houses the amplifier circuitry, a power switch and volume knob.
They are more attractively finished than most at this price point. The matte black paper cone drivers with gloss dust caps are recessed slightly behind a curved metal grille (which looks like a fencing mask from an angle).
CONCLUSION
You should put the SRS-A27 on a short list of portable powered speakers at a $20 price point, but check unrealistic expectations at the door.3/22/2005 12:00 AM | Rating:
