Customer Reviews

iHome iHM77 Rechargeable Mini Speakers for iPod (Black)

5 star:		(122)
4 star:		(50)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

Length:: 5:33 Mins

i make music for a living, and i have a music system in every room of the house...i have also owned a dozen different types of portable active speakers.....but, these iHOME speakers are awesome!.....crystal clear.....a very innovative portable design.....and, after using them for a week at a time, i will plug them in (even though they don't need charging) and they take maybe fifteen minutes to charge up....sometimes in the middle of the night, i will put one of these on each shoulder and lie in bed listening to my ipod.....and they have become my low-fi test speakers when we mix in the studio.....

I bought these speakers primarily for use when I travel; I like listening to music, but hate being tied to a set of headphones in a hotel room. Based on the pictures / description I had expected a baked-bean can-sized set of speakers that provided decent clarity at low volumes. I was wrong!

Upon opening the packaging, I shocked by the diminutive size of the speakers -- they're about the of two golf balls stuck together! I've only had them a few days, but the they seems as though they were built to last.

Sound quality is great for my listening preferences. I typically use these with my Apple iPod classic 80 GB Black (6th Generation), and there is minimal (but noticeable) distortion as you approach the higher end of the volume.

My only real complaint is the integrated speaker wire. While it is handy to have the one wire for charging and sending signal through the wires, having the USB plug dangling when not in use is a bit clunky... but this is admittedly more of an aesthetic preference than a performance issue.

[UPDATED 11/24/2009] About a month ago I set these speakers up only to find that one is inoperable. I was quite happy with the sound quality, but am less than impressed with a product that dies within a year of purchase. Scaling back a few stars accordingly.]

PROS:
Sound Quality (at mid-range volumes)
Li-Ion battery
Size / Transportability
Material Quality

CONS:
Integrated input / charging wire
Sound Quality (slightly tinny at HIGHER volume settings)

I have Bose computer speakers and they don't sound any better than these ones. The only reason I gave it 4/5 is because the cord between the two speakers is short enough to surround a 13" MacBook. Maybe a 15" if pulled tightly. But as far as performance is concerned they're amazing. It was a pleasant surprise to see that they come with a nice pouch to keep them in it when they're not being used. Go ahead and buy them. You won't regret it.

Pictures belie how small and light they are with quite good sound. (8 or 9 years ago I purchased another very small "stereo" speaker unit [Creative Travel Sound] with front facing speakers with its own volume control and bass boost which I like, but 4 "AAA's" lasted only about 16-18 hours.) The bass on these is a bit weak and they did crack a little on a few Manheim and Trans-Siberian tracks. That's why they got a 4 from me. Their rechargeable batteries are a big plus. They're an innovative design and well worth getting.

When looking at the pictures of these and not reading the dimensions.....WOW they are small. Do they have a great sound. I had them on at work and a friend walked by and said "All that sound from those little things?" Great speakers I would recommend them to anyone

The product works great... The speakers are very small but they have plenty of volume and also have a good battery life. I use it with the iPod shuffle around the house and outside. It would be good to be able to plug it into the wall instead of computer USB only... I have a USB to wall converter that I use though. (not included)

IHOME Recharageable Mini Speakers vs Altec Lansing Orbit

Summary: Get the Orbit (sounds way better)

I bought the altec lansing orbit mini speaker after reading all of it's reviews. I initially decided I wanted the orbit over the ihome speakers because of the fact that it uses AAA batteries (this is convenient when your on the go, in the mountains, and cant charge the speakers). The sound on the orbit is good but after a while I started seeing these IHOME speakers pop up everywhere, even saw them in the Apple store and I started wondering about them.

I tried doing a google search for a "versus" review of the two mini speakers but found nothing so I decided to do my own review. I went to the apple store just 15 minutes ago, picked up some of these IHOME Mini speakers and they are playing right now as we speak.

IHOME Review: (pros and cons mixed together)

1.) The humm that people have complained about while charging isn't bad assuming your listen to your music at a mid-range level. (If you listen to your music really quiet then it may be an issue - it sounds like static on the radio)

2.)The cords are kind of a pain in the butt and if you lost them you would have two useless pods that do nothing but look cool (i dont like this due to the fact that I loose cables easily).

3.)They are slightly smaller than the orbit but not significantly.

4.)They feel pretty well built and the blue LED's add a nice touch.

5.)They put out 0 bass (dont be fooled)

6.)The sound is not bad but in comparison to the Orbit they come no where near.

7.)They are almost twice the price of the orbit


Altec Lansing Orbit Review:

1.) Lets just start off by saying they sound way better than the IHOME speakers - it is a single speaker setup with a larger enclosure and a slightly larger speaker so the sound is fuller and deeper.

2.) Well built - both speaker systems tie here

3.) Slightly larger than the IHOME speakers but nothing significant

4.) Chord is built in so I wont loose it (even though it is fairly short which is somewhat of a pain but it works)

5.) You can pick one up for over half the price of the IHOME

6.) I have had mine for a week now, playing music at medium - high levels and on a few occasions I forgot to turn it off, leaving it on for a few hours. I am still on the same 3 AAA's that I put in a week ago and the sound keeps coming on strong.

7.) This is the only point where the IHOME win's over the Orbit - the batteries - AAA's are not cheap and doing a long term cost analysis of the two, even though the orbit is cheaper - the batteries will add up over time BUT for how long they have lasted me, I dont see my self going through more than 12 AAA's a year so this is a relatively small expense - something better will probably be out in a year anyways.

8.) Did I mention that the orbit sounds way better than the IHOME spearkers???

I plan on returning the IHOME's back to the apple store tomorrow now that I have had the opportunity to do the comparison - they are a cool idea but just dont sound as good as the competeition.




Altec Lansing iM-237 Orbit Ultraportable Speaker for MP3 Players (Silver)

-For speakers this size, the sound good.
-The speaker design is cool. The magnetic bases stick together to make a big looking pill.
-The bad: On my laptop if i charge them while playing music I get static. The good: they charge really quickly and last a long time on one charge.
-I wish the cabling was as thought out as the speakers. There's a lot of cable (audio to 2 speakers and USB charging) and just a cheap rubber thing to wind them around.
-I wish the speakers would go to power save when they weren't being used but you have to manually turn each one off.
-Yes, the audio jack works with 1st generation iphones.

I ordered this product to use with my Acer Notebook. I realized I needed a set of speakers while on a trip when I wanted to share a YouTube video with someone. Head phones work well for private listening but now with these speakers I can share as I want.
The sound is really good for the size and folded together and put in the included bag I can put them in my laptop bag and off I go!