iPod/iPhone > All Reviews > Hardware > Orbitsound T3 review

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 Orbitsound T3 review

A tiny speaker system you can dangle round your neck

Cliff Joseph

Manufacturer: Orbitsound
Pros: Compact and lightweight, good sound quality, 10-hour battery
Cons: Bass output could be improved, sound quality starts to break up at high volumes
Price: £49
Star rating:

It may have the potential to be one of the most anti-social iPod accessories ever produced, but the T3 from Orbitsound is an ingenious bit of audio technology all the same. It is, essentially, a wearable speaker system that you can dangle around your neck in order to listen to music on the move. Of course, most of us would just use an ordinary set of headphones for that, but the T3’s big selling point is that it lets you share your music with the people around you – whether they like it or not.

The T3 is about the same size as an iPod classic and contains two tiny sets of speakers that combine to create a ‘personal stereo aura’ that hovers around your head when you wear the device like a chain. The main speaker points straight forward, but there’s also a special ‘airSound’ switch that activates a second set of speakers in the sides of the unit to create the ‘aura’ effect.

You don’t have to wear the T3, though – thank heavens. You can simply treat it as a very small set of portable speakers, resting it on any flat surface in a hotel room or plugging it into your laptop when you’re on a business trip. It features a built-in rechargeable battery that lasts for an impressive 10 hours.

The audio quality is impressive – it’s more powerful and less tinny than the sound we’ve heard from a number of similar ultra-compact speakers. However, the sound does start to break up when you push the iPod’s volume up – we couldn’t really go higher than about 60 per cent on our iPod.

It could also do with a bit more bass.

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User Reviews

Wed, 26 Nov 2008Reviewed by: Adam Cox

Star Rating:

Duration of ownership: 1 days

Strengths: Amazing portable gadget to pack in your suitcase

Weaknesses: It's not a T12!!!

Overall Evaluation: I admittedly don't own one of these but do own it's big brother (the T12 soundbar and sub) I had one demoed for me at a show and it showcases the airSOUND technology pretty dramatically! Spookily massive stereo bubble from this tiny box - you can't really explain where the sound is coming from!!! Next on my shopping list...

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