Before we critique the Arctic Sound S111’s any further, I feel it’s important to point out their MSRRP; It’s about £14. Knowing how inexpensive the S111’s are goes a long way (in my books) to justify their performance.

Knowing their market price point, I’m quite happy with how the S111 speakers perform. Sure, they aren’t perfect, but you’d be hard pressed to find speakers that can outperform the S111’s at this price point or below.

The small size and decent volume the Arctic Sound S111’s manage to put out makes them an ideal travelling accessory for your laptop or mp3 player. Not to steal a line out of Arctic Sound’s marketing material; but they would make for ideal speakers to take to the beach (or park or something). I in fact tried using them in the park as part of my testing, and as long as you don’t stray too far away from them, the volume is enough to still hear and enjoy the music. Alternatively if you’re looking to add a bit more punch to your laptop speakers without taking up too much room in your bag, these are ideal and won’t break the bank in doing so.

Pros

• Portable
• Loud for their size
• USB Powered means no power adaptor needed
• Good highs and mids

Cons

• Distort at full volume
• Poor bass reproduction

Reality Check: The Arctic Sound S111’s aren’t perfect, struggling with poor bass and distorting at loud volumes, but manage to cope well with highs and mids. At only £14 though, they’ve still got plenty of useful applications and are a bargin to boot, so worthy of the gold award

Reviewed by Dan

Thanks to Arctic for supplying the product for review.