Home > Consumer Reviews > Macally Podwave Portable Stereo Speakers for iPod and MP3 Players (White)

The main reason that I am keeping these is because of their novelty and convenience. Even cranked up, they're not very loud. At just over $30, the sound quality is fair to good at best, as significant distortion occurs whenever any bass or volume aspects are introduced. The poorer your download source, the poorer the quality of sound. If you are having a beanie baby party, these would make a great boombox; otherwise, they are pretty cool to schlep around in your pocket to use as needed. They will work with most devices and are best used on your desk or table. However, don't expect Bose quality!

[Update. re: the volume issue, you may wish to try the Go portable speaker that's the same shape and size, carried by Walgreen's at a quarter of the price but using 2 AAAs instead of a single AA. It's a less mellow sound than the Macally's but almost 40% louder.]

Outside of ear buds, this is as nano-sized as you can go for amplified sound from an iPod. With my 1st-generation, regular-sized iPod, the Macally Podwave does the trick--at least in the office, bedroom, or lakeside cabin. The sound has presence, the volume is adequate, there's just enough bass to let me catch the bass player's walking lines and solos. As a musician, I require musical "content," not some sort of virtual audio reality. Consequently, I may be easier to please than some listeners.

There are a few caveats:

1. If you have the most recent iPod, with the off-center input, forget this item. It would look ridiculous on a new (especially black-colored) iPod.
2. If you plan to take it outside on walks, picnics, etc., you'll be disappointed unless you live in a quiet neighborhood and use the speaker during the early morning or late evening hours.
3. I had planned to use the item with the iPod in my shirt pocket. Most of my pockets are either too narrow to accommodate the speaker or too deep to prevent gravity from separating the iPod from the speaker.
4. There's no light on the on-off switch to remind you to turn it off. If left on, the battery wears down in a day or two, as evidenced by distorted, intermittent sound.

Bottom line: Nothing miraculous, maybe a trifle overpriced, but effective within reason and one of a kind.

I just received this unit to use with my Creative MuVo TX FM. I'm a backpacker and wanted something lightweight to use when I'm backpacking with friends. My expectaions are not high for a tiny speaker as I have used tiny transistor radios in the past and realize you sacrifice sound quality for portability. However there just was not enough volume for it to be of any use. It might be better with the iPiod whcih may have a stronger amplifier. I might try a headphone amplifier but not sure it's worth investing any more into it. I have a $3.99 Tech-Link powered speaker which of course has poor sound quality but I least I can hear it from 3 feet away. Still searching!

This item is flawed from many perspectives, but the most important is that the sound it gives off is faint at best. I bought it to listen to my iPod in the car, and it's not loud enough to be heard over road noise. The only way to hear it is to hold it up to your ear while you drive, which isn't safe.

Also, from a design POV, it swivels around annoyingly because it doesn't have a second pin to fit into the lateral second hole atop the iPod, which both the iTrip (which is also useless) and the iTalk (which works pretty well) have. Granted, these second pins and the iTalk and the iTrip are functional. But it really wouldn't take much to attach a dummy pin to stop the swivelling. A minor point, but nonetheless irritating.

Not worth the admittedly low price.

If you're looking for something compact that matches your ipod and is very portable...this may be the option for you. Just be prepared to sacrifice sound quality for portability. I think my game boy speakers sound better than this...but it looks cute and works for the purpose I am going to need it...probably at work at my desk. The plug's connection is not very good, so I always feel like it's going to fall out. It's always moving all over the place. I think this is because of the hold switch on the ipod. It would have been better if Macally had built in a small groove in the bottom that could fit the hold switch. This would make it more flush with the unit and also help hold it in place. Right now I can spin mine like a beanie hat.