JBL Pebbles Plug and Play Stereo Computer Speakers - Black

I have limited space for my desktop computer. I have a NUC computer which sits on the desk. I needed a small but decent sounding set of speakers. I looked at the Bose's but felt they were to big for my setup. I also do not have room for a subwoofer and needed just a 2.0 setup. After doing research on Amazon and a few other sites these JBL's seemed to get decent reviews. I bought them and I love them. Very easy to set up and they look cool and sound very good. Of course a set of 2.1 with the sub would give it a deeper bass but for me and the size room there in they sound great. Good base and very good highs. The downside is. there is a big volume wheel on the inside of the right speaker. No direction indication and you have to turn the wheel quite a bit to make a change in the volume. A very minor inconvenience. If you have limited space and do not need a sub these look cool sound good for there size and are way less than bose's.

The rounded design might not fit on every desk set up and is definitely not what a traditional looking speaker. At first I was skeptical about the sound of this speaker, but after setting it up to my computer desk set up I was surprised by the sound it produced. I was looking for a pair of budget speaker that has a neutral and balance sound, and these did the job perfectly for me. The speaker can be turned up relatively loud to fill the room with sound though it is not going blow the roof away.Although in the picture the speaker are sitting in a up right, you can actually place it horizontally on your desk for the sound to travel though the your desk for a richer low end sound. The volume control is located on the right speaker as a spin dial which is easily reached and adjusted, and if the speaker is plugged in through usb it can directly change the sound on the computer (Mac).the only thing I would take off points from this speaker are the cables are a bit too short, therefore the speaker are to sit relatively close to each other instead of setting to further apart, although it wasn't a issue for my particular setup it is something to consider.

First of all, I wanted good USB speakers. Most computer speakers plug in using a headphone-style jack. Since I use a powered KVM switch to swap between work and personal/school laptops (I have dual 27" monitors on my desk plus ergonomic keyboard/mouse) i was getting an electronic hum on the speakers. Seems that most USB speakers are, let's face it, pretty cheaply made, since the emphasis is on portability, not sound. There are some good Bluetooth speakers out there (jambox, etc.) but I didn't want Bluetooth. I wanted speakers that plugged into the powered USB hub that plugs into my KVM switch.The Pebbles are USB powered, have their own volume control but also are controlled by the volume on the computer. I've listened to them for an hour now, switching between laptops, no hum, strikingly good sound for the package size. I've tried them with the following bands/music styles: DeadMau5, The Glitch Mob, Zoe Keating, Bond, Ladytron, Altan, The Specials, Cage the Elephant, and Thievery Corporation. All good. Decent piano notes, good bass, vocals sound great. Would not hesitate to buy again or recommend.

As I should have expected, there are compromises being made to hit this price point. For another $50+ you can get really good balanced sound. For $30 less you get a speaker that is usually compromised for bass response, but is otherwise pleasant. These speakers have a thunking, characterless bass, but it's there. The vocals and guitar are "stage center," and too bright (likewise any harmonica, high-hat, or tambourine), which I suspect will drive me to listen at lower volumes to avoid the usual fatigue that sets in with speakers this bright. iTunes, Youtube, Pandora, and Windows Media Player all play a bit differently on these, but they all have a hiss like you would expect to hear from a cassette player from back in the early 1980's. And like so many speakers from back in those days, these are very placement sensitive. So far I like them best facing the other way on their sides. I'll give 'em a couple days, but they are probably going back.

Just bought the Pebbles from Amazon for my work computer. Highlights:1) USB powered, I use a powered bus for my laptop that has all my peripherals anyway -- Only one cord to unplug!2) Built in DAC -- Again, only one cord. Plus the DAC is high quality.3) High efficiency speakers result in surprisingly high volume. "USB-powered speakers don't have any power." Well that's true when they aren't high efficiency. I wouldn't use these in my home theatre system, but I can easily crank these loud enough for half the office to hear them (without significant distortion, mind you).4) Decently priced. If you can grab them for between 50 and 75, you're golden.5) Matches volume w/ your computer. I use the scroll button on my mouse to quickly change it. (logitech m705, no 'click' scrolling)I'll try to update after a period of time.

ProsPowered by usbComes with aux cord if you want to u with portable devicesAudio is digital through usbCan be oriented flat or tallGreat sound. No distortion even at high levelsConsVolume wheel is useful but inconveniently placedNo usb to wall adapter included if usb is not an optionBought these to go with a new computer I built. Really happy with them. They are much better quality than the standard pc speakers out there.

as expected.. killer deep sound that fills the room yet takes up little to no space at all. Quality Quality Quality!!!

These are very decent-sounding, USB-powered speakers.They have replaced an older set of 3 (2.1) wall-powered Yamaha speakers and offer a much smaller footprint and substantially cleaner cabling.

These should have been called "flat tire", because that's what they look like. They look nothing like a pebble.For most people, including me, these will be plenty for a desktop computer speaker. They only have a 2" driver, but have good bass down to 70Hz, and go impressively loud. They are rear ported so putting them closer to a rear wall will boost the bass even more. The fact that they are only powered by the USB jack is amazing, since most USB only speakers have quite limited volume. I assume JBL is using the Yamaha invented technology that stores excess USB energy during quiet passages and uses it to boost the power output beyond what USB can actually deliver. Not needing an external power supply to make these work is a huge advantage. You can still use a USB power supply with them, and then plug your source into the 3.5 mm aux jack, so they can work with and without a PC. The synced volume control on them is very cool, because it adjusts the PC's volume. So you have global volume, the PC volume controls the speaker, and the speaker controls the PC's. No more messing with 2 different volume settings.One quirk they have is the volume control gets loud very fast, and then just adds distortion and hiss past about 50%. So best keep them below half volume, they will still be plenty loud and will be cleaner. I wish the volume control was more subtle, it rises way too fast.Now here is the killer. That orange trim and cables are simply hideous. What where they thinking? Yes I know orange is JBL's color, but they should have limited it to the logo question mark and that's it. The rubber ring they sit on if you lie them down has no need to be orange, nor do the cables. I highly doubt anyone has ever gone looking for an orange trimmed speaker with orange cables. People buy computer speakers to match the color of their computer, so JBL should have stuck with 4 color options: black, grey, silver and white. I see these now come in all silver and silver & white, with matching cables, so it looks like they are smartening up. I hope all black is next, so I can buy them again.I bought a pair of these and they were factory sealed, but one speaker had noticeable scratches and dents on it. So I sent them back and got a replacement pair, that were better, but one speaker also had a scratch on it, so check them when you get them, quality control seems poor.In the end the orange was too much for me and I sent the 2nd pair back too. I would happily keep them and use them if they have an all black or all dark grey pair.If they ditch the orange altogether they would get 4 stars from me. They don't quite deserve that 5th star due to the volume control issue.Two last very small issues with them: The JBL logo should rotate so it's not sideways if you decide to lay these flat. The 3.5mm connector from the left slave speaker that plugs into the right main speaker should have a right angle connector. It sticks out too far since it is straight.

Bought these because I wanted a USB only connection to my laptop. The speakers have ports on the back to help the sound. The definition of sound is very good. Was able to hear background sounds that you don't hear with other units. Bass is surprisingly good for such a small speaker.If playing a full volume, there can be a bit of distortion, but I found that if I played that at 90%, the output is fantastic. Volume is good for when you are sitting in front of the speakers and can easily fill a small room. The cords for the speakers wrap in to the bottom of the speakers so they are highly portable.The cord to connect the speakers is a bit short, but that is easily overcome by buying a short extension cable. I got a 4' FRiEQ cable and it works great.For the price, they are worth the money.