Home > Consumer Reviews > Compact Speaker System for Apple iPhone 3G / iPhone 3Gs 16GB / 32GB / iTouch Gen2 White

I ordered this compact speaker system in particular for one reason; it allows your IPod Touch to be in the horizontal position while docked so that you can watch movies in the "full" widescreen position. My wife is nearly eight months pregnant, so if she's getting ready for bed, I can take a movie I've rented and load it onto the IPod. Instead of having to share headphones, we plug it into the speaker system. The structure that holds the IPod can tilt, so we lock it into place, lay back, and watch the movie until she's ready to conk out.

Usually, that's about 8 minutes. A movie lasts a LONG time this way!

It works splendidly for our purpose. No, it is definitively NOT a Bose product. The clarity will not make you imagine that you're in a theatre or concert-quality environment. It has a clarity of sound that is perhaps a little bit better than the transistor radio that the castaways used on Gillagan's Island, so do NOT buy this if you're looking for outstanding sound; you'll definitely be disappointed.

That said, my brother-in-law and I have been listening to my IPod while sheetrocking what will soon be the baby's nursery, and we certainly enjoy it being there. It's not a party atmosphere -- we both hate sanding and mudding sheetrock -- but we're grateful to have some tunes, even though they're not in quadraphonic sound.

The unit itself is rechargable with a USB cable the same way the IPod recharges through your computer. The max volume is actually pretty loud, louder than I expected. It can definitely make you run for the volume knob or the off switch if the phone rings!

I really am grateful for the multiple-position arm when viewing movies in bed, and so far, I have not yet seen another horizontal-mount compact speaker system for IPod, although that doesn't mean there aren't any others out there. If you're thinking about getting this for the same reason I got it, you should definitely Google a few times to make sure there's not something new out there.

I will say this; for the price, which was almost exactly $30 with shipping, this compact speaker system is a really good deal. I am very happy with it, and would certainly buy it again.

I say almost perfect because there is only two things that would put it over the top. First the Good Stuff, this unit is great for music or video the sound is good, not alot of Bass but not to tinney for a unit this size. I spend 3 weeks out to the month on the road in hotel rooms all over the world. It's small enough to fit in my bag not too heavy like some of the other units I have tried. It lets you watch movies in the "widescreen" mode, I looked at alot of others and none gave you that feature.The multiple position arm is great for watching movies in multi sitting or laying positions. I don't think there is another unit that does that. It recharges your iTouch/iPhone while in the cradle while you are playing it, also a plus.
Ok now for the two things I Wish it had, one; it should have come with it's own DC cable everyone will not know that you can use any USB AC charging unit with it, or at least state it in the ads. Two; a headphone jack. I plued my headphones into the iTouch while in the unit to see if it would work and of course it did not. I say this because of its size, its just right to sit on the "Airplanes Tray Table" to watch a movie without the external speakers. They tend to frown on you when you do that sitting in the middle seat. All in all I would recommend this unit to someone else. Thank you EFORCITY for your forward thinking.

I bought this to take with me traveling around Europe to turn my iPhone into a clock radio. I use it along with an app called Nightstand so when I wake in the night I can see what time it is, and I can set an alarm to wake me up.

We tested the sound and it's no Bose room-filler, but it does the job. Music and podcasts sound fine. I would absolutely recommend this and buy it again.

Pros: charges my son's 2nd gen iTouch on his nightstand instead of from the family computer; holds iTouch horizontally for easy viewing of videos; has decent speakers; is small in size.

Cons: volume control is very sensitive- it goes from low to high volume without a middle range; it has no plug for the wall- you need to buy an adapter if you want to power the unit on its own.

One final note: It seems the unit was designed for the iPhone, not the iTouch. The iTouch is thinner, so when docked, there is a gap behind the iTouch of about 1/8". I put two felt pads on the unit so that the iTouch wouldn't wobble when docked, and that solved my concern.

I wasn't looking for high fidelity stereo but something that would let me watch video podcasts, the stray TV show, or listen to "audio book" type recordings (language study in my case). So I didn't want to pay for the higher end units for music buffs.

This little widget is about perfect for my uses. The sound is clear enough and volume can be turned up enough, I can get things done while listening to a podcast. It's also pretty much exactly what I was looking for to use in watching some video news podcasts which I subscribe to.

Some things to be careful of...

- No GSM shielding. So you sometimes get that weird "buzz" from the cell signal. I don't get a lot of calls nor texts nor mountains of emails (though I do get a fair amount of the last) so this hasn't been more than a minor nuisance. Your mileage may vary.

- I have to take the case off my phone for it to fit the unit. My case is easy to put on and off so this hasn't been a problem for me.

- The unit comes with a charger cord but not the USB adapter that plugs into the wall socket. This little unit here: Apple USB Power Adapter for iPod/iPhone You can use the one that came with your phone, of course, but if you're like me and charge at night on the night stand and the wall outlet is in an awkward spot (when are they not?), you may want an extra.

(The unit plugs into the computer without the adapter but if you're sitting in front of your computer, you'd use iTunes. Shrug.)

- The small, one page of instructions is barely comprehensible (which drives me nuts given I have over two decades of technical writing under my belt). But the unit is simple and you could figure it out without any instructions really.

(Though what the blink pattern of the "charge" light is, don't ask me.)

Overall, I'm quite happy with the unit.