[elliottwilliams]

so, i live a semi-portable life pretty much all the time. for work, every three months, i end up moving, and because of that, i live out of a bag most days. i've been searching for a good speaker setup that will not put me over the weight limit in checked baggage and will be a nice alternative to headphones.

currently i've been looking at the gallo micros, which are tiny, 1.7 lbs each, and seemingly high quality. my thought is that i could get something like the nuforce icon and pair that with these speakers, and maybe every three months buy a subwoofer locally and sell it at the end of my stay.

versus, just getting the a2s and being done with it. the a2s are a lot bigger, but i wouldn't have the fuss of carrying an amp with my speakers.

so could anyone comment of sound quality, mostly clarity in vocals, between these two setups? comments on the durability of each would be nice too.

 

[Armaegis]

Although generally a step down in sound quality, there's a multitude of ipod docks which would be much easier to carry around. I have a Logitech Pure-Fi for example, which is "ok" for sound, has a remote and carrying case, and the battery lasts for a good 3 hours at max volume (up to 10 at low levels in my experience).

The Icon is good if you need the dac as well. The Travagans Green is a similar device, slightly lower in power, but can also function as a dac/amp powered directly through usb. Temple Audio has a portable dac amp as well. All three brands also have standalone amps if you don't need the dac.

Sorry I can't really comment on any of your specific questions; just throwing out some extra info.

 

[elliottwilliams]

thanks for the info. i've tested all the ipod docks and was almost set on getting the pure-fi but it just seemed like i was paying for the dock and form factor more than the sound quality. to me the gallo/audioengines are in my sweat spot of portability and sound. and i also don't have an ipod, and think its silly to have that big gaping spot in the middle.

 

[Armaegis]

I understand where you're coming from. I picked up my pure-fi as a refurb for something like $60, so I think it was a really good buy at that price.