Altec Lansing Nobi Review

Introduction:

Besides handsfree devices for mobile phones, there are other accessories currently offered on the market as well. One such example are the music speakers, which let you share your favorite tunes with your friends at a party or on the beach.

Altec Lansing, founded 1941, is an established manufacturer of audio devices. In 2005, Plantronics, which is one of the leaders on the mobile accessory market, buys the company, but lets it keep the name.

This is a review of the Nobi model, which is mainly intended for Nokia’s XpressMusic series, but can be used with other devices as long as they have a 3.5mm jack.

The package contains:

• Altec Lansing Nobi
• Hand strap
• User manual


Design and Comfort:

Nobi is a rounded unit, designed to allow the music to flow in all 360 degrees. The manufacturer has achieved that by employing two loudspeakers, located on the wider sides. They are covered by metal screen protectors, which allow the free flow of the sound. On each of the other two sides, we have a strap hole/hanger. It could be that besides with the strap included in the package, those could be used with another, double one as seen on cameras.


The only resident of the top is the power button. It is big, very lightly controlled and clearly felt when pressed. Since there are no other indicators, you will know that the device is on If the button is pushed down.


On the bottom, we have the battery lid, on which you can attach the cable with the 3.5 mm jack when you are not using it so it’s out of the way.

The device’s dimensions (7.4” x 2” x 7.2” (187 x 52 x 184 mm)) and the weight (0.63 lbs (280 grams)) are nothing extreme and even though you can’t put it in your pocket, the Nobi will easily fit in backpack or a suitcase. You could also have it blasting at max volume hanging from your hand, but don’t expect to be everybody’s favorite guy/girl. The device sits firmly on any flat solid surfaces like desks or tables.


The manufacturer claims that the Nobi is impact resistant and would satisfy even the users with the highest requirements.

Functionality:

Nobi doesn’t offer any additional functions, hence the lack of extra buttons or controls (not even volume dedicated!). The short cable is another mystery for us. It could have been at least twice as long or there could have been an extension in the package.

Performance:

Nobi is expected to provide music with acceptable quality. Since it is intended for use with the Nokia XpressMusic line, we used the 5610 to find out about its performance. At maximum volume level, there were crackling noises, which were very annoying. Almost immediately, we lowered the sound and things started to get much better. However, we would not rely on Nobi for listening to loud music. We would rather use it as a background for a casual event. Considering the low price of the speaker, it performed well and we can’t ask for anything else with the exception of a bit more power.

The only power source of the model are 3 AAA batteries. According to the official data supplied from Altec Lansing, they will provide up to 18 hours of listening to music. That’s not a bad for a loudspeaker, but you’ll have to constantly carry spare batteries.

Conclusion:

Nobi is an affordable, compact mobile loudspeaker, targeted at the consumer group which is not characterized with high quality music expectations. You can carry it in your bag or hanging on your neck. The only thing we would like to note is that the sound is not that loud, but it will do just fine in most cases.