[singlepic=327,460,380,web20,]I think I’ve said it before, but if I didn’t, here it is again: Speakers aren’t easy to review and are in fact extremely subjective. I don’t use any type of technical measurement to see what the Hz range is, or if the signal-to-noise ratio is up to snuff. Nope, I just listen to them, play with the plugs, etc, and give my real world opinion. When you’re ready to shop for other devices that pair well with speakers, check out our best home theater systems.
How do they sound?
The Scandyna Mircopods sounds good, but fall short when it comes to any level of bass. With that said, they achieve great highs for a pair of self powered computer speakers, which is probably due to the separated tweeters mounted at the top of the speakers. I maxed out the volume on my Macbook (both the computer and iTunes volume) and experienced absolutely no distortion. I tried these speakers out with a variety of music and found that the Eric Clapton and Norah Jones genres sound best. Where as bands like Kayne West (puke), or Daft Punk’d don’t get their complete range displayed. If you’re interested in a home theater system that’s compatible with Dolby Atmos sound, then check out our Samsung HW Q90R review.
Any design flaws or highlights?
The Micropods are without a doubt retro meets the future. The ones I received were finished in an orange-yellow and served as an excellent desktop accent. Notably, the included metal feet pop into the base of the Micropods and require no screws or threads to install – a great design that makes install extremely intuitive. The powered speaker includes a ‘sub out’ headphone jack to bring the bass up to par, and also feature a unique speaker input positive/negative plug. The nonpowered speakers features a high end postive/negative post for attaching the speaker wire. The powered speaker is also denoted, when powered that is, by a glowing logo on the face of the speaker. The speakers drivers are made of Kevlar, which should insure a long life and also provide an aggressive look since the Micropods are a grill-less design. One notable flaw, which may be related to the included headphone cord, was when the headphones plug was removed or unplugged from my computer, the Micropods emitted an obnoxious buzzing noise even though the headphone jack wasn’t in contact with any metal. Nonetheless, the Micropods made little to no buzzing noise when music wasn’t playing (plugged in) and the volume on my computer was cranked to 100%. Read our Skye WiFi music receiver review for a nice accessory to your audio devices.
Final thoughts?
The Scandyna Micropods SE Active Speakers sound excellent with the correctly matched genre of music. Add a Minibass to the setup and they’ll boast ‘knock your sox off’ sound. Scandyna has clearly put some effort into designing and building these speakers. I was tempted to toss them down a flight of stairs because I was confident they’d survive the fall given their extremely sturdy build. But then the better part of me thought of the PR agency that loaned these to me, and how they might frown upon receiving a pair of scratched, but fully functional speakers.
Included in box:
- Headphone to headphone cord
- About 4 feet of Speakerwire
- 6 metal feet (3 feet per speaker)
- Power adapter
Available in store only with some Ebay presence. Check the Scandyna website to find a retailer near you.
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