Lots of noise from one little speaker. (Technika MA-309 Portable Speaker)

Member Name: Tail_Feather

Product:	Technika MA-309 Portable Speaker
Date:	10/09/09 (66 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Small with great sound

Disadvantages: Battery compartment tends to fall off

Technika is an electronic brand sold in Tesco stores, and known for it's budget prices. It's difficult to find any information on the brand online and on some other websites I've read some quite poor reviews of their products, however I spotted the MA-309 portable speaker for just £5.97, and thought I would give it a go.

The packaging is the same as most other Technika products; green and black in colour, and not very much detail. The speaker is enclosed in that tough moulded plastic which is difficult to open if you don't have a pair scissors handy. Also once the plastic has been cut, the edges can be very sharp, so watch your fingers.

The speaker comes with a user guide which displays how the product works and includes a safety guide, information on how to dispose of the product, and details of the warranty; it's covered for 12 months as long as you hold onto your receipt.

The speaker really looks great; it's round in shape and is mostly black wih a little bit of silver. It weighs only 101 grams, can be held in the palm of your hand, and has a carry strap so you can hang it up or keep it wrapped around your wrist. The input jack (which you plug into your CD walkman or MP3 player) fits into a little groove aound the side of the speaker so when you're not using it, it's not hanging loose, waiting to get damaged.

The speaker needs 3 AAA batteries to operate; these are not included. It's very easy to use; just plug the input jack into your CD/MP3 player, turn the CD/MP3 player on, turn the speaker on (using the simple on/off switch and checking that the little red indicator lights up) and listen away!

There is no volume control on the speaker itself, so you just have to adjust the volume levels on your CD/MP3 player. I was surprised at just how much sound came from this little speaker and even when it's at it's loudest, the quality of sound is still quite sharp.

The only bad thing about the MA-309 speaker is the battery compartment; despite being very easy to access, it barely closes and falls off at every given opportunity. Now this could be easily fixed with a bit of tape but the speaker would end up looking a bit rough, and sticky tape often leaves behind that grimy residue that can be hard to get rid of.

I should also point out that you do not get 2 speakers in the pack; the dooyoo product photo shows 2 speakers, but you're paying for just the one.

I find it handy to have a little speaker like this whenever I want to listen to the contents of my ipod without earphones or having to switch on my computer, so overall, it's a great quality product, for the few pounds you have to spend on it.

Summary: Excellent value for money

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