The Audio Companion CD’s Aren’t Worth Trying

I was particularly interested in trying the Audio Companion CD’s advertised as coming with the program.  It’s been a while since I’ve used Rosetta Stone, and my previous experiences didn’t include any audio CD’s (I guess they didn’t exist back then).  I was looking forward to honing my pronunciation (a major strength of the computer program) and practicing useful conversations.  Sadly, I got neither.

The audio companion CD’s are nothing more than a listen-and-repeat version of the phrases covered in the corresponding computer lesson a la the Living Language Ultimate Spanish series.  Needless to say, this isn’t the most effective way to learn the language.  I mean sure, it’s better than nothing, but I expect more from a program as expensive as Rosetta Stone.  The complete Rosetta Stone program is upwards of $600 while Ultimate Spanish products are right at $100 for the complete program.  If I wanted listen and repeat, I would have bought Ultimate Spanish (actually, I did…not worth the money unless you can get it used for under $25, in my opinion).

That said, Rosetta Stone is still well worth buying.  It’s the best, most complete product I know of.  In conjunction with a good Spanish grammar aid (like the Practice Makes Perfect series), it can get you as close to fluency as you can get without traveling to a Spanish-speaking country and hiring a private tutor, for a fraction of the cost.  I just don’t appreciate the obvious money-grab of advertising the audio companions as a major pro of purchasing the program.  After all, if that method of learning Spanish actually worked, there would be no market for Rosetta Stone to begin with.

Buy Rosetta Stone from Amazon.com and see what all the talk is about.  It’s expensive, but I think it’s well worth the price.

Buy Used Rosetta Stone Spanish Online

The most obvious way around this initial cost hurdle, of course, is to search online for use Rosetta Stone Spanish software.  Unfortunately, my efforts in this direction yielded mixed results.  Probably the best and easiest place to buy used Rosetta Stone Spanish software is from the same place you’d buy it new:  the Amazon store.  The catch is, Amazon doesn’t always have used copies for sale in their inventory.  As I write this, they currently have no used copies but do have a few new copies for sale at $415, which is an $85 discount over what you’d pay elsewhere.  All in all not bad, but patience is a virtue when it comes to Amazon.  I have seen used Rosetta Stone Spanish software packages (including all three levels) going for as low as $280 in the past.

Another option is trying your luck at eBay.  I’m actually not a huge fan of eBay in general because it’s relatively easy to think you’re buying one thing but really end up getting another.  For something as expensive as Rosetta Stone, I would personally be more comfortable sticking with a reputable retailer like Amazon.  That said, you are much more likely to find a dirt-cheap deal on eBay than Amazon, but it’s buyer beware.  A recent search of eBay didn’t turn up any screaming bargains but again, patience is likely to be a virtue.

For more on Rosetta Stone, check out my full product review or the Amazon user reviews for other opinions and to buy Rosetta Stone used.