Orb Audio Mini T & Speaker Package, Third Generation Speaker, in Pearl White Gloss

Rating: 2 stars (value for money) to 2.5 or even 3 stars on some discount (for a portable, Packable self- mains-powered sound system). Reason: they have high price and lack clarity.The situation:= As long as you don't do bass under 120 Hz, these can go loud enuf for a small room. If you want very loud (as for movies), you will have to cut off bass at 250 cps.Pros:+ Tiny, lightweight, packable, including tiny amp. This is their greatest strength and usefulness. Great for travelers.+ These come with 3.5mn stereo patch cable needed to connect to phone, music player. However, I recommend a different cable with right angle connection to music source, as this will be less strain on your electrical socket. Straight angle connections tend to quickly degrade connections, requiring expensive repair, delay, frustration.+ With proper attention to external crossover and/or EQ, these play loud for their size.Cons:- Fairly high intermodular distortion. Not the thing for great choral works, or organ, or complex music. Transparency and detail is lacking.To do real justice to sound, a set of small stereo transmission line loudspeakers limited to higher frequencies would offer clarity in a small size, for which a tuned woofer-subwoofer would be required. I have not seen any such product offered on Amazon.1. I do know one manufacturer in Chicago whose new second generation improved powered transmission line speaker & subwoofer set might be worth checking out. They are $1000 for a 2.1 system with response in a small room to 35 cycles per second. The first generation I have heard, and did not impress me.2. Cambridge Audio has their Minx E215 5.1 system that operates down to 40 cps, for $800. A reasonably good deal, especially if you buy open box or used.If you are not demanding such tiny size, it's always best to invest in true studio monitors at the price range. (Forget consumer gear, if you want accuracy and transparency and depth of field and stereo imaging and air!)3. A pair of self-powered JBL LSR305, at $300 with stands and cables and foam seats, are your best option at anywhere near their price range. You may add their subwoofer for lots of clean, fast, impacting true bass.4. The other great option, from $600, is the same single electrostatic loudspeaker company that makes speaker panels owned by 70% of US audiophiles, and some people who aren't. A separate amplifier of 50 to 450 watts per channel is required. You may read the top audiophile magazines for this.5. Do remember that, for one person, headphones can offer you the same sound precision at 1/15th to 1/5th the price. The German headphone manufacturers BeyerDynamic and Sennheiser are leaders in detail, in that order.My background:Recording engineer, radio & television broadcaster, audiophile, vocalist and musician and instrument inventor (woodwinds, strings, percussion, keyboards, including pipe organ), loudspeaker engineer, acoustic designer and consultant.

These Orb Mini Speakers (made in USA) are connected to my bedroom television set. I also hook up my laptop to listen to music through these speakers. I'm not sure if they'd be good for a desktop computer. They are just too strong and powerful. However, I have to say that I absolutely love love love these speakers. I'm not an audiophile. I just love the way that they sound. You want to crank them up they are that good. I have one of those sound bars in my living room. I'm probably going to replace them with these speakers. Yes, they cost more, but they're worth it.

The Orb Mini-T V3 along with a pair of Orb Mod 1 speakers is a great way to create an incredibly tiny, good sounding audio system for a laptop or desktop computer setup. It really is the ideal package for a laptop audio setup since bookshelf speakers along with a mini amp would be way too large and cumbersome. The Mini-T along with a bluetooth receiver, the Mod 1 speakers, and a smartphone or tablet is an easy way to create a very small, good sounding audio system in a bedroom, garage, or kitchen. It's small enough that you can find a home for the Orb audio system anywhere. Connecting a subwoofer to the Mini-T, the audio system is capable of delivering enough sound to create a compact home theater system. I use my Mini-T V3 and Mod 1 Speakers along with a Orb subMini in a bedroom when watching movies and TV shows or listening to music. Not once have I thought that I needed something more powerful or with better performance.MINI-T V3 SPECS:20 w/ch into 4 ohm speakersEfficiency: 88% (10W, 8 ohm)Distortion: 0.04% THD+N (9W, 4 ohm)Dynamic Range: 102 dBSize: 4"W x 4"D x 1"HMOD 1 SPECS:4.25" diameterFrequency Response: 80Hz-20kHzSensitivity: 89dBImpedance: 8 ohms3" aluminum cone driverPower handling: 15-125 wattsMade in the USABUILD:The Orb Mini-T V3 is a great little amp with an elegant design and durable build. The Mini-T V3 is completely redesigned, with considerable improvements made to the build quality. The Mini-T V3 is incredibly tiny, measuring 4"W x 4"D x 1"H. It features a brushed aluminum cabinet, 2 audio inputs with an input selector button on the front, a subwoofer output, a 5V USB power connector which can be used for an optional bluetooth receiver or wireless subwoofer transmitter, and micro speaker connectors. The Mini-T amp comes with 2 micro speaker connector cables which are 1m in length. It also comes with 2 micro speaker connectors if you use your own speaker cables for longer runs.The Mini-T V3 is very easy to use. The volume dial also serves as the on/off. The volume dial feels of quality and turns very smoothly. The audio input selector button is also on the front. That's it! The Mini-T is powered by a good quality 3A supply. I have several mini amps including the Orb Mini-T V2. I can't say enough about how much I love the redesign and build of the new Mini-T V3!The Orb Mod 1 speakers have a beautiful circular design breaking the mold of speakers in a rectangular box. The 3" aluminum cone driver sets in a circular metal casing and has a rounded metal front grill. The Mod 1's have high quality custom gold plated brass binding posts and come with a metal desk stand.SOUND:The Mod 1's with the Mini-T V3 have a forward sound. The speakers simply consist of a 3" driver so don't expect any bass thumping from them. While the specs state a frequency response of 80Hz-20kHz, I feel they'd be lucky to produce any frequencies below 110Hz. I have other satellite and bookshelf speakers with similar frequency response but they produce noticeably more bass. It is worth noting those speakers are 4x-8x larger than the Orb's.The Mini-T along with the Mod 1's can produce a clean sound loud enough to fill a small room with audio which is perfect for many listening situations. With the volume turned up a little past the halfway point, harshness is apparent in high frequencies. Music begins to clip if the volume is turned past 2/3 of the way. At more moderate levels, even at the volume dial's mid point the audio sounds perfectly fine.SUBWOOFER:To achieve the best sound with the Mini-T and Mod 1's it's advantageous to connect a subwoofer to the Mini-T. The ability to connect a subwoofer to the Mini-T is one of its shining features. Orb makes the subMini which is designed to go with the Mod 1 speakers. Other subwoofers will work as well so long as they have a high frequency crossover. I have the subMini and it works perfectly with the Mini-T and Mod 1 speakers. The crossover is set at 160Hz. With a subwoofer, the 2.1 Orb audio system sounds incredible. The sound is spacious and the bass is tight. Considering the subMini and pair of Mod 1 speakers combined take up about as much space as one of my large Boston bookshelf speakers the sound the Orbs are able to create together is awesome.SUMMARY:The Orb Mini-T V3 and pair of Mod 1 speakers make a great compact audio system. The incredibly tiny size of the Mini-T and Mod 1 speakers makes the Orbs ideal to use with a laptop, desktop computer, or as a bookshelf system. If you are using the Orbs as a bookshelf system in a bedroom, kitchen or garage, I recommend also purchasing an optional bluetooth receiver to send audio wireless from a smartphone or tablet. With the Mini-T you can add a subwoofer to the system which is a big selling feature. A subwoofer will make the audio system really sing! I use my Orb Mini-T and Mod 1's along with a subMini in a bedroom when watching movies and TV shows or listening to music. I couldn't be happier!Note: A product sample was provided by the seller in exchange for a fair, unbiased review.