15 out of 15 people found this review helpful.
It's sooo cute
Date of Review: Jan 6, 2008
The Bottom Line: Very cute machine. I like it a lot and am looking forward to taking it to work.
Long story short. Friday night I decided I needed an speaker system with iPod dock and I wanted it for Saturday night.
Wanting to find one of these quickly, I knew purchasing online wouldn't be possible but I could still do research online. I found the stereo I wanted and it wasn't this one but with a price of $149 at the brick and mortar store, I didn't think I would be able to get the one I wanted anyway.
Saturday morning, I went shopping.
From my online looking, I knew Walmart carried what I wanted for a much better price than Circuit City but I went shopping with hopes of finding anything for $80 or less. Walmart had a shelf tag for the item I wanted but it wasn't in stock. Their selection was very minimal and nothing was plugged in to test so I headed off to Circuit City.
I was able to listen to a few products here. None of them were under $100 and the salesman finally convinced me I should just hook up computer speakers up to my iPod.
On the way home, I passed the new Kohl's and decided it was finally time to check them out since I could actually see parking spaces today. I didn't expect them to carry speakers but ya never know.
After wandering around the circle of clothing aisles for awhile, getting a lost feeling, I happened across a display in the middle of an aisle. It was three shelves of electronic products including an assortment of iPod speaker systems and they were ALL HALF PRICE!Oops, long story wasn't short
iLive One of the products I bought today was just too cute to leave on the shelf at $29.99. I wasn't sure it would do what I wanted it to but it had a radio and an iPod dock so I decided that even if it wasn't good enough to fill a room with music, it would be perfect on my desk at work.
The Box
The front, back, top and right side of the box show pictures of the unit along with the fact that it's a portable iPod dock and am/fm radio.
The left side of the box says that it has a built-in iPod dock, am/fm radio with digital display, digital clock, video output, stereo line output, stereo line input, AC/DC dual power, accessories include: AC cord, dock inserts for iPod mini and iPod Nano. By putting on my reading glasses, I could find that the iPod dock provides charging and amplification of iPod with video, iPod photo, iPod mini, IPod nano. the stereo line input can be used with iPod shuffle and other audio devices and lastly, 8 C batteries are not included.
The bottom of the box has some information in Spanish and French plus a note in English which states iPod is not included. There is a little trademark info as well and the fact that this is made in China. It also has a symbol indicating it is Intertek ETL Listed which apparently is a good thing. I googled the symbol and discovered it has to do with safety ratings.
The Unit
I pulled the stereo out of the box and took it to the kitchen to plug it in. The AC cord is detachable. The unit might weigh about 3 pounds. It is light and has a handle for easy transport. The unit I chose was black. It is available in pink. The iPod dock is on the front. The clock is near the top to the right of the iPod dock. The control buttons are on the top on the left side. The unit is oval shaped with the top of the oval being the handle. The outer edge of the oval is all a black plastic. The front of the machine is a gray speaker looking material.
Ease of Use
Does anybody read manuals? I rarely do. Or at least not until after I try to make something work. This machine was very intuitive. I was able to plug in my iPod and get it going without doing any reading.
I did have some trouble finding the volume control. It turned out to be a knob on the side of the machine. I haven't seen a volume control knob like that in years but once I found it, it worked well.
The Sound
It's okay. It sounded just a little tinny but not too bad. I liked the first sounds better than the first sounds on the other larger iPod device I purchased. Then I discovered (or rather my husband discovered) that under the EQ settings for the iPod, there is one that says "Small Speakers." We selected this setting and the sound improved immediately. For $29.99, I am very happy with the sound. It does get loud enough to fill an average-size room in a house. It will be perfect on my desk at work.
What else is in the box
I need my reading glasses for this one. There is a warranty card. The only thing I can see without my glasses is the number 90. With my reading glasses, I can see the writing is in Spanish and French. Hmmmm. After turning the card over, I discover the other side is completely English. There is a 90 day warranty and information as to what the warranty covers. There is also an address to obtain service.
Next are the safety instructions. These are well-written and kind of entertaining. I can read the English instruction without the reading glasses. The other languages are in a smaller italicized font. But if you can't read at all, there are some great pictures. Apparently, this unit doesn't get thirsty, it likes to breathe and it hates being wiped with a wet cloth.
A third piece of paper gives very clear instructions on how to hook this unit up to your TV or computer monitor. I never would have thought of this use. This would be a great way to carry photos to someone else's house and be able to show them your pictures on their TV. The video cable is not included but I bet it wouldn't be hard to find one around the house.
Then there is the instruction manual. This is a large sheet of paper folded into quarters to make a booklet. It tells you how to set the clock, view videos and connect other digital audio devices. When you open it up, you'll find more warnings, the features and a diagram of the other peripherals that are in the box.
Peripherals
Speaking of peripherals... There were a bunch of black plastic pieces in the box. These can be used to adjust the size of the dock for different size iPod machines. Pretty cool.
My happiness with this machine is 5 stars, but of course, it really is just an average speaker system.
