Cute, portable, EXCELLENT sound, afordable
342345
I was extremely skeptical upon receiving this speaker because I mean after all, it is a tiger head with the speakers located in the eye sockets.  Okay.  Then I plugged in my Iphone 4 - and played Evanescense, Ennio Morricone, and John Barry. Totally blown away.

I have owned portable speakers by Logitech, JBL, and Ihome - all very good, some a little better. My biggest complaint with them was that they were too large to drag in and out of the house and just not portable enough for my needs.  But since I wanted good sound, I'd put up with the inconvenience.  Till now.

I know you won't believe me because I can't even believe it myself, but this little speaker packs quite a wallop in the sound department.  No need to adjust knobs for bass and treble (there aren't any), because the balance is excellent. Put in 3 triple A batteries, adjust your smart phone to the highest volume setting, plug it in the already attached adapter cord, and flip the little switch at the bottom of the tiger's head. There is a sliding volume control on the side of the head which you can then proceed to raise or lower according to your needs. That's it. The sound is rich and deep without the tinny trebble or heavy bass you get from other models. It even sounds terrific when I switch to my Pandora app.

The only drawback is that there is no where to plug in an adaptor for charging my smart phone. But big deal - now I can use my more expensive, bigger speakers to do that.  Cause this little guy can be held in one hand along with my Iphone and I can go from room to room playing my music and setting it down anywhere I want.

Please give this little guy or one of the other animal heads a try. You'll be as surprised and thrilled as I was to discover such a cool, useful and perfect little speaker buddy.

UPDATE (4/2/13):

I've been using this speaker every single day since I got it. The sound is still amazing for such a small, clever design and the batteries seem to last longer than I'd originally believed. In fact, I'm so happy with this item, I've decided to place an order for the Panda version so I can have one of each in different parts of my home.  I will review the Panda once I receive it, but I'm pretty confident it will be just as terrific as the tiger's been.
4305635
I've been using this for a few months now. Ordered this to use for my Zune since I'm using another portable speaker for my laptop. It gives a pretty hefty sound, although it's a little larger and bulkier than the X-Mini capsule speaker that I use for my laptop (http://www.amazon.com/X-Mini-II-Capsule-Speaker-Black/dp/B001UEBN42/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1330696839&sr=1-6)

I remember bringing it out and connecting it to a friend's laptop while we were watching some videos on youtube. They were shocked at the sound quality of what looked like a non-stereo speaker. I've done it multiple times with my laptop and my Zune, It's always fun to see. A friend of mine wanted to buy one online immediately after he heard it.

I leave it connected to my Zune, and it's pretty portable.

Pros: Good sound, portable, looks decent. Sound is surprisingly good.

Cons: No volume control, takes double-a batteries that drain easily if you don't turn off the thing. It's easy to forget to turn off, and the power button isn't really easy to depress. (The double-a battery can be a plus however, since it doesn't require another power source and it's easily replaceable!)

Compared with the X-Mini, I think this gets more sound, but the X-Mini has a volume control option that I like a lot. The X-Mini is also a lot more portable since it screws into a tiny little ball. I take the X-Mini around with me in my laptop bag. I probably could take the Altec with me, but I have a more portable option so I go with that.
1225699
I bought this to use at work with my MP3 player, but not as a sound device.  I can't attest to that use.  I was tired of thrashing through batteries with my other compact speakers, so I liked that I can power this from any PC usb port, and I also have an AC to USB power adapter that I use for charging my other USB devices (this is a nifty and highly-valuable gadget in my bag), so I power it that way sometimes.  I won't use the headphone jack, but that is a nice touch.

Sound quality is reasonable for compact speakers.  The bass is a bit weak, and the treble falls off a bit.  The volume is fairly good for small enclosures like offices and cubicles, and the sound is pleasant, and can be tweaked with settings on my MP3 player.

The USB cord should be longer, at least three feet.  The fact that it coils inside the base is nice.

A retractable 3.5mm connector cord would be very very nifty.

Construction is excellent, very solid.
97698
What a pleasant surprise this little speaker is! I didn't expect much, sound-wise, given its size and affordability. So I was pleasantly surprised when I powered it up, easily paired it with my phone, and started listening. The sound is much, much better than I expected. Will it produce loud, thumping bass? No, but that's to be expected. But it does do a perfectly good job of playing music at pleasant listening volume. It's perfect as a desktop speaker, or for any place that's not too loud, where you want to listen to music.

It terms of functionality, this unit has pretty much everything you'd need it to, including:
*Power button
*Volume controls
*Skip to previous/next track
*Bluetooth connectivity
*Mini-stereo input plug (for wired connectivity, like to your laptop or computer)
*Built in microphone for use as a hands-free speakerphone
*Included charge cable also includes a mini-stereo output plug, so you can also send output to any device with a mini-stereo input

The design is nice, too, with a rubber cap to cover and protect the speaker (it also doubles as a little pad to go underneath during use). The speaker compresses closed so that the hard outer shell protects it when not in use.
917096
I was surprised when I received this how adorably SMALL it was. I don't know the exact dimensions (it's probably on the page somewhere), but it's really small enough to fit in mind, which makes it perfect for mobility around the house as well as for travel, taking up virtually no room in luggage. But is the sound correspondingly small? I'm pleased to say that it's not. While it doesn't have the power and push of my Bose bluetooth speakers (nor should it--they're vastly difference in price), it does have admirable and perfectly acceptable sound. It paired effortlessly with my phone and charged easily and quickly. I've only had for a couple days, so I can't say much about durability or long-term use, but for now I'm quite pleased. Also includes a charging cable and a carabiner for hanging the speaker from a bike handlebar or even your belt loop (although I'd never consider doing either of those things personally).
3437514
This review is for the "Alpatronix AX400 Ultra-Portable Mini Bluetooth Speaker & Wireless Stereo System with Built-In Mic, Subwoofer & Speakerphone - (Black)"

I won these in a contest and I'll try to leave an unbiased review!

I absolutely love these.  I bought the AX-300 Black a while ago and it surprised me when it started blasting music.  It vibrated everywhere during deep bass on full volume.  It was almost cartoonish the way it bounced around, but it was funnily cute.  The downside was that the AX-300's sound was maybe too loud for its own good at times.  It would become a bit fatiguing listening to it for long periods of time.  This was not the case for the AX400s.  I love the richness and overall sound quality of these speakers.

Pros:
-Lightweight (weighs just a tiny, tiny bit more than the AX-300s
-Fantastic build quality
-Sleek, stylish, and small
-Touch screen
-Sounds full and the bass/treble are equally great
-Long battery life (as I've noticed with all my Alpatronix devices, so great job on the battery there guys!)
-Bluetooth or you can directly plug in your device with the included standard 3.5mm plugs
-Charging time is like 2-3 hours
-LED colors are beautiful and tastefully done
-Some kind of grip on the bottom (2 lines) which seems to be ridiculously grippy on any surface I've tried.
-Built-in mic
-Easily pairable

Cons:
-LEDs flash different colors when charging (not really a big con for me I just prefer maybe a solid orange or something, but just a heads up in case you don't like that)
-This next one also really isn't a big con, but it can be a nuisance sometimes.  While the grips on the bottom are ridiculously fantastic, they may be just a bit too sticky.  I noticed them sticking to certain materials like aluminum, wooden desks, and plastic a lot.  They would lift up items if set on them.  It also means more dirt will get on the bottom, but that's not so bad since you don't see it a lot.  Just clean it off every now and then, which is easy to do
-When you turn it off and plug it in to charge (which is micro USB by the way), it will have this weird half on/half off mode where it will reconnect to your last bluetooth synced device and cancel that device's sound until you turn off bluetooth on the device/unsync or you turn the AX400s back on and let it resync.  Be warned- if this happens when you leave the it charging at night, your device's sounds will not go off and you may miss an alarm.
-The touch screen works perfectly, but the brightness could have been better.  It's very difficult to see in lit environments.

As for the sound, it's much fuller and there is a distinct difference between them and the AX-300s.  I played Lindsey Stirling's "Crystallize" on both at max volume and the AX400s definitely came out victorious in all fields.  While it didn't do the cute bouncing around, it did deliver crisper and less-fatiguing sound over time.  Also, it didn't fall off the table, while my AX-300s decided to have cute seizures on my carpet.

Overall, 4/5 stars.  A very good product at a very decent price point.  I would recommend these to anyone looking for bluetooth speakers without wasting a fortune.
4210248
This is just what I was looking for! Great sound for such a tiny little thing. It holds a charge well too.

EDIT: More than 8 months later, this speaker is still going strong. I use it often and seldom have to charge it. I love that it collapses into something smaller than a tennis ball. I've brought it with me to the beach, picnics, etc. I also keep it handy so that I can play music when I move to different rooms around the house (like when I am doing chores, putting away laundry, doing dishes or something.) The little carrying pouch that's included makes it easy to clip to a tote bag, purse, or whatever.

As I mentioned previously, I continue to be impressed by the sound quality, especially since the speaker is so small.
2980171
This is a great little portable system by Logitech.  It's nice that the company includes a soft neoprene-like case for the system.  The system includes an AC adapter, remote, case, and ipod dock adapters.

I really like the design of the speakers.  They remind me of the orignial Apple Hi-Fi system, except smaller.  I think that Apple's system was an inspiration, and Logitech took it rather well.  On the front can find the main control dial that you can push in and push out.  This is the power button and also serves as the volume knob that is illuminated by an orange-amber LED.  Pretty good aesthetics overall.

As far as sound quality goes, I'm pretty impressed.  I listen to a broad range of music generes.  Sound tone and clarity are excellent.  When you crank up the volume, you can definitly almost feel the bass, depending on what size the room you are in and the proximity that you are listening to from the speakers.  At high sounds levels, sound distrotion is little to none at all.  I listen to mostly trance/dance, euro, electronica, and other types of EDM, and the speakers perform well.  As major plus is the portability as you can use 6 AA batteries.  It should last around 10 hours on batteries alone.  The remote can be stored on the back of the speakers.

I'm pretty happy with this purchase, considering it's great sound, portability, and price at $45 when I purchased it.
4432540
These speakers are apparently no longer available, but I write to recommend them used or their newer model replacements based on a very positive experience owning them for a couple of years.

I bought these speakers originally to supplement the pathetic sound on a Dell Inspiron laptop and have since moved them over to a desktop Mac EMac, and found them to be outstanding for both machines. However, I've also found them portable enough to move them over to our low-end TV when we wanted a big sound out of a DVD or a musical performance, over to an iPod, and off a digital camera to show off some baby videos. The independent volume controls and deep range on the speakers provide lots of flexibility in mixing in a variety of sources, and we've actually found the dual sound inputs on the back (there's an A to B mix switcher to allow simultaneous dual sound sources) to be quite useful. One can, for instance, hook up a connecting line from the stereo and use these as a second set of bookshelf speakers without unhooking it from the computer, and with a flick of the dial on the one speaker, change the mix between the two. We're sort of halfway between using traditional music sources and computer-based sources, so having cables running "both ways" has been nice.

As with most Bose speakers, the range and fidelity are excellent, and it is possible to turn the volume up too loud to the point of distortion, but (thus far) when we've done that there's no apparent damage to the speakers. In other words, for a pair of tiny desktop speakers, they provide more sound and volume than we really ever want or that the source can actually provide with any fidelity.

I particularly like the slight angle to which these speakers are canted, as they point the sound sources towards one's ears. They're also directionally accurate, so if you want to "point" your sound and still get the surround effect, it's easy enough to do.

The RF shielding is outstanding; I have one speaker crammed right up against a traditional CRT, and I've never seen a quaver on the screen, nor has there been any noticeable distortion in the operation of a variety of electronic devices that get thrown into a space close to the speakers.

My only quibble with the provided package is the length of the cables and power cable, a common problem for all the desktop arrangements; one does want to stretch the cables around an astonishing array of stuff sometimes.

In any event, I rarely write reviews of electronics products, but I've been so happy with these speakers I decided to go ahead and make an exception. I've been very disappointed by desktop speakers before, but not this time.
2646550
It is small cute and quite adorable.  Backlit blue screen, it comes in colors!  FM tuner works (depending where you live!) and your headphones have a long cord, like mine.  Mp3 uploading is quick, but the headphones ...., just buy some digital ones (sony has one for mp3 players).... How cool is that!
You just have to edit your play list when your taste changes for all the non ipod people out there.
299914
This is a charmer! The sound is great and it has all kinds of features. You can adjust the volume, move what you're listening to forward or backward, and pause it. I have been using it every day since I got it over two months ago and have not had to recharge the battery yet! It has a great range also, is nice and compact, and attractive to look at.
3162863
It's very very very cute, sound quality is very good also
526114
I purchased this speaker and I received it on July 31.
Firstly, This speaker is cute and portable.
Secondly, The Kitty's face of speaker make me happy.
Lastly, The speaker's function is laud and clear.
So, I recommend this speaker.
3783462
Love this , good sound. Very portable. Easy to use
4377492
It's amazing how much sound can come from such a small device. It is so portable and is an asset when I really want to hear and groove on my music from my MP3 player. I love it.
1893966
This little thing packs a very nice sound punch. I have used it all over the place. I considered getting the water proof version which I should have but this one is still great. I have had it for over a year now and it is still giving great sound.

-The sound is super crisp for its size and can get pretty high especially for indoor use.
- The base is definitely noticeable but isn't anything crazy or special. This is a small portable speaker after all.
- The wireless Bluetooth connectivity is seamless and fantastic. The distance isn't bad either, but past about 30ft you get cut off. It;s great for when I am in one room with the music playing and i want to keep my phone on me. Iv'e taken it to family occasions and run my playlist on it and we have a blast. My grandparents love it during Christmas when we play Christmas music while cooking.
-The size and weight is very nice. It easily fits into my backpack along with many other things so it isn't remotely bulky.
-The charge holds for very long as well. If you use it all for then it will need to charge at night, but I haven't used it for over 5 consecutive hours so it dying out on me hasn't occurred.
295667
The x-mini is just what I wanted- a portable, super compact speaker for listening to podcasts and music on the go with my ipod. The design is wonderful- I love how the cord tucks away underneath it and the rechargeable battery. It's also super cute. I considered other larger "mini" speakers that were reviewed with better sound- but for me, size matters and the sound is better that I would expect from such a small speaker. I think I'll be ordering more for holiday gifts.