Front and center is the lit LCD display where track, volume level, input source, etc is displayed. I wouldn’t necessarily say that the unit is ugly, just…alien. The USB Bluetooth dongle is a simple disk with orange and red rings around the top circumference and a blue, glowing power button top and center. Personally I wouldn’t have selected this form factor, but style is a very relative thing. Still, I think there are not too many places where the unit would exactly “fit in”.





Performance

The A-250 performs very similarly to Saitek’s other new system, the A-200. It is able to output a reasonable range of sounds, especially considering its compact size. The two 3W neodymium tweeters create crisp highs and reasonably strong midrange tones.

The downward firing 3W sub also is capable of a decent amount of bass, utilizing Saitek’s trademarked “Mission” speaker technology with active crossover that supposedly boosts bass performance and reduces noise. Lower end frequencies are never extremely strong, but as long as the volume remains at a decent level, the bass is audible and clear. At high levels, there is an audible “bottoming out” of the bass frequencies, but this is only if you boost the bass significantly.



Four AA batteries provide power to the unit for a claimed 20 hours, but the included A/C adapter can also be used. Also included is a 3.5 millimeter male/male jack that serves to connect your audio device to the A-250. Reasonably high volume is achievable assuming the source can output a decent level. The unit puts out more than adequate sound for an office or small to medium sized room, but may not be suitable for a crowded area or the outdoors. Again, this is to be expected from a unit as compact as this.