Customer Reviews

Logitech Portable Speaker S125i with Built-in iPod Dock

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Ok, lets get something out of the way right off the bat: These are not big speakers. Say that to yourself before buying them. They can not compete with bigger speakers.

Now, that we have established that, My wife had been looking for something small that she could carry around the house to listen to her ipod. These are very convenient. While I would consider myself a little more of an audiophile then the average person, i have to say that these aren't bad for what they are. They aren't going to replace a bigger better choice, but they aren't meant to do that.

I like to plug my iphone in and listen to music while taking a shower. Even though these aren't officially iphone approved, they worked just fine. You get the little nag message about they aren't designed to work with the iphone (blah blah blah), just click no and then listen to your tunes. It even charged my phone while listening.

The bass buttun does add a little more punch. You can also put batteries in this to use it on the go. Since we haven't tried that I have no idea how long the batteries last nor if it charges you iphone/ipod while on batteries.

Finally, these are pretty inexpensive. So for the money they are a great option to get decent audio from your ipod.

Spending much time on the road as a defense contractor - I always have luggage weight and space issues in whatever I carry wherever I go. Earbuds are not always the answer to my iPod music or game needs and I can always use another way to charge my two iPod units. These unalterable criteria brought me grief with a series of junk units that expired in a puff of smoke or couldn't stand up to my travels, airline luggage handlers or Army power generators. More expensive units are a security issue I'd rather not tempt fate with.

So far so good with this Logitech unit. It fills my government per diem rate motel rooms with enough quality noise to keep me cozy and sane. My iPod Touch and older 20mb iPod photo fit well enough into the charging slot to stay secure - charge the units and play music and games.

The battery power feature enables me to take the unit to the field - off the power grid - with my rechargable AAs. The light weight and compact size fits well into my backpack - leaving space and weight for more important things.

Sound quality is ACCEPTABLE. This opinion on sound quality differs for all of us in so many ways. Would I like more and better features?? - well - certainly ... but the portability (weight and compactness), alternate battery power, and iPod recharging were my purchase criteria.

Each of us has different needs and tastes - so my recommendation goes only as far as my own experiences.

I've owned the inMotion iM600 for a couple of years. It's a capable unit, but I wasn't completely satisfied, so I tried the Logitech S125i. Here's a comparison of the two units.

Sound quality - about the same.

Ease of use - One of my gripes about the inMotion unit is that it's very difficult to dock with my 2nd generation Ipod Touch. It does dock, but I have to fiddle with it to get it seated properly. The Logitech seats quickly without any problems.

Compatibility - The iMotion does not charge my Touch, the Logitech does.

Form Factor - The inMotion folds up and seems more solid. The Logitech is lighter and smaller.

Extras - The inMotion has FM radio and a remote (although I never have used the remote, since it won't charge my Touch I have to wonder if the remote would work). The Logitech does not.

Cost - The Logitech unit is $25.00 cheaper.

Overall - Even though the inMotion unit has extra features, I prefer the Logitech unit for its simplicity and compatibility with my Ipod Touch.

These speakers are made of plastic and light weight materials so when I opened the box I have to admit that I didn't expect much in the way of sound. But I was pleasantly surprised, especially when turning up the bass boost button. I listened to these first in a large family room/kitchen combination. I set my iPod Touch 2G in the slot on top and turned up the sound. I couldn't believe such nice clear sound was coming out of these little speakers. They filled the space, even in that big room, very nicely. They aren't high end stereo speakers but they do have great sound for their size. I turned the volume up way louder than I'd normally want to listen to it without noticing any distortion. I listened first to some rock, then to Passione and after that to Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 "Organ"; Dukas: L'Apprenti Sorcier (The Sorcerer's Apprentice). I normally wouldn't listen to classical music on such a small unit, but I wanted to see how it compared to other speakers I've used. It was actually pretty darn good.

I also tried these speakers with an iPod Nano and with an old 2G iPod. All of them fit and there was a little plastic adapter you can use if you like. There is also standard 3.5mm stereo jack input on the back so you could connect any other type of music player that uses that type of jack. This is a pretty basic player. It plays the music and charges your iPod. You can turn it off or on, change the volume and adjust the bass. The one thing it could have used is a remote control but since it's actually meant to be more of a desktop or counter unit I suppose it isn't really needed. Still, it would have been a nice addition. You can run it on 4 AA batteries or plug it into the wall with the included power adapter.

This would be great for traveling, to use in a hotel room since it weighs less than a pound and would easily tuck into even the most overstuffed suitcase. It would be a huge improvement over trying to listen to music on a laptop. I've already used it in the backyard and in the garage when I was out there doing some work. It meets all of my needs for this type of player: small and light, portable, battery or AC powered, charges my iPod and has very good sound. I've always thought of Logitech for computer mice and keyboards but after listening to some of their speakers and earphones I'm finding that this is a go-to brand for affordable sound equipment.

Pros:

1) Portability. It's pretty small, and would work well if you wanted something to travel with.

Also, it looks good. It's not clunky, and sits in my bathroom using minimal shelf space.

2) Charging ability. I also have an Altec ipod speaker,which I like for travel (it's smaller than this one) but it doesn't charge. I find that every iPod I've bought loses it's life gradually as the months go by. I'm 9 months into my iPod touch, and I need to charge it nightly. So, for overnight trips, this speaker is useful because it plugs in. It also runs on batteries if you don't want a cord, which is nice.

Cons:

1) Really, only one, and it's the most important one. The sound. I'm no audiophile, but I know crappy sound quality when I hear it. The music is kinda tinny. Also, the volume doesn't go nearly high enough to really fill a room (which is one reason I keep it in my bathroom). Yet, even in my bathroom, when the shower is on, I can't hear the music that well, and it doesn't sound that good. For this reason, I generally only listen to spoken work on it (mostly podcasts) because I don't care that much about music quality if I'm just listening to someone speaking.

Ultimately, if you're looking for a small, compact speaker, I'd go with the Altec, especially if you want better sound. But if you need something small, and you need it to charge too, then this one will do, providing you aren't that concerned with sound quality.

I purchased this unit just before taking a trip. I thought it would be a welcome thing to have a dock that would charge my IPod and provide music in my hotel room. The battery option didn't hurt either, as I figured I could use it outside on my front porch.

When it arrived and I saw how tiny it was I thought, "This thing isn't going to be worth what I spent." Never judge a book by its cover! When I first turned it on I thought I was right, but once I found the bass boost button I realized, wow, this thing sounds great for how tiny it is!

My only problem was at first I had a problem when I couldnt' get my IPod to dock propperly, but once I got that figured out it's been smooth sailing ever since. The unit provided hours of music during my vacation as well as kept my IPod charged. And the other night I put batteries in it and had a portible yet good sounding way to enjoy music on my porch without having to use headphones.

Overall, I am very pleased with my purchase! If you're looking for a decent sounding and compact dock for your IPod I highly recommend this product!

Note: I am using an IPod nano 4th gen with this unit. I've also used the line in feature, which works flawlessly.

Although I own other iPod speakers, I find this is the one I'm using all the time now. It doesn't have the audiophile quality of the $300 Bose, to be sure, but I don't expect that in a $70 speaker. What it does have is good sound that can fill a large room, in a super-convenient small size. Some reviewers have faulted it for not having a remote, but it's so small that I can set it down anywhere, well within reach, so I find no need for a remote. The bass boost really pumps up the bass, so much so, in fact, that I find I don't need it, especially when I take time to adjust the EQ on my iPod.

I tried my 120GB iPod classic in it, as well as a 1st and a 2nd generation iPod Touch, and they all fit neatly and snugly into the slot. It charges the iPod while it's plugged in, which is another big plus in my multi iPod home. It runs on 4 AA batteries, making it extremely portable, or on an included AC adapter.

I love the simplicity of it. Just put the iPod in the slot and turn it on--your music plays while your iPod charges. Easy!

The Logitech Portable Speaker S125i is a very nice product. I didn't know what to expect. When I took the speaker out of the box, it looked a little cheap and toy-like. But when I connected my iPod Classic 120GB to it, I was pleasantly surprised. I thought I would get a low, tinny sound. What I got instead was sound that was loud with plenty of bass. I'm not sure what some people were talking about when they said that there's not enough bass. To my ears, there's plenty and I'm one of those people who finds that kind of thing extremely important. I've returned audio equipment because it was lacking in that department.

There is a small button in the front where you can add even more bass but I never use it because I don't need to.

My iPod 120GB(6th Generation) fits securely onto the connector without any danger of it being knocked off the speaker. I even tried connecting my old iPod Photo 20GB(4th Generation) which is a bit thicker than my newer iPod. That fits fine as well.

There's an attachment surrounding the dock connect, where the iPod sits, that pulls out to accommodate larger sized iPods.

You don't have to just use the speaker with iPods. You can also hook up another type of mp3 player via the 3.5mm Aux In port. I like that you can use the speaker with batteries and you can also plug it in via the A/C adapter. While the speaker is plugged in, it charges your iPod. Besides the great sound, that's one of the best features.

The only thing is I wish the speaker came with a remote. But that's not a deal breaker. This is a very good speaker for any portal audio device.

I use my iPhone on these speakers and for the most part they work great (especially for the price). However, sometimes it gets touchy and won't play through the speakers when I plug it in. It usually only takes one time of pulling it off and putting it back on again for it to work, though.

It's nice that it comes with a small insert to go on the adapter in case you do or don't have a case on your iPhone.

Volume can get quite loud and the bass boost is a nice touch.

I bought this to connect to a Sansa mp3 player so I could listen to light music while reading. The maximum volume is low, even for a portable speaker. Bass boost is negligible. I would not recommend this product. I am a fan of Logitech otherwise having Logitech headset, keyboard, mouse and webcam.