uBoom: Ample boom but little subtlety

I don’t know about you, but I am increasingly resorting to the web to find music to play while I work.

I will visit YouTube and play songs like Only Memories Are Our Friends sung by Heintje, or “When We Are Young” by Solomon King. These are not exoctly the songs people from my generation listen too, I know. I have also found a website solely dedicated to Elvis Presley’s impressive collection of songs.

Listening to the music on my desktop PC at home is not a problem, as I have hooked it up to a great sounding Aiwa compo. However, when I travel and want to listen to the same music on my notebook computer, the experience becomes a nuisance.

Some multimedia notebooks produce acceptable sound, but are usually bulky and not really suitable for travel. Most of the time, the sound quality of notebooks and netbooks is similar to that of toy cell phones. Yes, I could use a pair of high-end headphones, but after a while my ears will feel hot.

When talking about portable speakers, the challenge is to find the balance between size and richness of sound. Some computer speakers made by Logitech, Altec Lansing and many others offer good sound reproduction, but they are simply not for the road. Even wallet drainers such as MusicMonitor from Bose and BeoLab 4 from B&O do not completely satisfy demanding audiophile tastes.

Recently, ASUS Indonesia let me play around with their new, one-piece 2.1 speaker called uBoom.
The look is pretty futuristic with the brushed aluminum body and black plastic grill on top. The drivers are on the opposite sides and are enclosed in black plastic covers.

The 2.1 model and its bigger brother, uBoom Q, include a subwoofer in addition to the pair of drivers.
More interestingly, as shown in these speakers and many others, the current trend is to connect the speakers to the notebook or desktop PC using a USB 2.0 cable, not an analog one.

If we have a Windows Vista or Windows 7 machine, no drivers are needed either. Older operating systems may require special software drivers to send the audio signal via the USB connection.

Now, let us have a closer look at the uBoom. I was told the unit I played around with was the first sample to arrive in Indonesia. Consequently, it is reasonable to expect many of the shortcomings that I have come across may be rectified in future shipped products.

The uBoom is pretty heavy to throw into an overnight bag, actually. I would suggest ASUS add a shoulder strap to make toting it around more comfortable.

At the back we find all the connection ports. They include the USB port, an RCA jack for analog input, another RCA jack for a microphone, a power switch and a power port.

In front, there is a recess on the tubular resonant chamber to place the rear of our notebook. The good thing is it keep the notebook from warming up too much and give us a better typing angle.

Too bad the recess is not deep enough to support a notebook with the screen fully opened.

During my test, I connected the supplied USB cable to my Windows Vista notebook, plugged the AC adaptor, inserted The Beatles’ Rubber Soul and pumped the volume up. This speaker can produce quite powerful sound.

It is not heart thumping, but it is enough to fill a small hall. Still, I think the balance between the low, mid and high ranges should be fine-tuned further in order to produce richer sound.

I played Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 2 from my Time Life Music collection, and the sound was rather flat.

As far as design goes, I do have a list of other wishes. Having all the connections at the back is great, as it gives us a clean front side. Unfortunately, the power switch is just a small mechanical slide switch.
As it is a great looking speaker, I think ASUS should have used a digital switch instead. In addition, it should be placed in front.

Inside the chamber is a blue light that shines when the unit is powered up. There is no other indicator to tells us it is on. More annoying is definitely the absence of volume control.

We can adjust the volume using Windows mixer, which requires us to click on the small audio icon on the system tray.

It can be quite tricky, especially if you want to have just the right volume. An alternative is to use the notebook Fn andFx key combinations.

My preference would be to use a multimedia keyboard that comes with a master volume control. The best solution would be for ASUS to add a remote control as an accessory. A lot of good computer speakers now come with a remote control.

This speaker is not truly ready to compete with others from Logitech and Altec Lansing, but it certainly has an attractive look and a lot of sonic power. If you just want to listen to YouTube music in your hotel room, or give a presentation in a small hall, this may be a good choice. But, if you want to enjoy the velvety voice of Jim Reeves, you should understand much larger cabinets and drivers are needed.




Source : The Jakarta Post