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I purchased on woot.com and quickly found out why they were selling cheap.CAN'T TURN IT OFF. Sound is good and batteries last me about 16 hours, depending on volume levels. Designed to twist the whole thing to turn it off and on but it's nearly impossible. This was a two for one Tuesday special and both are the same way. I use it when I travel, but turn it off and on by taking out the batteries. Maybe this problem was fixed.
Next you find three or four small "nubs" on the black ring area of the speaker. Here's how (this might void your warranty).: Take the sharp tip of a utility knife and gently pry the grill off. That's the only way I was able to turn it on and off. Then, because I had some, I took a Q-Tip and put a little white lithium grease and coated some of the speaker ring area.
The sound is not bad, once you can get it on.******UPDATE*********I got tired of breaking my hand trying to get this thing on, so I fixed it. Altec forgot to include the rubber thingy you use to open jars. These stick out just a little (I assume to give tension) take a small file and gently go over each nub once. Wow. It comes off pretty easy.
Just barely file them. What a difference. Who was the idiot that designed this. Then you line up the black switch line on the silver ring with the "off" on the speaker and snap it back on. Then take the tip of a very small flat-blade screwdriver and from the INSIDE of the silver ring, work around the ring and gently pop it off.
You'll see after you remove the grill how the switch works and how it lines up. Then paying very close attention to the "cutout" on the grill (the cutout goes over the switch area) gently push the grill back on. (Your milage may vary)
I really like it for sharing my MP3 songs with friends. This speaker is very easy to use, seems very durable and looks neat. And I know this wasn't built to be a high volume speaker, but I'd like it to be a little louder. I like how it turns on and off by turning the speaker cover--no protruding switch to get in the way or be unsightly. Nice buy overall. It's not loud enough to hear it well travelling in the car, or with other ambient noise too close.
The buying process was seamless and perfect. I wish the cord was a little longer; it's only about 5 inches long. For good loud volume, stick to ear buds. But for a quiet setting---at the desk or sitting alone, it's pretty good. For the volume it has, the sound quality is really very good. Got the shipment in 4 days, I think, and in good condition.
Great price.
If you have troubles opening a jar, this is not for you. It takes 3 AAA batteries that are a little difficult to get in because of the base, but they last a pretty long time (as long as you don't forget to shut it off). The speaker is pretty decent for the price. The other downfall was that I thought I had blown the speaker because it was getting some crackling noise. Like others said, it is not as easy as flipping a switch to shut it off. You have to get a good grip on the base and top and click it over. But once I put new batteries in it, it went away. Overall though it has a nice sound (with no bass) that carries from one room to the other well for its size.
Initially i thought this was a great buy with the price and all, but through use all I got out of with was lots and lots of frustration. Very very very difficult to turn on and off. If it had an adapter, that would make it a 3 star as I could have dealt with the incredibly difficult on and off "switch" but after it ran through my batteries after 3 or so nights, I was through. Guzzles through batteries within a couple of days. Can't turn my ipod up past a certain volume(around halfway is maximum) or the sound will get severely muffled. I'm going with something else now. Not ideal for my functions at all (which was a speaker for my ipod alarm).
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