Customer Reviews

Klipsch iGroove All-in-One Digital Music System

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I've been a Klipsch fan since I can remember and have grown to trust their product year after year. I don't care whether it is reference or synergy, high end or low, the consistency in which Klipsch carries with its products is amazing...not to mention I finally get an electronic device that is designed and constructed in the United States...that's hard to find...but enough about that...
I've been seeing the adds and reading about the iGroove in magazines and on-line and was waiting for months for this to arrive...welp, I finally have one and could not be more impressed...granted, it does not run on batteries, but, if it did, those batteries wouldn't last very long considering that the iGroove is charging the iPod while playing it...and its flexibility with other mp3 players makes it truly universal...but for those iPod owners out there like myself, you are the lucky one because the remote works seemlessly with the iPod while connected to the iGroove...for those who choose to buy this item without owning an iPod, just disregard the remote...it does come with two adaptors, one for the iPod mini, and one for non-iPod mp3 players...
Klipsch definitely did not let me down...the sound quality is amazing whether the volume low or high, lacking distortion in any sense of the word...this does have a great range as far as low to high frequency, something Bose consistently struggles with...this sure made me happy, and it is sure to make others...
Since I am an iPod owner, i rate this a 5, if I wasn't, it would be a 4 considering the remote is useless for non iPod mp3 players...

I've owned the Bose SoundDock for the past 14 months, and was generally satisfied. Then I heard of the iGroove, and decided to buy one and compare the two -- and sell off the loser.

What a smart move. The Klipsh won, hands down, and that's not just my opinion; I dragged three friends over to weigh in. It's unanimous. The Klipsch iGroove provides true audio fidelity: crisp, bright highs, resonant bass, and every last nuance in between. Whereas Bose processes the sound into a kind of warm mush (which has a certain appeal, I'll grant), my new iGroove makes me feel like I'm listening to something much closer to "live" -- I can almost picture the room where the music is being made, it's just so much more accurate. So, the Bose got posted to craigslist, and the Klipsch iGroove is now pounding out the beats in my living room.

If you have to choose between the two, here's what you have to ask yourself: do I want a one-mix-fits-all approach ("no highs, no lows, must be a Bose"), or do I want to hear every instrument and the tone of every sung note the way the music maker intended? If you choose the latter, you want a Klipsch iGroove.

I'm surprised not to find more reviews of this product here. I've been using the iGroove for about two weeks now and am more than impressed with the sound quality - easily comparable to the Bose system for iPod. I use the iGroove with an iPod mini which is pretty secure in the adaptable base - I believe there are adapters for all of the iPods.
The iGroove comes with a tiny remote which provides power, volume control and advance through tracks only. It's a bit on the heavy side despite it's relatively small size, and does not run on batteries which makes it not entirely portable. Also, the power cord is substantial and difficult to conceal if you're planning on using it on a desk or shelf.
All in all, despite these minor flaws, the iGroove won me over with it's sound quality. Although the sales pitch seems to be that it has all the sound of the Bose system for less money, but actually the price difference is only $20.

Klipsch iGroove vs. Bose SoundDock (Bose wins)

I would give Klipsch 5 stars except for 1 major drawback described below. I bought the iGroove and SoundDock with intention of returning the lesser-sounding one. Here's what I found:


General:

- Both sound great.
- Both remotes have same features.
- Both charge the iPod.
- EQ settings on iPod really affect sound of both (keep this in mind if comparing).
- As a room gets smaller the Bose improves (i.e. Bose probably sounds better at home than at store).
- Klipsch is crisper; Bose is richer.
- Klipsch is sturdier; Bose is smaller.
- Both lack good bass thump (hey, they're very small units!)


Navigating playlists/albums/artists with clickwheel:

- Klipsch: unit holds the iPod very firmly; navigate 1-handed.
- Bose: must hold iPod with 1 hand, use other for click-wheel.


Major drawbacks:

- Bose: NO AUX IN to allow use of non-iPod devices.
- Klipsch: MUST REMOVE iPod from case to fit into cradle.

NOTE: My iPod has a Speck "Skin Tight" rubberized case for protection. Girlfriend has Incase Leather sleeve. Both cases make the iPod too wide to fit into the Klipsch cradle. This is very disappointing, because I prefer the Klipsch sound a little more than the Bose. But, to remove our iPods from their cases everytime we use these speakers is too much of a nuisance.

CAVEAT: Klipsch provides a cradle adapter that would let us use iPods with cases... but, it connects via headphone jack and consequently WOULD NOT CHARGE the iPods. BTW: This adpater lets you connect any device via the headphone jack.

CONCLUSION: I like the sound of Klipsch better. But, I am keeping the Bose and returning the Klipsch because the Klipsch will not recharge my iPod while in its case. BOSE WINS.

..to the Bose Soundock.

I have been interested in audio equipment since the early 1980s and consider that I am relatively discerning about sound quality though I would be reluctant to describe myself as 'audiophile'.

I bought a Soundock without an audition on the basis of generally strong reviews. I lived with it for several weeks and was indescribably disappointed with the sound.

I brought it back to the local distributor and explained what I thought wrong with the sound. We played some music together and was assured that is the way they sound. To their profound credit, they accepted and understood the reasons for my disatisfaction and gave me a refund.

Essentially, the Soundock has little if any frequency response above 5khz, with pronounced overemphasis in the midrange, and an extremely congested sound with no stereo imagery what so ever.

I can see why the Soundock is popular, it gets loud and appears to have loads of bass. But anyone who is accustomed to what used to be known as 'hi fi' would not find any gratification at all in the Bose.

I then decided to give the iGroove a listen, ended up buying it on the spot and have lived with it since. A month later I am considering buying a few more for other locations around my home.

Anyone interested in stereo as long as I have would probably know the relative reputations of Bose and Klipsch twenty or thirty years ago. The same holds true today!

Want the sound of a full size stereo system in your living room? This will do it. It has three big pluses over the Bose Ipod Player: (1) It has better treble sounds thanks to Klipsch proprietary horn tweeters, (2) It doesn't have the artificial surround Bose adds to its player to make the sound fuller--consequently you get a more realistic sound, and (3) you can play other MP3 players on it, not just the IPOD (although the remote only works for IPOD. Also, I am noticing better pricing on the Klipsch than on the Bose. So, it is not only better, it is a better deal.

I agree with the majority of the reviewers here that the value of this unit versus Bose is superior, as is the sound. I "test drove" the product for many months and had many opportunities to hear people's opinions before buying since I worked in an Apple Store. I am very satisfied with my iGroove overall. However, I turn to these reviews in order to learn from other people's experiences and feel that the few negatives I've found have been omitted in this forum. So...

1. Each time the unit is powered down the volume defaults.
This should not be the case. Think about that for a minute. What other stereo product do you own that does that? Not a TV, rack system, or even your iPod does that. This design flaw is compounded by the fact that the volume you start at is too loud.

2. The unit's lowest volume before mute is not low enough.
In an open office environment you might not be able to use the iGroove since you can't turn it down enough if you have close neighbors. This may be linked to the album you are playing, but it has been true in my experience multiple times. The JBL products sound great at very low volume, so it certainly can be done. I heartily recommend that company's products on the whole, and the On Stage II specifically should be considered versus the iGrove. It isn't as robust, but it is much less expensive and sounds terrific.

Incidentally, most people neglect to test drive speaker systems at the volume they are most likely to listen to them! This is understandable considering most stores are loud and people's natural impulse is to crank it, but I would urge you to plan to visit the store at a more quiet time of day (in my experience at Apple before noon, and try to avoid a weekend if possible) so that you can listen at reasonable levels. You can even ask a salesperson to turn down the store music for a minute and they most likely will be happy to accommodate you.

3. The iPod's volume adjustment is disabled when in the cradle.
Other units allow you to adjust their volume (perhaps in finer increments, though I'm not sure that is even technically possible) with either the built in controls or with the player. I think that flexibility is in essence a feature, and one the iGroove doesn't have for some reason.

4. No input jack.
I'd be nice to be able to listen to a portable CD player or laptop movie on these great speakers that you paid a goodly chunk for, but no.

On balance I'm pleased with the product. After all, the overriding factor is sound quality when judging a speaker rig, and the Klipsch certainly delivers at a competitive price point. The nitpicking is for those of you out there that share in my AR personality. (If you don't know what that stands for give thanks as you are not one of the afflicted!)

For quite a while now I've been saving my pennies to get the Bose SoundDock. Well, just before I was getting ready to lay down $300 for the Bose, I thought I would look at what else is on the market that might be equivalent. Most of the products out there look cheesy, and feel very plasticy when you actually see them at the stores. I checked out various customer reviews for this product and the Bose SoundDock. Overwhelmingly, people seemed quite happy with the iGroove. I knew already that Klipsch makes great speakers, and that Bose tend to be overpriced.

I have a pair of Bose 501's, and they were a great value at the time (7 years ago), but I thought Bose was ripping people off by taking advantage of the iPod craze that drives people to drop down huge bucks for anything iPod certified, especially with the 1-2 Apple/Bose punch. I decided to go with the Klipsch iGroove.

Before buying, I checked prices at Target online (Klipsch doesn't have unilateral pricing like Apple and Bose), and saw I could pick this up new for $240!!!! My mind was made up.

I just got the iGroove this week, and love it. Sounds much better than the Bose that I've listened to in the stores; and for the price, this is an unbeatable value (at least for the time being). The bass, natural reproduction of presence and stereo spread are all impressive for speakers of this size. The highs are not not tinny, and the bass is not artificial sounding (most small speakers overdrive the bass and it just sounds muddy). I listen to ambient, trance, electronica, rock, hardcore, and this system has performed beyond expectations on all of these genres. The double-kick drums come through tight on the hardcore selections and the presence is projected well on the more acoustic numbers.

It looks better than the SoundDock, is very sturdy and has some mass to it (good for speakers). I have an iPod Mini, and they have a thoughtfully designed cradle adapter, and the player fits in very snuggly. The remote works great, and looks better than the Bose remote.

Do not waste your time or money with the SoundDock (sorry Dr. Bose).

Why is it that most iPod accessories are so expensive and sound so crappy? I am happy to report that this product does NOT fall into that category. Setup time was about 2 minutes and the sound approaches that of my $300 JVC boombox. I too compared this item to Bose and the Apple HiFi boombox and to my ears, this one sounded the best, though in all fairness they all sound great. It took a bit of tinkering with my iPod's EQ settings to get this to sound optimal, but after getting it right I couldn't be happier.

I listen to a variety of music and this unit reproduces them all beautifully - from electronica to classical to show tunes to rock and roll - with clear highs and a very pleasant (not overpowering) bass response. One word of warning, I can REALLY hear the difference between music files with too much compression (which i downloaded) and those I ripped from my own cds at a higher quality setting. The low quality files sound terrible.

My only wish is that this had a sleep timer. It'd be nice to 'shuffle' off into lala land at night.

Since I got my iPod, I already had a moist eye on the Bose Sound Dock. That was back in October 2005. I kept going back to Curry's or searching through the internet absorbing all the technical reviews. So when I went to the Apple store in Regent, I was already decided. Bose was it and it was already September 2006.

Lo and behold, I saw Klipsch iGroove and remembering the reviews I read about Bose Sound Dock and Klipsch iFi, hesitated on getting the Bose. Stayed in the Apple store for about an hour trying to decide what to buy. By mentally going through my own checklist, and having heard the sound coming from both systems playing identical songs (Techno, jazz, and metal), I was instantly hooked on the iGroove.

Not only does Klipsch sounded better (Klipsch is clearer and crispier, with the instruments sounding so much better than Bose), it is 50 pounds cheaper than Bose.

For those looking for an iPod sound system, Klipsch iGroove is it. You can even connect your PC's output jacks via the J-cup. You can also play other MP-3 players though remote control won't work.

Klipsch iGroove, for me, is just so much better.