Customer Reviews

Acer iRhythm 900MHz Wireless Remote Tuner

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Before I begin, I must mention that the price point on this gadget is excellent. I was looking at a similar device that transmits audio from a PC to a remote stereo system but does not offer an integrated hardware/software remote solution and costs nearly twice as much.

Today I received my iRhythm tuner in the mail. I was at work so I didn't get to set it up right away, but I immediately popped the batteries in the remote and watched the remote's display light up blood red as it powered on. Way cool.

Upon getting home I was set to install this puppy. Honestly, I was somewhat pessimistic. Although I had read many good reviews about this device, along with a couple of users having trouble with it (however tech support on their newsgroup server seemed to fix their problems right away), I was afraid that this might not be the ideal solution I was hoping it to be.

I was wrong. Installing this device was a breeze. The first thing I did was install the base. Think of this as the base for a cordless phone, it connects to your computer which in turn connects to the internet and then broadcasts its music to your stereo in the other room. (it even uses the same 900mhz as most modern cordless phones). I didn't even have to install the iM radio software because I already had the latest software from online. It instantly recognized the device, no rebooting! The next thing I did was play with the remote, I was able to start and stop the iM radio app using the power button on my remote. Too cool! (The app did crash on me once, I simply pressed the power button on the radio, and the app restarted itself).

The next thing I did was connect the receiver to my stereo in the neighboring room. At first, there was a significant bit of distortion. I realized this was because the volume on my computer was too high. I simply adjusted the computer's volume using the volume controls on the remote and the distortion was gone.

I can't stress how clear the transmission is. The sound coming out of my stereo in my bedroom is identical to the sound coming out of my tethered speakers. There is the occassional static if you walk by the receiver, and when there are quiet moments in a song you can hear a little bit of background static, but nothing that you wouldn't expect from listening to FM radio. Infact, I would go out on a limb and suggest the quality is better than FM radio.

After I got everything hooked up, I laid back on my bed, iRhythm remote in hand and began scanning through the stations. As soon as I found a station I liked, I pressed the "Add to Z band" button, heard a distinct beep from the stereo, and the station was instantly added to my presets. There are 25 bands each with 30 possible stations, and the Z band which is where you put your presets, your MP3 playlists, or your custom streaming audio stations.

I heard a song I liked while I was playing with my new remote, I pressed the smiley button to vote for it and then pressed the info button to get more info. When I got back to my computer later on, the name of the artist was sitting in my in box. All "Best of the Planet(TM)" music at my fingertips and the computer, my keyboard, mouse and ethernet connection were out of the way. It was just me, my stereo and my iRhythm remote control.

I can't say anything bad about this device, the only thing that is annoying is that some of the streaming audio sites are a bit latent and take a while to buffer, even though I have a 3Mbps cable connection. The nice thing is, while you are waiting for it to buffer, iM radio plays a nice intro message, usually the name of the station, and some looping music to let you know that you are still connected. Besides, iM Radio can't control other people's bandwith issues, they are just a third party, organizing streaming content for me.

If you like the idea of being able to control your internet radio stations without being tied to your computer but do not want to deal with wireless audio, there is also the iRhythm K.O. (...) which acts as a stand alone remote. You can always download the software for free to check it out before you buy the hardware. The software interface is almost identical to the hardware interface and you will be all ready to go when you receive your hardware.

Wow, a remote Internet tuner and more! I originally purchased the iRhythm remote tuner so I could play Internet radio from my stereo. Little did I realize that I could do so much more with this little gadget. The set up was fairly simple after a brief bout with static, and the output was much better than touted in some of the reviews here.

There were only a few shortcomings. First, the documentation shows where to plug cables, and describes the buttons and features, but falls short when explaining how to get rid of static and get a clear signal. It mentions pushing a recessed button in the base unit, and moving the receiver around a bit, but that did not work for me. In addition, about 10%+ volume reduction is experienced when using the iRhythm tuner. Furthermore, the software setup was a bit confusing with the update screens showing up for Windows and Real Player without clear guidance as to how to proceed. Finally, the iM Band guide printed on the back of the portable tuner does not align with the correct bands. All of these problems are definitely fixable as follows:

1. Static. There may be cases where you encounter static, just as you would with a 900 MHz cordless telephone. No big deal. On the receiver, there is a dial marked "Tuner". This is not a radio station tuner, but a signal tuner. Just turn the dial until you get the clearest signal possible - just like you had to do before digital tuning on FM/AM radio. Second, there is a volume dial on the receiver as well. Just don't turn the thing up full blast. Back it down a notch from max and you will be fine. The signal is clear and crisp.

2. If you were to plug speakers into your pc directly, the signal would be about 10%+ louder. No biggie, just increase the volume on your PC sound card. If this doesn't give you the wall-shattering volume you desire, just purchase a an amplifier and plug that into the pc before plugging into the base unit.

3. The software set up pops up with a few windows showing you that you may need to update Real Player or maybe some other windows part. If these come up, just go ahead and update the Windows software. With Real One Player, if you have the basic version (read: free), the message will pop up. I just went to the web site and made sure I was selecting the free player, not the Real One Premium player. Once this was done, I continued through the messaging with no other events.

4. So the iM Band Guide isn't up to date. The guide is correct in the software. Just retype the thing and print it on a big shipping label and stick it on the back of the portable tuner. What do you expect for [the price]?

Here is the good stuff. Not only can I listen to Internet radio through my stereo speakers, I can listen through my high-end headphones as well. It also works with my higher-end pc speaker system that is located in another room. The headphone option works great for late night activities when others are sleeping, or in the office when I need to move around a bit but don't want to listen to all the noise around me. The receiver works off of batteries or a/c, as well as has a nifty belt clip so I can stay connected just as if I had a tiny MP3 player with a huge amount of memory, since I'm pulling from my pc. It's easy to move from room to room as well.

Another bonus is that this unit not only works as a wireless Internet radio tuner, but it also works with anything I want to output through my pc. This means that if I am subscribed to other music services, I can access those as well (although I don't have remote tuning ability). I can play mp3 files, cd's, or even audio books through audible.com. I can use the premium pc output devices, mixers, equalizers, and sound enhancers, and they go through the system just great!

I'm extremely happy with my decision and am even debating getting one for the office so I'm not porting the hardware back and forth. I like a device that is simple and functional. The iRhythm Wireless tuner is just that and more.

the idea is great, the problem is that if you live in an apartment, like i do, you may have trouble with the weak transmitter.

my transmitter and receiver are only 20 feet apart, and the sound is really distorted at times.

depends on your location.

While the idea of being able to wirelessly access our music and Internet radio channels sounds great, the fact of the matter is that this product is not the one to break new ground with.

The device looks cool enough. But upon installation, it was immediately obvious that there were huge gaps in performance. It's ability to transmit a decent signal was lost. Not even in the same room with the transmitter was it able to work properly.

Being an electronics gizmo addict, I had no problems understanding the easy to follow instructions, or the layout of the remote tuner. Still, it's a great idea, but with poor exectution.

If your looking for remote access to your MP3 files, go with the Dell Remote Tuner instead. It uses the telephone lines, has a traditional remote control, performs flawlessly, and may someday be able to tune in Internet Radio.

RTD.

I recently wrote a negative review of this product due to a software issue, which in the review I felt was a server problem. The problem is fixed and I want to set the record straight.

Thanks to the IT guru at IRhythm, the tuner now works. There is a bug in the tuner when uninstalled and then reinstalled. After deleting some files as instructed by their IT department, the system is now working great. I've been told their engineers are working on this, "bug."

Other new developments: The pager sized receiving unit has a problem with the line out jack. When inserting the headphone jack all the way into the socket, only one of the stereo channels works. Also, when using the ac adapter in the unit, a loud hum comes over the speakers of my stereo. This isn't a problem when using batteries. These may be a defects only in my unit.

The remote control works flawlessly. I highly recommned this product. My thanks to the IT department at IRhythm.

11-2009 Well it has been a very long time since I bought this unit and I can say it was in the trash very shortly after buying it. it was junk, my rview was too, and fortunately technology has improved where this thing is obsolete anyway. Sorry it took so long to post an update.

I've had this device for several months now and am very pleased with it. Installation was simple although the documentation was sketchy at best. I've read several reviews that complained about low audio levels but haven't experienced that problem. There are numerous settings that can screw up your final level. There's the WAVE input level on your computer, the audio out level on your computer, the volume level on the iRhythm receiver and the volume of your stereo.

When listening to the internet radio it's hard to keep track of what station is where. The pre-printed band descriptions on the back of the unit were already out of date when I received it.

One pleasant surprise that wasn't mentioned in the documentation is that the iRhythm receiver can work on two AAA batteries. I thought that the receiver looked alot like a pager - it even has a belt clip. This allows you to connect a set of headphones directly into the receiver and listen in bed or by the pool. I wouldn't recommend moving around much when you do this, as reception has to be fined tuned to get good reception.

This product needs a little dialing in, but after you manage that, you can't beat it! In the beginning I was a little dissapointed with the product because I seemed to get an annoying hissing sound through my speakers. In order to resolve it, I first retuned the base to the remote, making sure I had optimum reception. Then I repositioned the wires and the base unit away from my hub and all the other wires (thinking that I might be picking up some type of interference from all the wires and the other electronics). Finally, I realized that the computer's volume influences the output gain on the stereo. My volume was set very low on the computer, so in turn I really needed to turn the volume up high on my stereo to get any kind of volume out of my speakers. All of these little tweaks, did the trick and now my wife and I really enjoy the versatility and wide range of programs that the iRhythm has to offer. One of the cools thing about it is that since the signal is RF and the tuner works wirelessly, you can be mobile and easily change between music channels. For example, while we're getting ready we can have the tuner in the bathroom, or I can have it outside while I'm barbecueing. Too cool!

I have two of these, one is an older SonicBox version and the other is a newer Acer one with the little mobile pager thingy. The little pager-looking device receives a signal from a component that plugs into the back of your computer with a USB connector. It allows you to listen with headphones while you walk around the house. I've even worked in the yard while listening. My wife and I like to use it to listen to Efolkmusic.com and CelticGrove.com on the E-Band. The Louisiana Radio station is real nice too. It's a neat product for gee-whiz factor, it kind of leaves me wondering what is next though. Other products of this type like the Kerbango haven't lasted, but this one seems to be real nice.

You spent good money on your stereo system, so why get stuck listening to streaming music with your tiny little computer speakers? The iRhythm is a simple, cheap and easy-to-install solution for anyone, even people unfamiliar with the technology behind it.

I just bought the iRhythm 900MHz Wireless Remote Tuner and am impressed with the software AND the hardware. Not only does it let you play streaming music through your stereo, it also broadcasts whatever you want to play on your computer: MP3s, CDs, DVDs, .wav files -- all without the hassle of stringing cords from room to room.

The tuner hardware is straight-forward, intuitive and looks just like the iRhythm software. I plugged it in and within 2 minutes, I had music from the Net playing on my stereo. With dozens of high-quality preset stations and the ability to add your own customized internet stations via the software interface, the simplicity and flexiblity make the iRhythm a winner.

It takes a lot to impress me, but the iRhythm Tuner certainly gets my vote.

The concept of this product is great, however what the manufacturer does not tell you is that there are many devices in your home (cordless phones, baby monitors, even your PC) that could interfere with the reception of the remote receiver. I spent many hours trying to tune the receiver with the transmitter with no success, even when the transmitter and receiver were within feet of each other.

I found the documentation and technical support for the product left a lot to be desired also.

I have chose to ditch the idea of using the tuner remotely, but I am going to use the device as a wired device to my home stareo. Plugging the device directly into my home strero provides great reception and terrific sound quality.