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Titan EZ Sound


Date
: 10/7/07 – 07:43:10 PM

Author
:

Category
: Sound

Page 1 : Index

Manufacturer:
Titan Computer

Price:
???

We've reviewed many of Titan's products in the past, especially their cases, air coolers, and even watercooling kits. It is interesting to note that they also produce accessories, perhaps in an attempt to become a jack-of-all-trades. Either way, I've been impressed with Titan's products in the past so I'm looking forward to what we have in store for us.

Today we have a set of portable speakers. Such speakers have become very common with the advent of MP3 players. Titan's EZ Sound speakers distinguish themselves from the competition by sporting a built-in subwoofer, making these "2.1".

Page 2 : Package & Specifications

Titan's EZ Sound comes in a cubish box with a window on top, allowing us to see the actual speakers. From the looks of it, there is one piece with the speakers built-in and the subwoofer on top.

Around the window, we see advertising taglines that tout the fact that the EZ Sound can be used with many different devices (basically, anything with a 3.5 mm audio port).

The front of the box mirrors the top by listing some examples of audio sources. Also, there is a "quick start guide" which shows us how to use the EZ Sound: input audio, connect to USB for power (or use four AAA batteries). You can even connect headphones to the EZ Sound but doesn't that just defeat the purpose of having portable speakers in the first place? Also, we see that the package includes a carrying case, an audio cable, and a USB power cable.

Looking to the back of the box, we have a picture of the EZ Sound showing the locations of the two satellite speakers and the subwoofer. Apparently the EZ Sound is the world's smallest set of 2.1 speakers.

Finally, the bottom of the box has a list of features as well as specifications and other regulatory information.

Removing the outer cardboard reveals an elegant gift box.

It has a magnetic latch lid which, when opened, allows access to the inside. Before we check out the contents, let's take a quick look at the features and specifications.

I went to Titan's website to look for the EZ Sound's page.

First up, we have the features:

These are the same as the ones we saw in the previous section on the package.

The specifications:

I'm no expert on audio but compared to other portable speaker specifications, these seem fine. However, the frequency range only starts at 200 Hz which doesn't exactly equate to great bass. Compared to professional speakers, these specifications are not exactly great but should suffice for a set of portable speakers.

Let's go on to checking out the contents of the package.

Page 3 : Package Contents

Inside the package, we have all the accessories mentioned on the box: a carrying case, an audio cable, and a USB power cable.

The cables are retractable, which just aids in the portability of the device. The carrying case looks nice but personally, I wouldn't wear it around my neck.

The EZ Sound itself looks very sleek, somewhat resembling a stingray. The subwoofer takes up most of the top where we also have an EZ Sound logo.

Looking at it from the sides, we can see the satellite speakers.

The front has all the ports. From left to right, we have the headphone jack, audio input, USB 5V power, and a power LED. I would have preferred the ports to be located on the back of the device so that plugging cords in doesn't distract from the sleek appearance of the speakers.

Last but not least, taking a look at the bottom of the EZ Sound reveals what makes this set truly portable… the batteries. The unit takes four AAA batteries.

Page 4 : Testing

Due to my lack of expertise, the testing was purely subjective. I used the EZ Sound with a variety of audio sources, including my laptop, MP3 player, and even my cell phone, over a duration of approximately one month. I mostly used it with my laptop, a Toshiba Satellite R25 tablet PC.

For listening to music, the EZ Sound delivers crisp treble and decent bass. There is some distortion at higher volumes but it sounds great at normal volume. It definitely sounds better than my laptop's speakers, that's for sure!

Watching movies was a different story; it is hard to follow the dialogue in some scenes while explosions and such seem unusually loud; this caused me to keep fiddling with the volume throughout movies.

I do have one gripe, however, and that is the fact that the included audio and USB power cables are not shielded very well and the speakers occasionally let out buzzes and crackles. There was also a constant low-frequency buzz when the speakers were plugged in; however, this is barely detectable when sound is playing.

I mostly used the EZ Sound with the USB power cable but I also used batteries. The batteries lasted me approximately one and a half weeks with about an hour or two of listening per day at low volume.

Overall, the EZ Sound definitely sounds good. I've never used portable speakers in the past so I don't really have a standard of comparison. Compared to regular speakers, the EZ Sound is mediocre but it gets the job done.

Page 5 : Conclusion

I must say that I enjoyed the EZ Sound's performance. For a set of small portable speakers, I expected it to sound "like a tin can" but I was pleasantly surprised. The subwoofer is not the best but it does provide a certain depth to the bass that I don't get even from a set of regular 2.0 speakers. Aesthetically, Titan has done a great job with the design to make it sleek; also, the white color will make the EZ Sound match well with iPods.

Though not perfect, the EZ Sound should satisfy all but the most picky audiophiles. For those looking for a decent set of portable speakers (in fact, the world's smallest 2.1 speakers), the EZ Sound is a suitable candidate.

Advantages:

• Better-than-decent sound

• Compact, sleek, and portable
• Ability to use either batteries or USB for power

Disadvantages:

• Low-frequency buzz when plugged in

• Interference due to unshielded cables

Overclockers Online would like to thank Titan for providing the review sample of the EZ Sound.