HUMP NF01, NF02 Reviewed (Verdict: Small USB Speakers That Don't Suck)
Dan Rutter takes a gander at the "HUMP NF01" and "NF02" desktop speakers from Unique Hardware and finds—to everyone's surprise, including his—that the little desktop units and their USB amplifier actually put out a set of decent sound waves for not too much money.
If you don't need little tiny super-portable speakers, you don't need the NF01s. If you still need a USB audio solution, there are umpteen super-cheap "USB sound cards" on eBay. Get one of those, plug it into any old amplifier and garage-sale speakers, and you'll be golden.Unique Hardware sells their product directly via eBay at the moment under the name "humpunique"; Prices are in the $65 range, plus shipping. You could get speakers just as nice for less, but probably not as small. If you think you might want to use these with something that doesn't have a USB port—an iPod, say—then you'll want the HUMP NF02, which includes a 3.5mm line in. (Although if I'm not mistaken, you'd still need to be plugged into a USB port for power.)If you want pocketable speakers that don't sound like wet mud and/or the audio leaking out of someone else's headphones, though, the NF-series speakers are an absolute revelation, and definitely worth the money.
Unique Hardware NF01 and NF02 USB speakers [Dan's Data]
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$65 is a lot to pay for a pair of mini speakers, sound unheard, but they are pretty, and that counts for a little bit.
I took a punt on these and must say their performance belies their size and price. Compared to other mini speakers from some big names I've encountered these are really good, they're never going to set your audio world on fire, but for listening to MP3s on my laptop or from my Clix2 in a hotel room while travelling they are brilliant.
They can also be powered from any USB power source, so my mains USB plug works fine and I've invested in a AA powered USB charger which also works great, giving me a fully portable set up.
Snail