Home > Consumer Reviews > Logitech mm50 Portable Speaker System for iPod (White)

When I first purchased Altec Lansing inMotion speakers for my iPod near a couple years ago, I immediately fell in love with them. They were the kind of things you took in public and people would say "That's coming from those little speakers!?!" While treasuring them on every road trip and day outdoors, I had one question in my mind: "When is a product going to top this one?" Although all kinds of iPod speakers followed in their footsteps, this is the first time one in the same league has topped the inMotion speakers.

Yes.. In my opinion, these are the best travel speakers you could possibly buy for the iPod. Below I will review why these are the best choice over Altec Lansing's inMotion speakers, JBL's OnStage speakers, and larger systems such as the Bose SoundDock. I will also review the pros and cons of the mm50s as a stand-alone product.

Why buy these over JBL OnStage speakers? - These not only sound better, but can be played without plugging into an electric outlet. The OnStage set is popular because they look cool and sound good. When such a compact system has no option to run off batteries, the size seems to be in vain.

Why buy these over the Bose SoundDock? - The sound quality is near the same league of that produced by the SoundDock while selling for a fraction of the cost. The Bose SoundDock is essentially not even a travel system because you need to plug it in an outlet whenever you use it. Beyond that it is really too large to comfortably fit in any kind of suit case while leaving room for anything beyond a single pair of socks. The Logitech MM50s are convenient for packing with your luggage and could be played for 7 or more hours at a time without needing a plug.

Why buy these over larger boom-box style systems? - With sound quality touching near the same goal post as those that require their own duffle bag, there is no question about it if you plan on using your speakers for travel... And isn't that the point of getting a one-piece unit over a regular stereo or 2.1 system? The MM50s are small enough to stuff in a suitcase without sacrificing much space yet unpack with the power to rock out a good-sized room.

Most important ...Why these over the Altec Lansing inMotion speakers? - Altec Lansing's inMotion speakers really remained the king of the travel-sized iPod speakers since they were released. It doesn't matter if they had the travel remote or how they folded up. They continue to be compact, sound great for the size, and charge up the iPod when you plug them in the wall. Since the release of the mm50s, they are no longer the best in their league, however. This comes at a single cost.

Unlike the 8 inch wide inMotion speakers, the mm50s stretch near 13 inches in width. The actual body is slightly thicker as well, but remains shorter in height. Add it all up and the mm50 is slightly larger in overall mass. After selling my inMotions before receiving my mm50s, I wondered if I made the correct decision in upgrading due to the size difference. Now I can comfortably say the larger body is definitely worth it. In most cases, the mm50s can pack in your luggage just as easily as the inMotions.

The physical size difference is more than paid for in sound quality, which is considerably better in terms of bass and presence. The surround feature also adds a touch of depth to certain songs that cannot be matched by the inMotion speakers by any means. Beyond that, they could actually pump out bass, something the inMotion speakers could never do regardless of the sound depth they produced. This is not thumping bass, yet a significant improvement resulting from the larger drivers. They are no louder in volume than the inMotions, however.

The mm50s top inMotion, yet they are still far from being a perfect travel system. From a physical standpoint, the speakers are solid and perfectly match the design of the iPod. They actually feel more like a brick than the inMotion speakers, which are a bit on the flimsy side in comparison. The buttons on the speakers and the remote are solid as well, which really make the system friendly to the wear and tear of travel. The grill in front of the drivers is also more than enough to protect them.

The sound quality, while exceeding that of the inMotion speakers can still distort at high levels, but this greatly depends on the kind of music being played. I was surprisingly able to play Daft Punk with the bass pumping yet hardly any distortion.

The remote does a fine job at flipping between songs, pausing, and adjusting the volume. It even lets you skip forward and backward through slide shows. Being that this functionality was included, it is surprising that there is no AV out cable hook-ups on the back of the unit for TV use. This could have easily saved the need to buy a $20 AV cable for the video iPod, but is by no means a deal breaker.

The three most significant kinks in the operation of the mm50s lie in the remote, volume controls, and internal battery. The remote is the least forgiving of these, because it seems like something that could have easily been avoided. As stated in other reviews, the remote only works when it is pointed in a relatively straight direction toward the sensor on the speakers. Pointing the controller any higher or lower will simply not work. This appears to be due to the fact that the sensor is sunken so deep into the speaker unit itself, a mistake which shows a major lack of consideration in design. Another kink lies in the fact that the volume controls on the speakers effect the setting on the iPod itself, but changing the volume on the iPod does not effect the volume of the speakers. This can result in the iPod displaying low volume while the speakers themselves are cranked to the max. This is a small detail, but remains a confusing aspect I believe could have been avoided.

The internal rechargeable battery, while sparing the expense of disposable ones, leaves no easy option for replacement. This greatly limits the possibility for extended cordless use beyond 7 or so hours. The option to swap rechargeable batteries would have added enough flexibility to comfortably use the speakers over camping trips, but was sadly left out from the design, causing the battery to be a trade-off instead of a gain (Inexcusable, Logitech).

Other reviews have noted how the flip out legs do not work on uneven surfaces, but this is something that can be remedied with a little imagination and leg adjustments. The speakers also have the tendency to move while playing at high volumes. This is another thing that could be remedied with a bit of imagination. Neither of these I would consider to be design flaws simply because they are a direct result of the decision to make the speakers as compact as possible.

As I have listed all the flaws of these speakers, the mm50s are still the nearest you can get to a perfect travel speaker set for the iPod. The flaws of this product are more aggravating in the sense that they could have been avoided than in actual use. Any iPod is really incomplete without them.

I have a Nano iPod, while my sons have the video iPods. I drop mine a lot, cutting the lawn, etc, and Nanos are just about indestructible. I keep all my music on the computer, and about 10 hours worth on the Nano. I love it.

I searched carefully, first reading EVERY review of a small stereo unit to play the ipods. Next, I went to several stores and tested them ALL, with my iPod, playing Bob Dylan music. I download his concerts, so the sound quality is not always the best; which is a great way to test the various units.

I tested volume, sound quality, bass, treble, and fullness. The Bose and Apples $350 job play the loudest, with Bose having the nicest sound. Both are ridiculously overpriced. I play my Nano through my Bose Acoustic System, which is great. But:

I wanted something completely portable. I didn't want to pay a fortune for battery drain. I wanted something loud enough for the beach, working outside, etc. I wanted something that did not distort at loud volume, but something that also sounds beautiful at low volume.

Everything I tested became distorted at high volume. Everything, except this unit.

1. Sound quality. Sterling. Although not as loud as the Bose, in terms of separation and clarity, it comes VERY close to the Bose.

2. built in battery. Lithiom battery that lasts about 10 hours on a charge!

3. Small, but with some weight to them. (not light plastic garbage...that "heavier feel" that good speakers have, even though they are portable.

4. Zip up case for protection.

This is a wonderful, powerful little unit with about the best sound.

5. the price!

$149 at Circuit City.
$109 refurb. here at Amazon sellers.

I paid $49 at ebay for a refurb model! A Canadian seller has been selling them and some people got theirs for even less, though now they are up to $79. Even at $79, this is a great bargain, and a really top quality unit.

To me, it is like a Bose, if Bose were portable, and not so incredibly high priced at $299. (how do they sleep at night?).

The sound, however, is the best of all the units tested, and clearly, if you are looking for portable, this is the unit. I e-mailed others who bought at ebay and all came back with the same thoughts that I have shared with you. Really a great, tiny, portable unit. It even charges the iPod while plugged in! And, they have included a entry port that you can hook it up to your computer. Logitech has really outdone themselves, as the previous unit became so distorted at high volume. You will be very, very surprised how loud this gets. The tiny remote works perfectly, allowing not only volume control, but to skip around songs on the iPod. Logitech did it right. I am not in the process of getting more for my kids...Christmas is coming.

I was very very impressed with the mm50 speakers

Sound quality-wise, these may be the best out there ---- I have a tough time telling these ones apart from the Bose ones (which I consider to be the best)

Honestly, it is probably equal, and maybe even, better than the Bose speakers ----- and at this price, they are also cheaper and smaller

the mm50's are definitely packing much better sound quality than any of the Altec Lansings I have tried (including the iM7)

For portability, I think this is the best package out there

For loudness, you might be better off with the iM7's, but still, I found these to get very high volume, while still maintaining an acoustic crispness

And for sound quality, you can pick between these and the Bose - but you won't go wrong with these ones

happy buying!!!

Wisest purchase I've ever made, right next to my ipod. I wanted good, quality sound that came at a cheap price, and thats what I finally got. I started by looking around at the possible choices. Altec lansing's systems intrigued me, so I tried one out. BIG MISTAKE. I bought the some basic altec lansing speakers, the white ones that fit most ipods. They sounded terrible, especially at slightly high volumes. All scratchy and horrible sounding, the tiny speakers couldn't handle it. So I took them back, lickity split.

I searched around a bit more, and checked out some higher priced systems. There was the infamous bose sounddock, everyone's dream speaker system, but the 300$ price tag just completely detracted me, even though it probably is the best sounding ipod speaker system. But yeah, I'm not gonna spend that much.. not gonna happen. Anywho, right when I was about to give up, the Logitech mm50 caught my eye while surfing a ipod site.

I decided to give it a try after reading excellent reviews. So I went up to my local best buy and bought one for 150. Really inexpensive, considering the crappy altex lansing was the same price and sounded terrible. When I plugged it in I was soo impressed with the sound quality. Logitech seriously outdid themselves.

Sound Quality:

truely inbelievable. It sounds absolutely crisp, clear, clean, and loud, just how I like it. Even when turned up on the highest volume possible, it still sound amazing, and very little distortion. Only if you're playing a heavy metal song with very deep bass it'll distort a little, but for most rock it sound amazingly good at high volumes. Especially when you press that button that makes the sound "3D" or something. Just really good audio quality for the size. Enough to fill up a decently big room, for sure. Bass is a little soft, but definately good considering the thickness... again it's not thumping bass, but you'll definately notice a difference.

Usability:

Seriously, it's really user-friendly. Easy plug-and-play interface, the remote control is an excellent touch, it's small, and handy. The only bad thing about the remote control is that the range is not very far and you kind of have to be pointing it at the system straightly because it wont work at an angle that well. But the range isn't that big of a deal, I change it manually anyway. Most all ipods fit, mine fits in there perfectly, I have a mini and it comes with a little attachment that fits really well. my guess is the only ipod that probably wont fit in that well is the nano, only because nanos came out afterwards and they didnt make an attatchment for it. The back support stands up the system perfectly and they fold in for portability. Comes with a little carrying case so you can go travelling with it, which is a nice touch. The feature I like the BEST about these speakers is that they have a lithium ion battery built in, so you can charge the speakers, and take them virtually ANYWHERE! If I move to another room in my house, all I do is pick them up and carry them with me. I think the lith battery lasts like 9 hours or something like that. It has indicators and whatever, but I use the ac adapter mostly so I ipod gets charged and stuff. Plus I keep it on my shelf most of the time.

Anyway, it's a great system, you can't beat it for anything in it's price range. And it's even better sounded than some of the more expensive systems.

Conclusion, it looks sleek, sounds great, completely portable, remote included, and a little hardcase is included for travelling. I would say it's way worth the money, and then some.

DO yourself a favor and buy it if you're looking for a good, cheap solution.

Since Amazon doesn't give 1/2 stars I rate this at 4 1/2 stars. The only thing keeping it from being a 5 is the volume leavel. I own these speakers as well as the Bose Ipod speakers. The Bose are louder with a more spacious sound. That being said these speakers are great for the price. The Bose are also twice the price and have no rechargable battery. My wife and I both own Ipods and have complete divergent tastes in music. I hooked her Ipod up to these and put them in her office. It's amazing how these tiny little speakers fill that room up. The clarity and detail in the music is incredible. These speakers as with the Bose are more about a natural balanced sterio sound. You don't get the thundering floor shaking bass response you get with a subwoofer, but the bass is clearly audible. Whats great about these that beats the Bose is they have a rechargable battery. About a week ago I had some friends over for a backyard barbeque. Everybody there was amazed at the quality of the sound from this little device. I heard more then a few times ( Are you sure you don't have other speakers hooked up to that Ipod? ). There's a button on the top of the speaker unit that expands ( widens ) the sterio spread. They sound bigger and wider then they are.I had these speakers going for about 6 hours at near top volume with no distortion. The lithium zinc batterys really hold a charge. This is a great little unit.