QuestionWhat can I do go get my portable DVD player to be louder, or are there GOOD portable speakers that I can use?
AnswerSure there are - but not ones that are powered by the headphone jack.
I realize that this defeats the purpose of "portable", but I bet you'd like the performance of some powered speakers.
You might want to take a look at the Model Twelve from Cabridge soudworks - they're not as ruler flat as I would expect for a "studio monitor", but they pack up into their own suitcase for quick set-up/take-down:
http://www.cambridgesoundworks.com/store/category.cgi?category=port_spkr&item=c1...
For that matter, you might like the Cambridge SoundWorks Portapack. I'm not a fan of the "Sub/sattellite" configuration, but if you need to run sound without an AC outlet handy it's proabably the best thing going for under $100 (you'll also have to buy the Soundworks speakers if you don't already have them).
http://www.cambridgesoundworks.com/store/category.cgi?item=c1swzzzzz&type=store&...
http://www.cambridgesoundworks.com/store/category.cgi?item=a1p43012&type=store&c...
http://www.cambridgesoundworks.com/store/category.cgi?category=port_spkr&item=k1...
On the other end of the extreme would be a powered studio grade monitor. Genelec is the gold standard, but I have enjoyed playing around with the new JBL LSR4300 series - it's got a nice USB interface and you can even get a calibration microphone to make absolutely sure you're getting the best performance. The Mackie HR624 or Yamaha MSP3 are pretty good at the cheap end.
http://www.jblpro.com/LSR/lsr4300home.html
http://www.mackie.com/products/hr624/index.html
So there's the middle, bottom, and top end of the spectrum. If none of these is to your liking feel free to get back to me, I'm happy to help if you give me more specifics on what you're looking for or what your needs are.
