Thinkpads Forum

I have a task. To buy a notebook for my nephew.
Of course, I can buy only a Thinkpad ...

Most of his demands is easy to fulfil (DVD burner, phone over net, movie playing, high quality LCD and battery ...). But he demands hi quality sound too.
If I compare the sound on my Thinkpads the winner is A31p. Clear, intensive sound. But my nephew wants some notebook with warranty. And I can not recommend him T42. It´s sound is subaudible. On such a notebook he can not play movies.

Which Thinkpad have I to buy? Please, recommend me something!

An option may be to buy whatever Thinkpad you think is best plus a PCMCIA card like this Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6829102185

Assuming that the need for great sound is when the machine is at a desk, etc that would work very well.

Good luck...

Thank you for advice, wolfman.

But if you have to use only built-in speakers which Thinkpad would you choose?

What about the Z series?

I talked with my nephew. Some of his friends showed him VisionBook 9100WSX vith 4 built-in speakers and built-in subwoofer. Of course, I cannot compare it with any Thinkpad.

My task is "easy" now. I have to find external portable notebook speakers. Not "big" speakers.

Has someone any experieces with such speakers? F.e. USB powered ALTEC Lansing XT1? I read good reviews about this system.

If you want a portable way to enhance the audio, I recently bought a portable, USB powered cooling pad with two speakers. They respond to Windows Media Player graphics bar adjustments & the sound is much better than any factory notebook audio I have heard. Price $29.95, (free shipping off eBay) from the manufacturer (Taiwan)

An alternative to SoundBlaster add-ons would be Turtle Beach USB devices. TB has been in the high-end PC audio realm, selling higher quality stuff to SB, for years.

Does he have to have speakers? Frankly, a subwoofer on a notebook sounds like teats on a boar. I'd recommend really good headphones (I like Bose Triports, Sennheisers are great too), or save money on the notebook, and get great speakers. Boses makes good ones ($99, $249), and I'm pretty impressed with my Logitech Z-3 2.1 speakers. Not portable, but sound terrific, even with the T43 built-in audio.

Just buy a pair of OK-quality 2.0 speakers (no sub), that won't be too big (thus making them moderately portable) and you should be fine. I don't think external soundcard is obligatory if you just want to play games, movies and basic stereo music - the speakers are the problem, the sound codec itself is fine.

If you do want to improve the soundcard, I'd take a PCMCIA-based solution over a USB-based solution anyday.

http://www.creative.com/products/produc ... duct=10796

I bought this speaker for my T43, and it works great. It's maybe what you are looking for, besides the color

messar wrote:http://www.creative.com/products/produc ... duct=10796

I bought this speaker for my T43, and it works great. It's maybe what you are looking for, besides the color

uhhh clashing match with the thinkpad ... yet my sonic impact portable speakers aren't much better ...

http://portables.about.com/od/portables ... review.htm