Customer Reviews

Sony AIR-SA20PK S-AirPlay Digital Wireless Speaker System for iPod (Black)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I had high hopes for this product --- needed a way to put sound throughout my small house and functionality seemed great (the ability to use different modes in different rooms, ability to use remote with each of the speaker units to control the ipod, etc.) Unfortunately, it did not work as well as hoped.
The base and speakers had a hard time talking to each other, and they were only 50-60 ft apart and in a relatively unobstructed path. Had to move the base closer and align the speaker so that it was in a more direct visual view. Still, with people in the room it would fade in and out. Not sure if this is because I have wireless internet in the house, which the manual says might interfere, but who that would be looking for wireless speakers doesn't have wireless internet??
The sound quality is very good. Not quite as good as my Bose docking station, but I was pleasantly surprised. The other big downside for me with the sound, however, and the last straw that prompted me to return the product, is the volume level. The highest setting is not all that loud. Fine if you are in the same room... but sometimes I would crank up the volume on my Bose docking station and listen to the music in other rooms or outside ... can't really do this with the Sony.

I recently purchased this item at shop nbc for $165. It is a good deal for that amount. For the $400 that is was originally it would not have been worth it. I would have rated this item a 3.5 star. It is good. Unlike some others who have had signal problems, I have not experienced those issues. I live in a house that has wifi, the wii and laptops. I placed one unit up stairs an the other one downstairs (the base is downstairs) and the system plays well. I did not like the quality of the base units and the speaker remotes, they seem like toys, I don't know what sony was thinking. The sound quality is pretty good though it could be louder. Overall I would recommend this product.

I have been looking that this for a while and actually got a hands on demo at CES. I did not buy from Amazon as Circuit City had piles of them at a much better price :¬). I like the product, very easy setup, great sound. The fastest way to a house full of music. All products like this work much better if you create a few playlists as you will have limited ability to browse music from the remote speaker.

I have several different generation iPods and it generally worked, but did not charge my old iPod Mini (not surprised) and would not show artist and song info from the really old iPods (also not surprised).

The Sony S-Air does not support the 3rd generatoin ipod Touch. This is why some users have no problem and some (like me) spend hours getting frustrated. I will be returning, Sony needs to update.
If you just want to play your own library from an iPod, it is great and easy to use.

Overall this is a great cost effective product for distributing music throughout your home. It is simple to setup and use and sounds pretty good however not great, I would give it a 7 out of 10. The base unit has a small elegant profile as do the speakers. I have one set of speakers on the second floor approximately 25 feet from the base located on the first floor. I have had no issues with range however I do live in a rural area. I do have two wireless networks in my home one for work and one for the family and a wireless print server. I would like to see more features made available from the remote stations like shuffle, ability to scroll through play lists. After an extensive search for a cost effective wireless system I am confident we made the correct choice this system provides good sound and is simple to setup and use.

After an extensive search, and one failed attempt to purchase JBL wireless speakers that still had a wire between them, I finally found what I was looking for in the Sony system. My iPod hooks right up to the base, and I have two speakers in different rooms that put out fantastic sound. Seriously, the sound is good and the volume is what I was hoping for. With the base and two speakers I have three remotes, which is excessive, except for when I lose one and need a replacement. I use the iPod feature only, so I can't comment on AM/FM radio quality. The only complaint I have is the glossy base unit shows fingerprints and looks a little dirty over time. I could clean it, but I am lazy. FYI, I use the system with my old 30gb iPod (before video), and have also tested with my newer iPod Nano with video. Both work great, though it is a little tough to swap out the different iPod adapters. Overall, I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for tru wireless speaker system for an iPod.

Quick and smooth delivery from Worldwide Distributors.

Pros: Easy to setup, good wireless range as I have one unit upstairs, far from base and I've not had a problem in more than a month of use. Remote is adeuqate. Remote speaker quality is decent, not the really light kind of speaker.

Cons: Sound isn't great as the bass is a bit muddled but it's acceptable given the price. Not able to switch playlists with the remote. You have to do this by walking back to the ipod that's attached to the base unit.

I didn't know that the system also had AM/FM radio which is handy to have.

The sound quality is good, what you'd expect from sony. It's easy to set up and use. It does work with with an iphone 3g. The downside--- if you hook speakers up to the home dock it won't play the radio. On all of the other receivers you can choose to play radio or ipod but if you hook it up to your current stereo or speakers then you can only play ipod out of the home unit. Would be nice if you could hook up headphone style jack and or audio in to the home unit as well to play other forms of audio (eg non ipod units or a laptop or movie audio). Also the additional receivers are rather pricey when you size them up or another way to put it is you get a good deal when you buy the set. With all of that said it's a fine product and I'm glad I bought it.

I was looking for a wireless speaker system and thought this might be the one. No so. Sony gets points for making this very easy to set up with quick-start instructions and a very intuitive system. They lose big time on execution though. Even though the satellite speakers could identify the signal, they continued to search. I tried the pairing function, but even that did not lock the speakers onto the signal. The result was a system that plays about twenty seconds of my selected audio, cuts out for a few seconds to search elsewhere, and then comes back to my audio.

Dismayed, I set up the two speakers right next to the central system. I turned off and unplugged every electrical device in a 25 foot radius. Again I went through the pairing function. The sound improved slightly; now it only cut out every 22 seconds.

I can't live with that, certainly not for over $100. This is a pretty big disappointment. It's going back to Amazon.

Pros:

- Modern look
- Easy docking
- Wireless speakers
- Great sound
- ITS SONY :)
- You can add multiple wireless speakers

Cons:

- Syncing can be annoying
- Too many controllers

Summary: GET IT.

Like the title says, I love it! Everyone always compliments the look and the sound.


Phil Dizon