Anyone who has tried to listen to music or give a multimedia presentation using their laptop will know that in most cases, the sound quality leaves a lot to be desired. The Saitek Notebook Multimedia Subwoofer (£21 inc. VAT) is a compact external device that may help elevate such problems. The saucer shaped design is neat and the subwoofer simply plugs into the headphone jack and USB port on your laptop, which overrides the systems’ default speaker controls. As it draws power from the laptop, no other adapters are required. Rather than just boosting the audio signal from your laptop, the subwoofer has simple controls that allow you to adjust the volume and level of bass, which means you don’t need to control the device from the laptop.

We tested it out on a variety of laptops, for playing music and watching DVDs and discovered that for something so simple, the improvement in quality is excellent. As it uses the audio jack, it remains a compressed stereo signal, so isn’t intended for use where sound quality is imperative. It won’t change the way you work but as a quick and cheap solution, the subwoofer is better than relying on your laptop’s internal speakers.

RATING 8
PRICE £18/£21 (EX/INC. VAT)
REQUIREMENTS Audio socket
Windows 98/2000/XP and Mac OS
CONTACT
www.saitek.com/uk