Customer Reviews

CY-FI WIRELESS SPORT SPEAKER WRLSSPEAKERPHONE FOR BLUETOOTH-RED

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I commute by bicycle several times a week for over an hour each way and was really wanting something to break the monotony of that amount of time in the saddle. I refuse to use head phones due to the dangers of not being able to hear traffic and other cyclists. The Cy-Fi works well with my iPhone 3GS (which supports the A2DP bluetooth profile) and has been a great addition to my commute.

A few thoughts and observations:

1. It is very light (advertised at about 4 ounces). Doesn't add any appreciable weight.

2. The mounting brackets (2 included) are sturdy and strong. They lock the speaker in place so it won't accidentally shake off due to road vibration. They also come in two different sizes: One for handlebar-diameters and the other for larger-diameter top tubes, etc. They are also easy to put on and take off in case you need to move between different bikes or other forms of conveyance.

3. They sounds is excellent and certainly loud enough. However, in heavy traffic you may not be able to hear, which frankly is what you want. Better to hear the cars than the music. No appreciable bass from the speakers, but they do play at a respectable volume without distorting.

4. Battery life is quite good. I think they claim six hours. To test it out, I used the speaker while working in the garage for an extended period on a weekend. After four hours it was still going strong. Recharging is only supported using a customized cradle, which means there's more weight and bulk to carry if you're going on an extended (multi-day) trip.

5. The controls are intuitive and easy enough to use, although pressing buttons is perhaps a little bit stiffer than I would like. The unit does provide feedback that a button has been successfully pressed by beeping. Pausing/Resuming, adjusting the volume, and answering the phone all work great with my iPhone 3GS.

6. I have not been able to advance or reverse the current song, which is supposed to be supported. Perhaps a deficiency with my iPhone (but I haven't done the detailed research to see if it's supposed to support this.)

7. I really like being able to take a phone call. When the device rings, the music is automatically paused. You press the answer button and you're talking to the person on the other end. They seem to hear me well enough, but it's not entirely noise and interference free. Fine for a quick conversation, but probably not for an extended one. (And besides, who wants to talk much when you're huffing and puffing on a bike.) When the call finishes, you just press the pause/play button to restart the music, right where it left off.

8. The company claims the device is water resistant. I haven't had a chance to test the claim, but I'm dubious about the claim. There are slots on each side over the speakers where water can enter, and the various plastic seems couldn't likely hold out water from extended rain. It should be fine in a light mist or if some sweat drips on it. I plan put some additional sticky clear plastic or shrink wrap on it to bolster water resistance. (Have to plan for rain when biking in the Seattle area.)

Overall, I'm very pleased with the purchase and would recommend this product to others. The only down side has been not being able to advance or skip songs. (I'll solve that by creating a better play list.)

(See update below)

I purchased the Bluetooth version of the Cy-Fi Wireless Sports Speaker for Bluetooth (Red) about a month ago. I used it once and was thrilled with the sound and form factor.

When I came home and tried to charge the speaker, however, it failed to re-charge. It failed to even turn on.

I returned the item and purchased another one. The same thing happened!

It does not work after use one time.

I called the company and left two messages. The company did not return the two calls.

The First Unit
The first unit CyFi sent to me only included a USB charger cord--not an AC charger. The AC charger was listed in the manual, howveer, as being included in the package.

While the AC charger did not arrive with the unit, a USB cord was indeed included. I plugged the USB charger cord into my computer to try to recharge the unit. I also tried plugging the USB cord into a USB-AC adapter to charge the unit. Neither USB conenction worked.

I emailed the company from its website and asked them to send the AC charger. The company never responded. It's been three weeks.

The Second Unit
After the company did not respond to my email request via its website for several days, I decided to simply return the unit and order a new one.

The second unit arrived and I used it one time. This time, the AC adapter was included in the package. (No USB adapter was in this package, however.) After one use, however, the unit failed to re-charge. Like the first unit, it became inoperable after one use.

I'm really frustrated because the product has so much potential. It's size and shape are perfect for use on my road bike, and it sounded unbelieveable fo listening to music on the road.

However, with two units arriving defective and the company failing to respond to phone calls and emails, I feel compelled to warn potential buyers.

Update
I should have updated a few months ago. bought a third unit and here's what happened.

Depite my bad experience with the company not responding to my queries (a situation that never changed), I ordered another unit.

It was delivered and I used it for about three weeks and it really was great. Really a great sounding speaker and Bluetooth is flawless.

Then, the darn thing fell off my bike! I was riding on a really bumpy road and going fast and it went flying off my handlebars and across the road. A car knocked it down a sewer! (You can't make up this stuff.)

It was probably my fault. In retrospect, I remember it did not "click" into the mount, and I should have re-seated it.

So I ordered yet another unit. By then, the company raised the price (by nearly 50%!, but I was enjoying riding and havign my music so much that it was worth it.

This last unit works well and has lasted for about 35 rides so far. It's great.

But the company does have quality control and customer service issues.

I got the Cy-Fi after finding that my previous iPod-based weatherproofed speaker system, the iHome2Go started dying after about 20 minutes despite fresh batteries. My guess is that had to do with my iPod Mini's internal battery - after all, the little fellah is 4+ years old, but since the iHome unit does not fit the Touch that I since bought I thought it was time to find a speaker that would work with the TOuch.

After some searching I discovered the Cy-Fi unit here, and have to give it high ratings in ease of use, compactness, packaging intelligence and sound. Well, the sound is not something that will send an audiophile into heaven, but then again the wind noise and ambient traffic sounds that a cyclist hears anyway kills any notion of needing a super-high quality speaker system just to enjoy some tunes while riding.

The unit comes with two mounting brackets and enough gaskets to enable them to be fit on virtually any diameter round tube one would find on a bike. I ride a recumbent bike and the larger bracket fit around the large main body tube of that, so unless the tubing of your bicycle has a non-circular cross-section then you should be fine. If you do have a bike with a oval or flattened tube shape, then you may need to contact the company to see how one might wrap one of the brackets securely.

My only gripe was with the instruction manual, that had completely misleading and incorrect directions as to how to link the iPod to the speaker. On the other hand, when I wrote to the support e-mail address at the company I got a response the next day with the proper directions, and the writer indicated that he would see to it that future manuals would be corrected.

As for possible improvements, I can only think of two: first, if this had a remote control (like the iHome2Go does) it would make it easier to change volume. As it is, the Cy-Fi has large buttons to change the volume, but unless you mount it on the handlebars of a conventional bike (which is obviously what the initial plan was) those buttons may fall out of easy reach (as they do on my recumbent while I am reclined and riding).

The other suggestion I humbly offer is to have some sort of volume indicator - perhaps a set of 6 LEDs that would light up as the volume is increased. This way I think it would be easier to set the volume as you liked it on the previous ride without a lot of trial and error (again, made more difficult if it is not within reach to push the volume buttons). But these are minor quibbles - in the end this is a great device, unobtrusive and good sounding, and I highly recommend it.

Just received my Cy.Fi unit. Had no problems connecting to iPhone via Bluetooth. As others have attested, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality ... even after reading the mostly positive reviews. The charging via USB is a nice touch. Makes it very easy to recharge using my portable battery pack or laptop.

A note about using with iPhone (3GS or 4) with OS3 or OS4. The iPhone implementation of A2DP (as of this writing) does not support track skip forward or skip backward. This is well documented (complained about) across Apple forums/sites. So, if you are pairing the Cy.Fi with an iPhone, you won't be getting any skip functionality. At least not as of July 2010.

Also, I have noticed on iPhone that the Pause/Play only works with certain Audio apps and not with others. Works nicely when used with the iPod App, which is probably what most people want anyway. But I prefer using Pandora and TuneIn Radio via background audio. Though I am sure this is an iPhone issue, it's still worth mentioning for expectation setting.

A great little lightweight, versatile speaker that does what it says. I am sure I will be using this for more than just biking.

Update (after 2 weeks use):
- Volume could be one or two ticks louder at max. I've noticed a few times now where the music gets very hard to hear in wind/traffic ... but maybe that's good for safety reasons.
- For iPhone OS4 used in conjunction with RunMeter (CycleMeter) - I had some playback glitches the other day. Closing all of my open Apps except for RunMeter and iPod solved the issue.

I not so recently entered a cycling fundraiser and seen plenty of bicycles with speakers and music blaring and thought to myself, "why can't I have one?". So the following week I was searching high and low and finally came across this little diamond in the rough.

This little speaker is FREEAAKING AWWWWWEESOOOOMME!!! It paired with my android phone right out the box and it is loud. I MEAN LOOOOUUUD! So loud that I get irritated lol! If you need a little music to get you through your commute, exercise or whatever... buy this one. You will not be disappointed. It has everything you need to attach it to your bike.

Get one already. I mean right now... go!

I bought this to use when I bike. But since it comes with a handy stand, it probably gets as much use inside the house as outside. And once, when I rented a car without an auxiliary jack or bluetooth (geez, they still make cars like that?) this saved the trip because all of my media is on my phone these days.

It charges fast, the charge lasts a long time, and setup and usage is easy. My only complaint is that if you have to take a call while connected, the microphone is not so hot (Maybe it is using the mic on my phone? I'm not even sure... but my callers all had a hard time hearing me...) But as a music/media playing device, it is really a solid little unit.

This was quite easy to set up and paired with my iPhone 3GS perfectly... but the sound was just okay. Good enough for riding, even in moderate traffic. I was not expecting something as good as the Jawbone...but something a little better than what I got. Still it mounts stably to the handle bars.

One odd point...while charging the unit, you have to push it down firmly in the cradle so that it connects.

I purchased this in the iPod edition and am very happy with it's performance. I was worried about volume and range, and both of those features are far beyond my expectations. It also works with my iPhone which is a HUGE plus. Yes, It does give me a disclaimer about causing interference, but I didn't notice any.
To test it's range, I left my iPhone at one end of my house and walked across to the other and this thing still sounded great even through walls and with doors closed it gave clear and loud sound.

I was looking for an all around solution to listening to my music in a variety of situations -- this product has definitely exceeded my expectations.

I use this speaker:

1. While on the river kayaking - I can keep my iphone safely tucked away in a ziplock :)

2. In my office at work - it's fantastic, each time I need to leave the office (and I'm in and out all day), the bluetooth exceeds range and goes silent. But when I walk back in it fires up again. Surprising perk!

3. Doing dishes in the kitchen - a previously boring task, I can now rock out without worrying about splashing water on the speaker, or having to have a radio taking up valuable appliance counter space.

4. Right outside the shower - I can reach out and change the volume without worrying about ruining it. Yay!

5. On trips in the car when my FM converter is acting up and being annoyingly static-y (like when driving through FL - man they have a lot of radio stations!)

I can think of other great uses: mount to a stroller or baby carrier, outside gardening, hiding it somewhere and having a theme song when you enter the room (and which stops when you leave), seriously, this guy's going to get a lot of use.

I have been using this device for about 6 weeks now on a daily basis, 2-3 hours per day cycling to work and back. Using the Bluetooth interface to couple it with a Blackberry smartphone, I am using it to respond to incoming calls while riding and to play back MP3 music on occasion.
My observations so far:
Battery life - good enough for me. I try to charge the device every 3-5 riding hours (2-3 rides) - and so far have not reached a point where the battery died on me during a ride.
Ease of use - simple, basic user interface.
Ruggedness - went through a couple of rainstorms, falls and bumps - still working...
Playback Sounds quality - fair.
Speakerphone function - the other side reports some metallic echo. On my side it is as good as can be expected when riding at 20 MPH with wind and ambient noise...
Volume - not loud enough for me. Then again - my hearing is less then perfect.

All in all - to date I am happy with this purchase.