Customer Reviews

JBL On Stage III Speaker Dock for iPod (Black)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

Beware that there are two versions of the JBL On Stage III. This model is the On Stage III (JBLOS3P2BLKV) which is NOT iPhone-compatible, and the other one is the On Stage IIIP (JBLOS3PIPBLKV) which IS iPhone-compatible. These two are often mislabelled online.

Lack of iPhone compatibility aside, this unit is a well-built portable iPod speaker system.

We chose this speaker because the previous models had such excellent reviews and I had another JBL speaker that worked great. This one looks great and the ability of accessing the menu with the remote is amazingly fun and convenient. However as noted in other reviews we had some serious background noises. I first noticed it when the unit is turned on but unused there is a loud air, static sound. Next, when the iPods are plugged in and playing the speakers project the hard drive whirring noise that the iPod creates when shuffling between songs or albums. It seems to occur every 3-5 songs. When the whirring occurs it's accompanied by a crackling, buzzing sound that is audible across the room. We returned the first unit for an exchange of the same thing and straight out of the box the same problems. This happens with two different iPods and two different speakers so I think it must be a problem with this model of speaker. I can't recommend it and we'll be sending ours back and looking for another brand that has the remote menu feature like this one. I'm very disappointed.

I recently purchase the On Stage III for use with my iPod touch. I am experiencing the same noise problems that a lot of other reviewers have posted about.

after a little sleuthing I discovered that it appears to be a problem with charging the iPod touch. The noise goes away if I lift the bottom right hand corner up a bit so that the ipod is nolonger charging.

Not sure if this is apple's fault or JBL's.

I recently purchased this speaker and it is great. It works great with the iPod, you can scroll through your playlists and menu from the remote. the sound is great for the size. I like the fact that it fully portable with battery operation, so if theres no electricity you don't have to go without music...the size is great for taking anywhere you go, especially traveling. The price is a little high but in the end I am completely satisfied and have no regrets. I have purchased other portable speakers before and none compare to the JBL On Stage III...

I bought this to use with my new iPod Touch. When I plugged the iPod into the docking station & turned it on, there was a buzzing static noise. JBL knows about this problem because they address it on their Support website. So I followed the instructions--turn off & unplug the JBL for at least 15 minutes & reset the iPod by pressing Home & Sleep at the same time until the Apple log appears. Then plug in the JBL, set it to off, plug in the iPod & power on the JBL. No improvement, and this sounds ridiculous. I changed the AC "polarity" by reversing the plug in the outlet to see if it was picking up noise from the neutral or hot. I turned off the WiFi on the iPod. I relocated the JBL, and went through the instructions several times. No improvement; it buzzes when the iPod is connected, but not when the iPod is not docked. I'm returning the JBL, and I won't exchange it for another one. I'm suspicious that this just isn't made for the Touch, like it's not made for the iPhone, which has many similar capabilities.

STATIC! A $130 table-top speaker should not have static at any volume. Any speaker that's priced more than $50 should be technologically advanced enough that static is not an issue. It sounds like I'm listening to a distant FM radio station, not my ipod that's connected directly to the speaker. If you blast the volume, the static ebbs a bit, but I bought this for my desk at work--not the place for loud music.

JBL should be ashamed to have this on the shelves. Incredibly disappointed with this purchase.

I purchased this product after reading the feedback on Amazon and thought, 'hey, it can't be that bad'. Alas, it was. The dock works fine so long as you are playing your music loud. At softer volumes, such that you would have while listening to music in your room, there is an incredible annoying buzz/ hum / feedback / interference coming from the speakers. The hum is so loud as to render this dock useless for all quiet listening. I am sure it would be fine at the beach, outdoors or cranked up at a small party, but for the price charged, I'd pass. I am now in the process of looking for something else. If anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear them.

Purchased, plugged in ... and heard the static. I thought my unit must be faulty so I got a second, with exactly the same results. Swapped for the On Stage 200ID, which was slightly more expensive, but MUCH better quality!

Believe the reviews. Just received this unit from Amazon and you can hear the static even before plugging your Ipod in. I tried varying the input volume, with the batteries in or out, using a 4th gen Nano or a 2nd Gen Touch and still had the static. Don't waste your time. I returned it immediately. I appreciated Amazon's no hassle return policy.

I just got this unit. It has great sound, comes with power cable, remote, 3.5mm stereo cable in case you need to use it for another device other than an ipod.

The unit takes batteries too. On batteries it shuts itself off if the ipod is on pause or idle for more than 10mins (it saves batteries). The unit can be attached to a pc and with the ipod on the ipod can sync through the unit. The unit charges the ipod too.

The sound is great for indoor, I used it on the garage and sounds great there too while washing my car.

What I like about this unit is I can take it on my lugage on a trip and use it at a hotel when traveling. The sound is amazing considering the sound. I have an Ipod Itouch 2nd Gen. The unit comes with several ipod model bases to fit them securely on it. Great features.

If you have an iPhone get the "p" model. It will help with the iphone interference since it's a phone.

I recommend this unit. The price is not too bad either.