Customer Reviews

Livespeakr Ultraportable Speaker System for iPod/iPhone (Black)

5 star:		(109)
4 star:		(62)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

I must admit that I was skeptical buying this product at first. After doing my research it looked like this would serve my needs well. I'm a businessman and constantly traveling from hotel to hotel and rely on my iPhone for both business and entertainment. You can imagine the drain I put on my battey!

This accessory works great for all my needs. First of all I was thrilled that there wasn't the nasty popping noise that happened on my old JBL system. I can finally play my music (and now movies) without going into airplane mode. After reading the instructions I was also intrigued to find out that you can use this as a speaker phone. To my surprise it actually works pretty well as a speaker phone and I find myself on it typically in the mornings while trying to eat breakfast. Typically I'll be playing a podcast then get a call and it seamlessly transfers me onto it. Really great!

I think the best part of these little guys is the huge sound they produce. The other reviewers were dead on when they mentioned this. It's really something you've got to try for yourself. There's not much negative I can say about them, they do what they claim and more for a reasonable price. My only wish is that it could charge my iPhone! It's not that big of a deal because you can charge it while it's playing. But, if it could charge my iPhone it really would be the whole package.

Overall I'm glad I took the chance and purchased these speakers they are very neat and just what I was looking for.

Length:: 1:47 Mins

The Livespeaker Ultra-Portable Speaker System comes packaged in an attractive travel box and includes a cradle, USB charging cable, USB-to-AC wall charger and a nice travel bag that will protect it while not in use. The design is pretty cool but is a bit on the heavy side. This isn't something that you are going to carry around all the time but it's nice while playing music, video and games. The sound is pretty good for speakers that are so small. It will certainly sound much better and louder than the ipod touch built-in speaker. It is fully rechargeable and the battery lasts a long time. I like how you can swivel the position of your ipod and even extend the speakers for a better listening experience. For the price I think this is a very cool ipod accessory and makes your ipod much more fun.

I've been looking for a small enough speaker system for traveling for my iPhone for quite some time now and was hesitant at first to purchase b/c of it being a brand new product from a new company. However, I took the chance and it paid off!!! I love the livespeakR!!! It's so small and fits perfectly in my purse! You wouldn't believe how loud and clear these speakers are! I was honestly blown away by the sound quality coming out of such small speakers! It also comes with a velvet pouch which is also a plus! I would highly recommend the livespeakR to anyone!

My Livespeakr arrived only 2 days after I ordered UPS Ground, nice! The moment I pulled the Livspeakr from the brown Amazon box, I knew this was a step up from the various iPod/iPhone speaker systems I'd purchased in the past, and I've purchased several other models ranging from $49-$89. The Livespeakr packaging is very impressive, black cardboard, similar to something you'd expect from a big company like Apple. I've had the Livespeakr for a couple weeks now, and the box is still sitting here on my desk. I can't throw it away, because it's a pice of art unto itself, totally re-useable for travel storage and perhaps other uses. Additionally, the Livespeakr comes with a soft case for light travel. I un-boxed the Livespeakr, that's when I was even more impressed. This is a piece of beautifully engineered product. It's black and shiny, fits in your hand like an extension of your iPod/iPhone. The audio cable is tucked away in a trough in the iPod/iPhone holder. It twists into several shapes: storage-mode, portrait-mode, and landscape mode by twisting the iPod/iPhone carriage. It also includes a rechargeable battery with mini USB charging cable, which is fantastic. The price of the Livespeakr is offset by no more battery expenses, great! I charged it only once, and have been using it for nearly 2 weeks on a single charge. The only thing negative I can say about it, is that I wish it had an iPod dock connector, instead of having to connect the included audio lead and the iPod/iPhone power cable. When I turned the Livespeakr on, wow! The sound that comes out of this thing is LOUD and very clean. Bass response is extremely good for it's size and the price. I have been taking it to bed at night, and watching podcasts and movies in bed with it resting on my night stand. The fold-out stand on the Livespeakr lets you adjust the height and screen angle into many variations. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for high-quality iPod/iPhone speaker product with great sound!

I bought this based on the reviews saying that the speakers delivered great sound quality. I wanted something compact that I could use when I travel, and this unit is exactly that. Unfortunately the sound quality is pretty poor. For small hotel rooms it is fine, but if you are in a larger space don't expect much. I own two of the JBL docking units for my home and office, and these absolutley blow the LiveSpeakR away. For the price I would not buy this unit again...

First of all I want to point out that this doesn't work that well with iPhone 4. I couldn't find the answer to this question prior to ordering, though one reviewer did say it was compatible. It will fit in the cradle, but the iPhone 4 is a teeny tiny bit narrow than an iPod Touch or earlier iPhones, just enough to let it fall forward out of the cradle very easily. I was ok with this because we have several iPods and the cradle does indeed fit those perfectly. I do prefer to watch movies on my iPhone 4 because of the retina display, so I stuck a rubber band on the end to hold the phone in place. Tacky, but it works.

Other things you should know before making the purchase, you will have to remove the case from your iPhone/iPod. Don't even try to squeeze it in there. Not gonna happen. Also, the Livespeakr does not charge your device. I preferred to not have this feature, but a few people who didn't thoroughly read the description have been disappointed due to overlooking this fact.

Now for the good stuff. I really wanted a speaker that had a built in cradle. The cradle with this speaker has a unique feature you won't find in another speaker. Trust me, I've looked at them all! You can easily set the cord for either iPod or iPhone, as the headphone jacks for each are on different ends of the device. The real greatness, however, is in the rotating cradle. You can turn it to the right for storage, upright for music, and to the left to watch videos. When turned left in landscape mode, the speakers automatically widen to fit the width of the device so they are not behind it and being muffled because of it. I thought it was kind of gimmicky at first, but I really like this feature.

Next, although I feel the plastic is not high end, it is not cheaply made either. It feels very durable in my hands and I feel secure that my devices are safe. The stand is a very very heavy duty metal stand that adds both weight and stability to the speakers. A lot of the stands you find on these speakers are very cheap and flimsy. This stand will not break and it's not going to slip and drop your device either. Great stuff. It also has little rubbery pads on the bottom to prevent slipping. My only gripe is that though the stand has three adjustable height settings, the first one makes the whole unit very prone to tipping. The weight of my phone makes it such that just a tiny nudge on the unit will cause it to fall forward. But, I find the most comfortable setting is the third position and is the only one I use so no big deal.

The sound is pretty good, I have to say. I am a bit picky about audio quality but I'm not obsessed with having the absolute best sound from a device in this price range. I was expecting something that sounds good for 30 bucks and that's what I got. On high, the sound is pretty harsh and just sounds loud, not full. A bit below the highest volume and I think the sound is great for my needs. Enough to fill a room with music or to be loud enough to hear a podcast clearly on the other side of the room, which is exactly what I wanted. It is not a full, bassy sound, but it's good. No complaints.

As a final note, the speakers are compatible with more devices than just iPods and iPhones. My husband's Nexus One fits perfectly in the cradle thanks to the spring loaded support piece in the back that fills in any extra gap to form a snug fit for many devices. As long as the device is the same width as the iPod Touch, the thickness of the unit shouldn't matter and it should fit well. If only the iPhone 4 was a bit wider! But I can easily see many Android and Blackberry phones fitting in this cradle just fine.

I am very happy with my purchase and I'm glad I didn't spend the money on a more expensive set. With my lifestyle, I just wouldn't get as much use out of one of those fancier bulky speaker sets. I move around, and I needed speakers that can move around with me easily. I think for my money spent, I couldn't have gotten a better speaker. Highly recommended!

So ive been anxiously awaiting my Livespeakr as I have purchased two other portable speaker systems for my iPhone 3Gs and both gave me issues with feedback. The last set was a Jensen set ($20) and you get what you pay for plus an annoying clicking sound for some reason. I was concerned this system would not work well with my 3Gs because ive only seen one other reviewer mention that it did not work well with the 3Gs. I received my Livespeakr today and could not wait to hook it up, uncrated it from the cool box, set it up in all of 1 minute, hit play and viola.....great sound (for a mini system) and have played through 2 albums so far with great output, great quality. VERY COOL speakr system and happy with my purchase.

All three of us have pretty picky ears, and we all liked the sound quality. Keep in mind, this is a *small* unit. It is suitable for use in an office or kitchen, but not outdoors or in a big living room.

We ended up returning it because it is not compatible with iPod Nano. Which is too bad, because for a few pennies more they could have modified their plastic mounting plate to hold the Nano. Double sticky tape would work, but that was too funky for us.

The instructions are *terrible* ! They look nice, in color with good headings, but everything you need to know is missing. The plastic in the unit is lightweight (read: "flimsy") so you want to handle it g-e-n-t-l-y ! (Not good for kids who drop things.) But you have to use quite a bit of force to (1) open the stand, and (2) slide the speakers apart, and (3) remove the iPod mounting plate so you can reverse the direction of the audio cord. They don't even TELL you that you can reverse the direction of the cord, so it looks like you have to install your iPod upside down or backwards (see other reviewers who say this). So, without clear instructions, you are pretty sure you are about to break the thing, which we figured we would do, but it turns out that with six hands and three brains and 45 minutes, we manage to NOT break it, and figure it out. Mostly. The lack of instruction is a much bigger problem than most people would guess, on a product so simple. Pictures would have helped. A lot. One star, or zero stars, for instructions and ease of use.

The packaging is rather elegant. There is a small magnet in the box so you can use the box easily to safely transport the unit, or ship it again. It comes with a little protective bag, and a power cord, although they are hidden in the bottom and we nearly threw them out (again, no instructions). I think it is very compact for the sound quality. Good for a small apartment or college student, perhaps.

The unit will *NOT* charge your iPod, which is too bad, because they ALMOST have the right cables and adapters, but not quite. A little more thought, or maybe designed in the US (sorry!) and it would have been a great product.

Finally, there are a zillion iPod/nano/classic/1G/2G/3G/4G/5G/touch/iPhone models from Apple in use. The manufacturers or Amazon (hello!) should have a visual chart of which iPods will work, and WHICH ONES WILL NOT WORK. Nobody knows what they have. Like, for example,"2GB" on the back of your iPod does *NOT* mean it is "2G." Don't believe "universal" or "super" adapters. We want specifics.

I am very pleased with the unit. However, just like most things I buy, the instructions assume one can read the minds of the manufacturer. There was no mention of how to reverse the speaker cord, no mention that the charger light is red until the unit is charged, and, then, turns green, and no mention of how to set up the stand. Although I figured all the above out, it would have taken only a few minutes of the supplier to complete the instructions. I find that attitude disturbing considering the time that was spent engineering the unit so cleverly.

All that aside, I highly recommend the unit.

So far Ive owned the iLuv Portable Speaker for MP3 Players and iPod® - Black (iSP100BLK) and iHome iHM9 Portable Stereo System for iPod, iPhone, and MP3 Players (Black) and now my new LiveSpeakr. The iLuv is portable and gets just as loud as the LiveSpeakr, but it lacks the cradle which the other two have and at max volume the iLuv isnt as clear or crisp as the Livespeaker. The iHome is semiportable, kind of to large to tote in a pocket, it gives you the option to lay the device in landscape but it doesnt secure it and doesnt allow different angles like the Livespeakr and the thing I hate the most about the iHome is that it doesnt get anywhere near as loud as the Livespeakr. Now for the Livespeakr, it SECURELY cradles your phone, offers upright or landscape positions at multiple angles. It gets very loud for a speaker in this class and best part is it sounds pretty good. And to top it off, no batteries required, unlike the other two devices, Livespeakr has a built in rechargeable battery. If you are looking for loud sound, portability and the option to cradle your device, get the LIVESPEAKR!!!!!!!!!!!!