Best portable speakers?

[Insomniator]

I'd like portable wired (headphone jack) speakers to use with my touchpad or phone at the beach or in the car or wherever they could come in handy...

So far from what I can tell these http://www.amazon.com/IHOME-iHM79BC-...pr_product_top seem to be the best rated and are only 50 bucks.

I'd be willing to spend double that though if the sound quality was that different, are there no portable speakers that cost 100 bucks? I see the jawbone jambox but it is wireless and 200 bucks... I do not want to deal with bluetooth if possible.

suggestions? thanks!

 

[wirednuts]

altec lansing t515's are still my fave. http://www.amazon.com/Altec-Lansing-...2112073&sr=8-1

they used to go for $25 on ebay refurb though. sad. theyve been around $50-$100 for about a year now, because i assume they stopped making them. which is also sad, because the versatility is just awesome. the only design problem is the use of AAA batteries and not AA. but if youre cool you can modify your own battery system into it so whatever. it is bluetooth but you can run it with a headphone cord. and the bluetooth adapter doubles as a bluetooth headset for phone calls and music listening and control if you plug headphones into it... its really cool .

the only thing i want to note about these- the line input is sensitive. if you plug say a modern windows 7 laptop into them, you shouldnt turn your laptop volume more then halfway up or you will cause distortion on the speakers and it sounds like crap. most people dont realize if you keep your laptop volume down and crank the speakers onboard volume up it gets LOUD and crystal clear. this is actually really helpful when you plug your cellphone into these speakers, because you can keep your phones output a little lower and save energy... while the speakers still play loud.