Customer Reviews

iHome iP1 Studio Series Speaker System for iPod and iPhone (Black)

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I think this system is one of the best, if not the best, sound systems available for iPhone/iPod considering its cost and sound quality. A similar Bose system cost about $400. Yet, IP1 fails in few areas, mainly some basic design areas and secondly sound fine tuning.


Good:
-Cost is lesser than similar Bose
-Good sized remote easily controls iPhones or iPod.
-Sound quality is not bad, actually very clean.
-iPhone or iTouch, once docked, lays its back to the device, getting a good support from IP1s plexi-glass surface, preventing accidental breaking of the connection. Bose does not have this advantage.
-Design is appealing to some as it is a bit different (based on personal preference), some likes boxy, minimalist design, like my self.

Bad:
-Yes it sounds nice, but no matter how much you lower the treble, it still sounds high on treble, even with the extra bass.
-No, it does not sound high enough to tremble the room, the volume is in lower end, may be this is good to prevent over load on the speakers.
-The infamous "power brick", which is separate piece than the system is almost three time bigger than an average laptop power brick. It requires extra attention to place into a proper location so it won't be visible. iHome should have designed better brick, AppleTV has some lessons on this area.
-Design is a bit un-minimalistic for my taste. System's design makes it difficult to safely place it or carry it around. You may need to place this in place and leave it there. To much curves/corners. iHome would better box this into a nice quality plastic container for practical purposes.

Conclusion:
- Yes, I would recommend this system to anyone who is looking for a moderately quality sound system with good price. It is well worth to pay around $230 for this system. However, do not expect miracles, and forget about being mobile with this, even in the house.
-I congratulate iHome folks to initiate this type of system, I am hoping they will improve on this in design and sound area. They are almost there. With an inclusion wi-fi radio system, iHome may come up a better product that may crush all the other new music systems out there.

TIPS:

1- You can install the "Shoutcast" app to your iPhone and stream thousands internet radios just like a wi-fi radio, now, you have a wi-fi radio as well.

2- Or, better, you can buy an Airport Express for $99.
Connect it to music system with its 3.5mm connection,
Configure it to connect to your Mac or PC's iTunes application
Play the music you like on your Mac or PC with iTunes application to have the music streamed into the Air port Express which puts it to any sound system.

3- Even, better, (yes it gets better ) you can also install "Remote" application from app store into your iPhone or Touch which controls your iTunes player on your Mac or PC.
In turn, wherever you are in your house, you control your music with iPhone via Remote app (like a remote control, but seeing entire iTunes library on your iPhone/Touch) through wi-fi network, streaming the music into the any stereo via AirPort Express.
Would that work for you?

I've been looking for a replacement for my admittedly unloved Logitech Pure-Fi Elite for some time. Found the iP1 at a certain well-known warehouse chain for a great price due to an instant discount promotion, but also saw the intriguing Panasonic SC-HC3 alongside it on the shelf. Decided to buy both and have a shoot-out testing session at home, with the loser going back to the store. Not a true apples-to-apples comparison, since the SC-HC3 is really more a compact stereo than dedicated speaker setup, but since I was primarily after was great sound quality in a package that had some style and 'look at me' presence, there was considerable leeway on my part in rooting for the iHome unit.

Unfortunately for the iP1, the SC-HC3 does sound exceptionally well also. In fact, to my ears even better than what the iP1 is capable of. It also has good looks, too. The iP1's frequency range is pretty good, with decent and relatively convincing midbass performance for the size drivers it has onboard. Mids and highs are present, but I found that they seemed conspicuously muted with passages that I know shouldn't be that way when listened to on other equipment and setups. I used my 2G Touch as the source iPod, and used lossless WAV files across several musical genres; the iP1 is certainly the best-sounding iHome unit I've ever experienced, and the best-looking to my tastes as well. But I found the abrupt crossover from mid/woofer to tweeter too noticeable and rather irritating to listen to over time (on my unit this was really apparent with the right channel), and there wasn't much in the way of depth or image to its sound at all, not that I was holding out much hope considering that the respective drivers for each channel are mounted less than a foot apart from one another. But in the end it was the balance of the sound across the frequency range that bugged me the most.

In usage I found that I preferred using the iP1's digital processing circuitry over leaving it off and presumably neutral; it brought a liveliness and level of resonance to the audio that made the unboosted output seem bland, inconsequential and haphazard, which is actually contrary to how I usually like my music with other equipment that offer similar forms of 'tarting'. Simply stated, overall I found the iP1's sonic presentation decent, but just not as accurate as I would normally prefer. The imbalance I felt with midrange and high frequency output and the harsh crossover point from the midrange/woofer to tweeter introduced too much distracting characteristics to the sound, and the lack of depth when compared to the Panasonic's sonic performance put the iP1 at a distinct disadvantage to my ears.

From an aesthetic view, the broadbrush overview of the iP1 makes it look a winner that cater to my design preferences, but even here there are quirks as well. The power supply is external and is the poster child of the prodigal power 'brick'; it's about as big as the one that Microsoft supplies with the Xbox 360, and is cumbersome to place, conceal and plan around when locating the iP1 in the intended resting spot I had in mind for it...just like I experienced and loathed with the old Pure-Fi Elite I was so intent on replacing. In fact it's probably worse since the iP1 is see-through.

The smoked acrylic front face and the general finish of the speaker drivers is minimalist stylish in my mind's eye (though my wife hated it), but the materials used on the dock tray fascia and control surfaces seemed a bit low end in comparison. The overall effect is entrancing, but this design would've really been fantastic had iHome used tempered glass and metal on the remaining plastic surfaces, but I suspect the $300 list price would be a fair bit higher as a result. From the rear, the housings for the speaker drivers and miscellaneous electronics also seemed a bit on the cheap side as well, though in truth all they do is sit in the background since they're primarily viewed through the main acrylic face panel. There were a couple of fascia treatment options for the midrange/woofer driver supplied: the metal mesh grilles come pre-installed from iHome, with separate plastic bezel trim rings also included that give the iP1 owner the choice to expose the mid/woofer speaker driver. Since the grilles are supposedly acoustically neutral, the trim ring accessory would only be used as an aesthetic preference. Personally, I think the grilles work better from a visual standpoint, since the tweeters also are sheathed with a similar mesh that isn't removable.

In the end, the iHome iP1 lost my impromptu shoot-out with the Panasonic SC-HC3. The added features of the Panasonic (AM/FM, CD player, clock) along with its Bang & Olufsen-esque styling and its far cheaper price--even with the instant discount on the iP1 at the time of purchase, the iP1 is almost 50% more expensive than the SC-HC3--simply outshone the stylish iHome unit and underscored the value aspect in this comparison. And in these tough economic times, that last point alone makes the one-trick pony iP1 a harder horse to ride. Couple the Panasonic's ability to provide me with superior and pleasing audio performance (your own mileage may vary, however), it was clear to me which of the two was going back to the store.

I think that the iP1 is a good first effort by iHome at trying to reach into the higher-quality segment of the iPod speaker/dock market that others like Bose and Klipsch play in, but for me the expertise and know-how of old-school manufacturer Panasonic won out on this day. Maybe next time, iHome.

I had purchased the Vers 2.0 cherry wood cabinet product to use with my iPhone 3G, but after multiple issues, I decided to return it and invest more and buy a better product. Just before I spent double the cost of the Vers product to buy the Bose SoundDock I started seeing the abundant advertising for the new iHome iP1 Studio Series. It looked downright cool and amazingly well designed. After reading the specifications, I took a chance and opted not to go with the Bose.

When the iHome unit arrived, I was surprised how heavy the box was. (It's hard to build a great sounding speaker without a solid cabinet and large magnets at the base of the speaker cones, all of which weigh a lot.) When I opened the box, I was even more surprised how beautifully designed the unit was. It is minimalist elegance. I highly recommend this iHome product. I have sold audio equipment over the years, so it's difficult to impress me. I am impressed.

The only thing that iHome could do to improve this product would be to give the remote control backlit buttons or add texture so you can operate it in the dark. I use this in my bedroom and want to be able to control the volume or change the song without turning on the bedside lamp. If they offered an upgraded remote, I would buy it.

Bottom line? You won't be disappointed in this product. I highly recommend it!

The only competitor for this item was the Bose® SoundDock® Series II digital music system for iPod® - Black. In a nutshell, the iHome iP1 did better. The iP1 has "brighter" sound, which works well for people who like to listen to soft music or music at lower volumes. I had to put the store employees, as well as my family through a half hour listening tests with several songs. The only thing the Bose was better at was size. So the iP1 is bulkier, but with slightly better sound , and a far better remote control. Being a fan of usability, this was a deal killer for me. I am able to switch between playlists, change bass and treble settings, and scrub through the menu, as compared to only playing and changing volume on the Bose. Since this speaker is in our kitchen and living area - there is a lot of action and need for changing the listening preferences so it suits the current environment. Without this feature, the speaker would just not have gotten used.

Delivers exceptional sounds, making mp3's of almost any bitrate sound better than they ever did before. Also, the sound quality of any radio station apps is dramatically improved, even talk. On top of that, the design can only be summed up as modern, minimalist elegance. Have had no technical issues whatsoever and have owned the unit for several weeks, so can only assume the previous reviewer is dealing with a rare manufacturing defect, or did something to break the unit himself. For me, absolutely flawless piece of stereo equipment that has increased my enjoyment of my iPod Touch several times over, and is being offered at an absolutely unbeatable price by Amazon.

I've only had it a few days, but I'm very pleasantly surprised. Not only is it well built, but they knocked it out of the park with the design. None of this would matter if it didn't sound good, and it sounds fantastic. It's been years since I've bought a 'shelf system' and after a month or so of research I finally decided to buy it - mission accomplished!

I was happy with the sound quality of this speaker system, but after 3-5 minutes of listening the volume decrease button would automatically start to blink and the volume would turn down to zero. When trying to increase the volume, the decrease button would continue to turn volume down. Almost as if there was a ghost in the room that didn't like my music!

I bought this speaker system after listening to the Bose Sound Dock. I would have to say this is comparable sound if not better. It s a bit on the big side so it does take up a lot of room on a book shelf. it is compatible with the iPhone 3G and iPod Touch 2nd Generation. No matter what the volume, you get 0 distortion and a full range of perfect tone. You have to hear it to believe it.

Let me start out by saying that I've tried two of these iP1 players. The first one was purchased from an Amazon Marketplace third-party vendor and returned as defective. The replacement unit was purchased directly from Amazon, but very unfortunately had the exact same defect as the original one.

I had high expectations for this player, having read glowing reviews in many places (iLounge among them) and was anxious to use my amalgamated Christmas money to purchase it.

Upon removing it from the box, it was every bit as visually striking as I'd expected and while I would not have purchased it based solely on its appearance, its striking design was a major plus for me. I set it up properly and set my 160GB classic black iPod into it's dock. iHome's placement of the iPod adds to the unit's beauty and the threaded "nub" behind it to control the correct placement of the iPod on the dock without the need for adapters is an excellent touch.

Unfortunately, that's where the glowing review ends...

I randomly selected a track, expecting the best, but was immediately aware of something wrong with the left speakers. There was a very noticeable static-like hiss accompanied by distortion. Assuming the iPod wasn't seated properly, I turned the iP1 off, checking the iPod and turned it back on again, but the problem was still there. I checked the power supply to be sure it was connected properly and, thinking there was maybe an unknown problem with my iPod, got another older iPod and a nearly new iPod touch. I shut down the iP1 and tried each of these other iPods, but the distortion was equally as bad with these. Quiet music (I tried some classical) seemed to suffer the most, but the distortion was evident and disturbing with every type of music I tried it with, from acoustic to classic rock.

The iP1 has a DPS button that enhances the sound. I though that might have been the problem, so I turned that function off. This cuts the volume in about half, so I increased the volume, but the distortion was every bit as noticeable with the DPS turned off.

I resigned myself to the fact that I'd received a bad unit, arranged for a return and bought a replacement iP1 directly from Amazon at a higher cost. The replacement arrived very quickly and I anxiously set everything up, only to have my hopes dashed by the same hiss and distortion in the left speaker(s) as the original unit. Once again, I tried it with the two other iPods. I also tried both units using an audio line in jack (bypassing the dock completely, in case that was the problem), but the results were the same. (I should also note that I have an older Altec Lansing IM7 in which all three iPods sound great).

At this point, I decided to contact iHome directly through a support form on their website, explaining the situation and hoping they'd have some remedy or explanation. After a couple of days of not hearing back, I also sent them a tweet hoping that might get their attention. I still haven't heard back at all from iHome. I've just returned the second defective unit to Amazon and based on this experience, I'd have to say I would never purchase another iHome product. It's too bad, because the iP1 seemed to have everything I wanted. The fact that I received two of what I assume are defective units from two different sources doesn't speak well for their quality control and their lack of response is just inferior customer service.

After reading tons of reviews here and at CNET, I decided on this as my second iPOD docking station. I always shop at Amazon first, and usually last, for almost everything. As many others have previously stated, it may depend on the type of music you listen to. I don't listen to jazz, classical, or much acoustic. I do listen to alternative, 80's, punk, rock, electronic, and this system is definitely the way to go for all of the above and then some in my opinion. Even on soft acoustic guitar alternative rock, the sound is much better than I could have thought possible for a docking station. Throw on your favorite Siouxsie, Cabaret Voltaire, Death in June, Nouvelle Vague, or even Kraftwerk, I know you will be impressed.

My other station is a Klipsch which has served me well, and in the $100 range is still a great buy. The bass and highs are far superior on the iHome however, and the mid range is not lacking much, if any. It can really crank without distorting, enough to fill my living room/dining room combination, the largest room in my house. Unless you want to spend a whole lot more, I think this is the best station in the mid $200 range. I liked it so much I bought a new Nano to increase my library and maximize the sound quality of this system. I have a pretty nice home stereo already, but I've listened to the iHOME almost non-stop since it came out of the box.