Portable speaker Travelsound MP3 128 Mb

The TravelSound MP3 Titanium is simply a standalone MP3 player/speaker system. One of the problems with such a combination is that the designers can't really focus too much on either component. We know that Creative can make outstanding speakers (MegaWorks) and exemplary MP3 players (pick a model), but what happens when you mix them up into one concoction? Well, the convenience is obvious and very satisfying. Unfortunately, the limitations pop up just as quickly and are far less satisfying. I will make a small disclaimer that you should really know what you're getting into with the TravelSound. You are not getting a high (or even mid) end portable. Neither are you getting high (or even mid) end sound quality. What you get is something that's fun to have around, looks pretty cool, and will impress your friends. Luckily, the system only costs $129.99, so you're not breaking the bank even if you are a little let down.

Design
I think the TravelSound is a pretty sharp looking customer. It's a little thicker than I though it would be, but all told it's pretty portable. The front of the player has the two speakers, two LEDs, and four control buttons: play/pause, stop, next track/forward scan, and previous track/reverse scan. (Sadly the player mutes when you scan within a track.) On the bottom of the player is a three way slider with which you select normal, repeat, or random play. On top you have three buttons: volume up, volume down, and stereo expansion, the effects of which are barely perceivable. On the rear of the main section of the body is a battery compartment that houses four AAAs. Four new batteries will provide about twelve hours of playback.

The main section of the player is attached to the base with a hinge that allows for about 50 degrees of movement. The base has the SmartMedia slot, power switch, USB 1.1 port, AC jack, headphone jack, and line-in.

As you can see in the above images, the back of the main section is recessed for the base. When it's folded it's acceptably slim. It wouldn't comfortable fit into pants pockets, but it's certainly small enough to toss in a small bag or jacket.

MP3 (and WMA, of course) Player
As a digital audio portable, the TravelSound is a lightweight. It packs a mere 32MB of internal memory and a SmartMedia slot for expansion up to 160MB. (I think Creative is the only MP3 maker still clinging to SmartMedia.) 32MB will buy you about 30 minutes of 128kbps music, which is pretty lean. If you plan on buying a TravelSound I strongly recommend investing in a 128MB SmartMedia card.

Play modes are fairly limited (normal, repeat, and random) and you don't get anything but the stereo expander, which I don't think does anything, for sound customization. Thankfully, Creative at least installed a microphone for voice recording. Notice that there isn't a record button on the player. You must simultaneously press forward and reverse to toggle between play and record modes. (The upside is that I finally had to read a manual!) You don't get to change the sound quality for voice recording; you're stuck with 4-bit, 8kHz monaural WAVs.

One of the annoying qualities of MP3 playback was the player's penchant for skipping the first few milliseconds of files. It didn't do it all of the time, and it was just a sliver, but I did notice it a few times. And no, it wasn't my files.

Creative installed a modest amplifier in the TravelSound. You get a whopping 2 watts RMS to each channel. However, the effective sound levels are fairly impressive, especially through headphones. Through the speakers the TravelSound was loud enough to get everyone's attention in my area. Of course, at full volume the little amp distorts like crazy. However, medium levels provide plenty of juice if you have the device sitting in front of you on a desk. Through headphones the sound quality was great. Even when maxed the sound stayed pretty clean and fidelity was more than acceptable.

Speakers
As bitchy as a few of my coworkers were, everyone eventually agreed that the sound quality through the speakers was much better than anyone expected. The speakers seem to be identical to the titanium drivers in the Creative I-Trigues. Creative claims a 150Hz to 20kHz frequency response, which seems pretty honest; it's nearly impossible for a such a small device to plumb much lower than that. However, even with the modest low end the speakers sounded pretty nice. Not nice compared to my B&Ws and not nice compared to the MegaWorks, but nice for what they are. If you're sitting somewhat close to the TravelSound you even get decent stereo imaging. Overall the sound is pretty clear in the trebles and mids with a noticeable drop-off starting in the lower side of the mids. The only problems occur when the amp is forced to power the drivers at high levels. Distortion at that point becomes rampant. Perfect? No. Better than you'd think? Yes.

Creative puts together a nice little bundle for the TravelSound. You get the device itself, an AC power cable, an 1/8-inch-to-1/8-inch cable, a USB cable, and a small carrying case. You also get an installation disc good for Windows. Sorry Mac users.

Conclusion
As you can see, neither of the components of the TravelSound is perfect. However, I think there's a synergy that makes the device a worthwhile experiment. I like to think of this model as a test launch so that Creative can see whether or not further development is worthwhile. And I think I am right about that. I can't really recommend the TravelSound as a dedicated MP3 player. Neither can I recommend it as a dedicated portable speaker system. However, I can recommend it as what it is: a unique portable audio device that's fun to use, sounds good all things considered, and isn't too expensive.