Home > Consumer Reviews > iRhythm A-302E - iPod Docking Speakers - 20 Watts - White

I have owned three or four ipod specific speakers over the last few months and found them less than satisfactory. I bought these thinking the same thing but was blown away by the performance. The sound quality is to me unrivalled with power to use them for a party. and quality that you can use them as a quiet alarm. They are simple the best ipod speakers i have found.

For a long time I wanted to buy speakers for my ipod but I haven't got the money to spare to make mistakes, so I've taken my time in choosing.

My main concerns were:
1. will it be easy to set-up and operate?
2. will it be loud enough?
3. will the quality be clear and good enough? (I listen to audio books too)

Well, I'm happy to say yes to all there.

1. This product is simplicity in itself to use. I took it out the box, plugged the transformer into the mains, the power lead into the transformer and also into the unit... hey presto! Done! (I hate reading manuals but I had a quick peak before switching the power on - just in case - but all was ok).

2. I'm sitting by the computer in a different room from the speakers (doors open and about 25 feet away) and I'm listening to 'Jethro Tull, Aqualung' at a pleasing level - and it's only playing at half volume (well, it is middle of the night!).

3. I tried playing one of my audio books and the sound was excellent, the narrator's voice had a soft, rich and deep baritone, turned the volume high, no distortions - perfect. Played 'Anastacia "Left Outside Alone"' earlier and cranked the volume up to maximum whilst stood beside it and it was uncomfortable on the ears, this time there was some distortion - but I can't see me playing the unit at that level anyway.

I bought the white unit to contrast with the black iPod (looks good), and also to help me find the iPod when I've forgotten where I've left it! The unit small, a little more than a typical office sellotape dispenser (large size).

As for connectivity: it comes set up to receive 5G iPod 30Gb, but there are 6 other adapters included: iPod Nano, Shuffle, Mini, 3G, 4G, Video iPod 60Gb, and it also has a short standard Jack lead (18") to connect other portables such as Mini-Disc, CD and so.

The remote is narrower than a box of Swan Vestas but slightly longer (10x3x1)cm and its functions are limited to: On/Off, Volume +/-, Track Up/Down, Play/Stop. However, it won't change albums or access any of the other iPod Menu functions - you'll have to walk to the unit to do that.

There's blue LED when the unit's 'on' and red when 'off' although there's a plasticky button the back to 'completely' switch on and off.

Oh, and it charged my iPod too.

Marks out of 100? I give it 98, it covers everything I'd hoped for.

I keep my iPod in our fairly large kitchen, and play it through a decent amp and 50W speakers, so you can imagine the sound is pretty good. However, my wife decided all that equipment was too much for a kitchen, so I had to search for a dock with built in speakers. I read all the reviews of the usual suspects, but finally went with the Trusted Review report on these speakers, which placed them ahead of Bose, Altec Lansing etc. Just got the speakers yesterday - my first thoughts on opening the box were " WTF have I done? This unit is tiny, no way can they produce a sound like I've been used to from an amp/speaker set-up". Boy, was I wrong. I just can't believe the quality sound from these speakers, and as the reviews say, the bass is just right. Not only that, but the individual instruments and vocals all come through really clearly, and the sound stage is just unbelievable - it really feels like you are listening to speakers placed 6 feet apart, not 6 inches. The sound fills our pretty big kitchen/dininhg room area just perfectly.I've no idea what other systems sound like, I'm sure they're all pretty good, but I must totally recommend the i-rhythms. Trust me, you will not be disappointed with these. At £90, they're a steal, if you can get them cheaper, it's a no-brainer.

I got my wife a new, 2nd generation iPod Nano (8GB) for her birthday and she liked the idea of speakers she could dock it into for listening in the kitchen. I nearly bought the Monitor Audio i-deck, having read its good reviews, but I came across this iRhythm A-302E, also with good reviews, and the smaller form factor seemed a good idea for use in the kitchen. We now have two iPods, the new Nano and a 3rd gen iPod (40GB), and I wanted support for both. I was a little concerned about support for the new Nano, mainly as it is so new. The iRhythm A-302E details do state support for "all iPods", but I had noticed on the i-deck page a stated lack of support for the Nano, although one of its reviewers had obtained a suitable adapter, and I wondered whether the same might be true for the iRhythm product. As other reviews note, the unit is attractive and has an appearance of quality. Sound quality is remarkable considering the size of the unit, with an impressive amount of bass. The unit came with 7 dock adapters, one of which suited the iPod 3rd gen. These are easily snapped in and out to support different devices. A Nano adapter was included, but it didn't fit the new Nano. However, I contacted the UK support number listed in the included paperwork and an adapter for the new Nano arrived in the following day's post at no extra charge. The included infra-red remote works well, allowing next/prev track, play/pause and volume up/down, and also includes a power off button that places both the unit and the iPod in standby. Both iPods' batteries are charged by the unit when docked. The unit sits comfortably on a corner shelf in the kitchen and my wife's very pleased with it.

I did significant research on numerous sites before purchasing these speakers and really pleased with the results. Initially I was going to purchase Bose, no problem with the quality there but the price was too high, especially with no additional audio inputs, only ipod dock. I set a budget of £[...] and after similar products got panned in reviews, this one came out top.

Quality set of speakers for the price.