Customer Reviews

iHome iH31B Portable Boom Box for iPod & Shuffle with 6 FM Radio Presets

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

 

 

For those who are looking at this product in hopes to buy it to play for all iPod formats, please DISREGARD ANYTHING THAT SAYS "SHUFFLE" for it does NOT play any format (versions 1, 2, or 3) of the iPod Shuffle. What this company had failed to mention is that this plays "the iPod and Shuffle (via separate mp3 player cord without dock insert but includes dock inserts for literally every other form of iPod that we haven't mentioned in the above sentence, except the Shuffle of course)." So if you're buying this to play all forms of your iPod collection and thought that the fact that the Shuffle was mentioned in the very TITLE and FIRST SENTENCE of the product description, please ignore it and save your money! Don't buy this FM radio and iPod and Shuffle-LESS product! It's a shame that you must enter a rating, for I was quite pleased with leaving it at 0.

I purchased the iHome iH31B because I hate earphones which was the only way I could listen to the iPod nano my daughter gave me for my birthday. The sound is very good for a small boombox and it can run on AC, batteries or plugs into your car. My nano slipped right into the dock. After replacing the window and closing the cap, the iPod is completely inclosed. There are several adapters for different iPod styles included. The one thing that bothers me is the fault of the iPod, not the boombox: You must manually select the playlist you want to listen to before inserting the nano. The radio works as good or better than any other boombox radio I've ever used. I wish the remote control was included, but I can live without one (just more batteries to buy).

Overall a good boombox option for the $. Sound quality is OK with limited adjustment options. I do appreciate that the ipod is fully enclosed. My main complaint is that the player goes to sleep after fairly brief breaks in the music. If there is a slightly exagerated pause between tracks on your ipod, the boombox will nod out and then wake up after the next track starts causing you to miss the first second or so of music. Annoying but still a sturdy little boombox for the money.

I have had the iH31B for a couple of years. I use it when traveling, as an alternative to an FM transmitter. After doing a lot of reading, I decided that I didn't want to spend the money on a transmitter, as there were too many complaints about hassles getting a good signal. I stumbled across this product in a Bed, Bath and Beyond store, and what immediately interested me was the car charger. Here was a way for me to play my iPod in my car and not run down the battery of either the boombox or the iPod. The sound was surprisingly good for a very simple boombox. Not brilliant, but very acceptable for what it is. I have since found all of the iHome products to have pretty good sound for the price. The product is compact, lightweight and simple to use. The radio works fine, though I don't really use it.

I recently purchased a new Nano 4G from Amazon (fast service, best price), and was disappointed to understand that it would play but wouldn't charge in the iH31B because of the plug/voltage change in Apple's newer products. I was ready to purchase another portable dock, but none of them come with car chargers - I couldn't really get a replacement for what I actually use the iHome for. Fortunately I was pointed in the direction of the Scosche PassPort adapter (Amazon also has by far the cheapest price and I received it in 3 days), and I can still use the IH31B with the 4G nano, or the 2nd gen iTouch.

The product description says this works with ALL iPods, however it does not work with my 2nd generation iPod Touch. It was so frustrating when I got it because nowhere in the description above or in the manual did it say it didn't work with the Touch. But the manual very clearly read it doesn't work with 3G iPods (whatever that means). I thought that was bad marketing since the description above does not state this, either.

I tried all the inserts, read the manual front to back and couldn't understand why the touch wouldn't play or charge. Frustrated, I called the VCT customer support who then informed me that this "older product" wouldn't work with a newer iPod product like the touch. BUYER BEWARE! Based on earlier reviews, it appears it's not clear at all as to what iPods this will work with and what iPods it won't.

I immediately packed it up and sent it back to VCT, who refunded all but the 15% restocking fee. So apparently I had to pay 15% of the price plus return shipping just to find out it won't work with the touch. DO NOT order this if you have an iPod Touch! And honestly, based on my experience and other reviews posted, I don't think I'll order anything iHome again! This item was totally misrepresented!