12 July 2006 11:41 GMT / By Stuart Miles

Saitek might be best known for its host of gaming peripherals, but that hasn't stopped the company creating a 2.1 wireless speaker system for PC users.

Looking like something found on the set of the latest Sci-Fi movie the black and orange design is the most striking element of the unit. Of course this has its downsides as well as plus points.

The downsides are that you aren't able to position the speakers where you want, as you would with two satellite speakers and the design won't be to everyone's taste. However the plus points are that it's one compact unit, and away from the PC its one bundled package means its easy to move around - especially as you can run the system on batteries.

Streaming wireless music is easy and straight forward - as long as you have Windows XP and connection is made via a wireless 2.4Ghz dongle that you simply connect to your PC via a USB socket.

Once connected music can be streamed from your PC to the unit anywhere within a 100 feet radius however in practice in the home this is more like 15-20 meters.

You can control play/pause, track skip, and volume with your music software or the buttons on the speaker. The buttons work with iTunes, Musicmatch Jukebox, Winamp, WMP, and any other software that supports media keys on a PC keyboard.

The addition of the controls means that you don't have to be at your computer to change tracks and we especially liked the freedom this gave us.

When you're not streaming music via your PC you can of course connect an MP3 or CD player to the unit via its line-in socket.

When it comes to sound quality the small speakers do surprisingly well producing a good sound with plenty of bass thanks to the subwoofer being held off the surface the speaker by tiny little rubber feet. It's a shame that the unit doesn't feature its own equaliser settings however.

Verdict

Overall the A-250 are a nice little addition to your office, kitchen or holiday home allowing you to stream music directly from your PC or laptop.

The sound quality is good with vocals and bass both supported well.

Are only grumble is that it would have been nice to have Mac support and perhaps a design that isn't so alien.

Score

Review Recap

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Saitek

Price as reviewed

£99

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The good

Looks, plus you can wirelessly stream music from your PC to the speakers

The bad

The speaker unit looks so futuristic, it is unlikely to fit in anywhere other than a plush apartment in town

Quick verdict

Overall the A-250 are a nice little addition to your office, kitchen or holiday home allowing you to stream music directly from your PC or laptop

Score

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