Akasa Elite S and Integral S 2.5″ Hard Drive Enclosures Review

The Akasa BayMaster Card and drive reader is suspended within in a vacuum-formed plastic tray inside the flimsy outer box.  The front of the box features a photo of the product and the reverse contains a few further images alongside a list of features and specification.  Inside the box we find little in the way of accessories, only a replacement fascia, an installation guide and a selection of screws.

Akasa seem to be targeting the enthusiast market with the BayMaster as we can't think of many mainstream users who would find a 2.5″ hard drive dock useful.  The reader has four card slots and supports Memory Stick, Secure Digital Extreme Digital, M2 and Micro SD.  The full list of compatible cards is displayed in the introduction.

Installation is a simple process, requiring us to slot the unit into an external 3.5″ drive bay and secure with screws.  Internally there are only two connectors for SATA power and USB2.0.  We question Akasa's choice not to use a SATA connector for the hard drive, though, as it would yield far greater speeds than the internal USB header.  Akasa provide a replacement fascia for the unit in beige so it will fit in aesthetically with older systems.

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