Cyber Snipa’s Sonar Portable Mini Speaker: Our Review

Everyone knows that whenever Apple or any portable media company releases an upgrade to a product (most recently, the jump from the iPad to the iPad 2), one of the things that HAS to be included in the updated model is increased sound quality. Whether it’s improved by a little or by a lot, better sound or speakers is just a necessity when it comes to adding to the specs of a new device. But what if you don’t want to spend 500+ dollars just because your Netflix dialog is muffled or your music doesn’t have quite as much bass as you would like? You could buy a docking station for your media device that you would have to lug around everywhere–but that doesn’t seem like something you’d want to show off to your friends, especially when you also have to carry around a wall plug for it that makes it virtually unmovable. No. You want something small, portable and rechargeable. Which means the Sonar Portable Mini Speaker is just what you’re looking for.

DESIGN

To make a long story short, the Sonar speaker looks terrific; it’s one of those special products that someone will randomly pick up off your desk and say “wow that’s so cool! How does it work?” It fits in the palm of your hand, and the top twists open unveiling the part of the speaker that puts out the great sounding bass. This is made possible by using what Cyber Snipa calls “vacuum bass technology.” On almost every corner, you’ll find a control button. On the top left corner is the power button, which you have to hold for a few seconds in order to turn the device on or off; on the top right corner is the volume up button, and on the bottom right corner is the volume down button. On the top side is a blue LED light that when lit, indicates that the device is on. You’ll also find a USB port that can be used to charge the device or to plug in to your laptop or desktop (although I wouldn’t recommend it, since a desktop speaker is most likely louder than this device). On the right side you can see a headphone jack, and on the bottom of the device you’ll see a very short headphone cable to plug into your media device. The VERY SHORT cable wraps around the edges of the bottom of the speaker–did I mention it was short? However, also included in the box is a USB cable/headphone cable that is slightly longer.

QUALITY

Now this entire review would be pointless if the sound quality of the Sonar speaker wasn’t up to par; and lucky for our readers (and myself), the speaker’s sound is juuuuuust right–as long as you remember what size it is and what it was made for. If you bought (or are thinking of buying) the Sonar speaker so you could save a few bucks on house party speakers, then you’re barking up the wrong tree–this speaker is for relaxing while listening to some music with a few of your friends or lying in a chair on the beach. I’ll put it this way: Even if you put the sonar speaker on full blast, chances are your neighbors WON’T call the cops on you for a noise disturbance–which is always good.

PORTABILITY

This is another category that is essential to the success of the Sonar. Just as we talked about the importance of a speaker’s sound quality, if a portable speaker isn’t truly “portable,” it will have a hard time finding an audience. Luckily, the sound quality is amazing for its size that it is, And vice versa. You can fit it in your pocket (although not comfortably) or keep it in the carrying case that’s included in the box; you can lie it on pretty much every surface and play it through any device–and did I mention it’s rechargeable? The built-in battery helps give it that “bigger-than-it-looks-sound,” and will power the Sonar for up to 4 hours.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Now, the real question: Is it worth your hard earned cash? And the answer is, for just under 30 dollars….. yes. If you are thinking of buying this product for a laptop or desktop, well, you already know my thoughts on that; this product was made for more portable media devices such as iPods, smart phones and tablets, and is especially useful when used with iPods that have no speaker at all–like the Shuffle or Nano. If this is what you had in mind,  I strongly suggest that you go out and pick yourself up a Sonar Portable Mini Speaker.

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