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Saitek A-250 Wireless 2.1 Speaker System Review
If you can overlook the strange form factor and high price, you’ll find a great sounding, easy to operate, compact wireless 2.1 speaker system.
The second of Saitek’s ventures into the PC audio market, the A-250 is a compact, admittedly weird looking, wireless 2.1 speaker system. With the A-250 Saitek takes a strong first step into the wireless audio arena.
Appearance
Hmm, how to describe the A-250’s appearance? Think E.T. meets, well something round, black, and glossy. This oddly insectiod looking unit is unique to say the least. Head on it resembles a glossy, elongated and flattened peanut. Around each of the front firing speaker grilles is a colored ring, one red and one orange. Along the top of the orange ring sit the integrated media control buttons (power,volume, forward, back, source, etc.).
Front and center is the lit LCD display where track, volume level, input source, etc is displayed. I wouldn’t necessarily say that the unit is ugly, just…alien. The USB Bluetooth dongle is a simple disk with orange and red rings around the top circumference and a blue, glowing power button top and center. Personally I wouldn’t have selected this form factor, but style is a very relative thing. Still, I think there are not too many places where the unit would exactly “fit in”.
Performance
The A-250 performs very similarly to Saitek’s other new system, the A-200. It is able to output a reasonable range of sounds, especially considering its compact size. The two 3W neodymium tweeters create crisp highs and reasonably strong midrange tones.
The downward firing 3W sub also is capable of a decent amount of bass, utilizing Saitek’s trademarked “Mission” speaker technology with active crossover that supposedly boosts bass performance and reduces noise. Lower end frequencies are never extremely strong, but as long as the volume remains at a decent level, the bass is audible and clear. At high levels, there is an audible “bottoming out” of the bass frequencies, but this is only if you boost the bass significantly.
Four AA batteries provide power to the unit for a claimed 20 hours, but the included A/C adapter can also be used. Also included is a 3.5 millimeter male/male jack that serves to connect your audio device to the A-250. Reasonably high volume is achievable assuming the source can output a decent level. The unit puts out more than adequate sound for an office or small to medium sized room, but may not be suitable for a crowded area or the outdoors. Again, this is to be expected from a unit as compact as this.
The wireless USB Bluetooth dongle is extremely easy to use, with a simple plug and play set-up. A quick push of the top button on the dongle activates it and it is automatically detected by the speaker unit. The speakers even auto-power down when they don’t receive a signal for an extended period of time. The range on the 2.4 GHZ wireless connection is quite decent, so it is not a problem to take the speakers to a separate room than the transmitter, assuming you aren’t living in an MTV crib.
$130 is definitely not a cheap price. However, if you are in the market for a very compact, wireless 2.1 system, and don’t mind a very odd form factor, the A-250 may be just what you are looking for. The quality of sound and ease of operation definitely set this unit apart from cheaper systems that lack the range of frequency, especially in the bass representation.
Highs: Decent sound quality for size; Wired or wireless connectivity; LCD readout; Media controls are on speaker unit; Works with batteries or included A/C adapter; Cleaning cloth included.
Lows: Lacking in midrange frequencies; Style is a little over the top; A little on the pricey side.
Verdict: The A-250 is one funky looking little piece of hardware. If you can overlook the strange form factor, however, you’ll find a great sounding, easy to operate, compact wireless 2.1 speaker system.
Review by Zack Stromberg.
Nov 27, 2005
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