JBL Pebbles 2.0 Speaker System, Silver/White(2 Pieces)

Important items:1) Works with both Mac and Windows in exactly the same way.2) USB wire connects to PC, and one wire goes from left to right speaker nothing else, minimal wiring/clutter, simple setup.3) Volume control on the right speaker controls volume in computer.4) Sound quality exceeds my expectations for the small speakers. The low frequencies are nicely handled, you here reasonably deep base without artificial "popping" of particular base frequencies.5) If there is one negative about sound quality - the very high frequencies are a bit too loud and they are "harsh". However, you can rotate speakers to re-direct twitters away from directly facing your ears. I also suspect that it just take time to get used to this particular color of the sound, or, as they say, "you need for speakers to burn in". Some people like this sound coloration, as it gives extra "clarity" to the sound, I personally not so much. At the same time do not expect too much quality from these speakers. They are too small and relatively cheap. But in this price and size range, I doubt you can do better.6) When you connect them first time, you may not hear the sound from them (at least on Mac). You have to select the output device in sound properties. After that, computer remembers the selection - you can disconnect/reconnect them while music is playing, the computer switches back and forth between previous output and these speakers.7) They turn off when your computer (including Mac) goes to sleep. It saves battery life for the laptops which would keep USB output on when sleeping.8) There is only one blue LED that goes on and off when speakers are working or not. Very important for those like me for whom extra light may bother at night. They are completely dark if computer is sleeping.9) They look nice. You can chose the ones that fit into your desktop environment. Mine are silver (for silver MacBook Pro and Mac Mini)10) No headphone output on them, but you can still use the headphone output of the computer, since they are not connected to it.11) They are a bit larger than you would guess from the picture. The largest size (from side to side) is 6 inches.12) They do not rely on soundcard of your PC. Meaning for most laptops the sound quality is better, since they are themselves are sound card performing digital to analog conversion and amplification of the signal.Overall, outstanding speaker when you take into account size and price. I do recommend them for the laptop users, and even for most desktop users. However, for desktop users who wants good quality of the sound, you may want to spend extra money and buy "proper" speakers, which are a bit larger but give more balanced sound. And you would need separate soundcard for your PC, not the one on the motherboard. Although, my main use of these speakers is going to be with mac mini (which is desktop computer), and I found the quality quite acceptable when I browse internet and listen to the music at the same time.

Bottom line: It's going to be an improvement and your getting what your paying for. If you want more, your going to need to pay more. They met my expectations. These are not for audiophiles. I bought these for my wife because she needed something better than the speakers on her Chromebook. A few notes follow.1 - Being USB port powered makes them portable so your not tied to an outlet as laptops should be. One problem is that the USB doesn't always work for transferring audio. We haven't figured out why. It's not a big loss since it has an audio jack as well. This problem may annoy some people but it doesn't affect their ability to work or quality of sound. As far as the USB being a power source, that's never been an issue and always works.2 - The size is a little big for our application but still usable. Your going to need a desk, table top or some sort of surface. Not ideal for the couch sitting laptop user. She just wanted something to play her music in the kitchen so that wasn't an issue with us. Despite their size, they don't look out of place as bookends for your laptop, even for one as thin as your average 14 inch Chromebook.3 - Volume is good and doesn't distort when cranked. The natural sound of these speakers are a little flat but isn't muddy. If you ever listened to monitors in a recording studio you have an idea of what these speakers sound like. If you haven't, it's a flat EQ so the sound engineer can get the mix to work regardless of what system the published recording it's played on. Obviously your not going to get the clarity of a $300 studio monitor out of a $50 PC speaker set. Most people don't have the ear for noticing the difference without a side by side comparison anyways.

stopped working after 2 months. Volume on speaker and display burns out on many units / still can use volume on computer. At this price what else do you expect?

Pros:- Fairly clear sound.- Decent looking.- Volume dial.- Aux input.Cons:- Absolutely zero bass, but at least it doesn't have that fake, forced sounding bass that many PC speakers have.- Cord connecting the speakers is a bit too short.- Another annoying blue power LED. At least it's not too bright.- The minimum volume is a bit too high.- Volume dial is not easy to access when speakers are stood vertically and facing forward (which is how most people would set these).Overall they are okay budget speakers.I have some 20 year old Altec Lansing 2.1 PC speakers that are light years beyond these when it comes to sound quality and range, but I wanted something a bit more modern looking and convenient. Unfortunately they just don't have the dynamic range I was hoping for. Guess I fell for the JBL name even though they are cheap speakers.

Several dents on both speakers,pretty good sound.