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Reviews For: West Mountain Radio COMspkr

Category: Speakers for communications

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Review Summary For : West Mountain Radio COMspkr
Reviews: 25MSRP: 69.95
Description:
If you, your family or your neighbors haven't heard your signal coming from their computer speakers you are quite a lucky ham. The COMspkr will solve this interference problem. The COMspkr is an RF proof amplified stereo computer speaker system, designed for the computer in your ham station or any computer near your ham station.
The COMspkrs look good in a ham station or at a computer desk. They have better sound quality than most two-piece computer speakers. The audio quality is especially good for music or voice with 3 watts per channel. They may be used in mono or stereo arrangements with a radio instead of a computer, or with an MP3 player.

The COMspkr:

Intended as a replacement for RF interference prone Computer Speakers
An amplified speaker system optimized for operation in close range of any radio transmitter.
Exceptionally high rejection of radio frequency interference from 1 to 1000 MHz.
Stereo High Fidelity response for use with voice or music.
High acoustic power output that can be heard clearly in a noisy environment.
Built in amplifier assures compatibility with most computers and/or two way radios.
Comes complete with audio cables and UL approved wall power supply.
Solid, resonance free, wooden cabinets.
Specifications:
INPUT: Stereo line level 1/8" mini jack.
OUTPUT: Nominal 3 watts per channel
DIMENSIONS: H 8.375" W 4.125" D 5.25" (each spkr)
WEIGHT: 72 oz. (complete)


Product is in production
More Info: http://www.westmountainradio.com/COMspkr.htm
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00253.4
KG4RUL Rating: 2020-04-06
No RFI at all! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have the plastic cabinet model and have no problems at all with RFI in the sound. I am using a compromise antenna system consisting of an inverted 'L' fed by a 9:1 UNUN and an LDG RT100 remote tuner running 100W on SSB. I get RFI in a TV set located about about 30 feet from the rig and antenna but none from the COMspkrs at the shack computer.
WU3U Rating: 2020-04-06
Disappointed Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I had a set of $13 Amazon speakers on a flat screen tv here in the shack. Anytime I get on the local 6m FM repeater I would get a steady hum in those speakers with power above 40w. Likewise if I run higher than about 200w on my 10m Ringo on SSB I can hear myself in those speakers.

I decided to buy a set of the Comspeakers being that they got good reviews. These are the new plastic model and not the previous generation wooden version.

They are absolutely no different than the $13 Amazon speakers as far as the noises that I hear. I have good quality 1:1 ferrite core line isolators on both of those antennas at the feedpoint that I’m using for above mentioned bands.

The only reason that I’m going to hold onto these speakers is that I already gave the $13 Amazon speakers away and the Com speakers have more treble than the Amazon speakers so when they are playing they sound clearer to me. I bought two West Mountain Radio items over the last few months that I have been disappointed in both with the other being their new N8XJK Super Booster which I will review separately. I’m not used to posting negative reviews but I have two from the same company.
K4TB Rating: 2020-03-01
Great Sound at a Low Cost Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've owned two pairs of these for more than 5 years and find them to produce excellent audio. (These are the "old design" I presume.) They are just the right size for a desktop. The first pair works well with my computer next to my 100 watt HF station with no interference heard. I liked the sound and the price so much that I bought my wife a pair for her computer, although her office is farther away from my ham station and needed no interference protection. The only other comment I'll make is that the tone control isn't necessary as it only does a low cut. I leave it at the minimum (full clockwise) setting, i.e. no cut, and the sound is great.
KT0DD Rating: 2020-02-29
Fair, but not like the old design. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have a set of the older design and just bought the new design. I prefer the old design better. The new ones are MAYBE one step above the internal speaker in my IC-7610, and have no tone adjustment like the old design. I only bought them as my station installation covers up the top firing internal 7610 speaker and I needed a little more sound. Neither of these designs are high fidelity by any means, and they just do the job audio wise...barely. I put the old design set on my PC as they do music a little better, and use the new set on my IC-7610. As far as RF interference rejection, I give them both a 6 out of 5 stars as I have ZERO RF issues with either set. I just wish they were better fidelity.
73. Todd - KT0DD
WA1KPD Rating: 2019-10-07
Updated Junk Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I ordered a pair of these because of all the good ratings here and elsewhere.I hoped to cure an RFI issue I was encountering.

The speakers I received, after a long wait for "production", were not at all what is shown. They look like the more modern computer speakers that are in most big box stores. But these are worse. There is NO fidelity. I am not an audiophile but I have 3 complaints.

1.Almost complete lack of volume. I had the speaker and Flex 5000A volume all the way up to just hear a typical QSO. Yes they were on, yes they were set up properly.

2.Terrible audio. They sounded like I was using a 60s transistor radio. All highs, not nice to listen to at all.

3.There is no Tone Control. Maybe the ones I had ordered had one, but the ones that I got do not.
Very disappointed in the final product compared to the ordered product.
K4MT Rating: 2016-09-12
Revise previous review Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The hum I was experiencing was due to two problems. One was a bad shield in the 1/8 in plug. I noticed as wire at plug was moved around hum got very loud. I put a new plug on and the hum was cut by a huge amount.

Wrote West Mountain and they said they would send me a new power supply. The one they sent was much more heavy duty and that removed the rest of the hum. Whats great is the unit was out of warranty and they replaced it anyway. Top notch customer service and speaker now works.
N1UW Rating: 2016-03-26
Double Trouble Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
These speakers buzz loudly with only five watts during an antenna tuner operation and go berserk with 100 watts of SSB. My station is well grounded and the cheap junk-box computer speakers I was using did not do this.

To make matters worse, the lousy wall wart supplied with the speakers adds 1.5+ S-units of hash noise to the receiver!

I have gone back to the junk box computer speakers and the problem is solved. They don't look good, but they are quiet.

This is disappointing since I have had great success with and respect for other West Mountain products.

If you insist on buying these, save the packaging so you can return them. I did not and now I am stuck with useless speakers sitting on a shelf in the garage.
NG0Z Rating: 2015-07-20
Good Not Great; Inexpensive Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
These speakers are advertised to "Eliminate HAM radio station interference."

I have a clean and new station here and would say they are RF "Resistant" not RF "Proof" as I have experienced some RF coming over the speakers on 20 Meters. Much less than the Bose speakers they replaced.

Also, the workmanship on the wood enclosures is a little crude, there is only one input so you have to buy a pair for each device if you want to run more than one device through them.

They do have much cleaner channel separation than the $100 Bose speakers they replaced. That is, with the Yaesu FTM-400DR that I am running through them, the upper VFO comes through the left channel and the lower on the right; the Bose speakers bled some left channel audio into the right.

They may not be elegant, but I would recommend them for the low price, quick shipping and excellent communications audio.


K1VI Rating: 2014-04-01
No RFI ! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Just got these, since my Logitech speakers were very RF-active on 20 meters. As advertised, these did not notice a thing with my KW two feet away, on any band, 80, 40, 30, 20, 17, 15, 12, 10. Happy.
K3USC Rating: 2013-05-09
Broke after a year... Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Bought a pair of the West Mtns. for my next door neighbor who was hearing me in his computer speakers. He reported it fixed the problem BUT when I asked him a year later if everything was still OK he reported they broke and he tossed them. Wish he'd told me. I'm not really a Bose fan but their Companion 2 computer speakers (80 bucks at Sam's Club) are RF bulletproof. Learned about them from the Flex reflector.