 |
iDuck Speaker
by shoe_gal_84
So, I love my music, and always want it playing - even when I'm in the shower or bath. I used to take my phone into the bathroom and play my music through that, but hubby stepped in and said that it could cause damage to my phone by moisture getting in. I was searching through Amazon a while ago and came across the iDuck, which seemed to ... offer a fun solution to my bathtime problem, so I went ahead and purchased it for around £15.
The iDuck comes well packaged in a bit of a cheap looking box (ie. looks like the sort of box you might make for a prototype product at school!). I was really looking forward to using it, when I discovered that you actually needed 5 AAA batteries to get it up and running. We didn't have this many at home, so I had to wait before I could try it out. It comes with a sheet of instructions which are clear and easy to follow - thank goodness, as I'm not exactly a whizz when it comes to technology!
First of all, I'll explain how it works. There is a white, egg shaped transmitter (which take 3 x AAA batteries), and this is what you plug your ipod/MP3 player/phone into. The connector just goes into the socket where the headphone jack would usually go, meaning that it can be used with a wide variety of devices.
You also get the pretty cheap and nasty looking (but surprisingly cute) duck, which takes 2 x AAA batteries. This has the look of a typical yellow, rubber duck and claims to be completely waterproof. The duck has a selection of buttons on his back and also a speaker in the back of his head. It's quite nicely designed, in that from the front, you can't actually see the buttons or the speakers and it just looks like a normal rubber duck.
So, how it works is that you plug your music device into the 'egg' and turn on the transmitter (I have forgotten to do this several times). The 'duck' speaker is turned on by sliding across the waterproof button - it can either be moved right to select 'Audio', which means that it will connect to your music device. Or it can be moved left to select 'FM', which uses the radio function that I will mention later on. The idea is that you press the 'Reset' button at the beginning and then press the 'Scan' button until you can hear your music clearly. The 'Scan' button searches for the audio signal and should be pressed when you can just hear noise instead of music, or if you can hear music accompanied with noise. Apparently this means that the frequency of the receiver is different to the frequency of the transmitter. If you lose signal whilst listening to music, you should press the 'Reset' button and then scan again.
As mentioned, the device also has the ability to pick up FM radio. This can be done by moving the button to 'FM' and then tuning in the same way as for the music device. Pressing 'Scan' will simply move from one radio station to another. A downside is that there is no real volume control, you can choose from either 'Hi' or 'Lo' meaning it's either pretty loud, or pretty quiet! I'm sure that this is done for ease when ensuring it's waterproof, but it's a little annoying.
Finally, I put all of the batteries in the 'duck' and 'egg' and couldn't wait to get started. The instructions claim that the device has a range of 10 metres, but I didn't go anywhere near that far away. I plugged my ipod into the 'egg' and chose the album that I wanted to listen to. I tried it out in the hallway and it seemed to work really well. However, on taking the 'duck' into the bathroom, the signal just seemed to get a lot worse. I would say that this was only 2-3 metres away from the transmitters, so I'm not sure why it went so fuzzy. I kept pressing the buttons in the hope that I could get it to sound a bit clearer, or at least so I could hear the music. I managed to get it a bit better, and had my shower with a distinctly fuzzy soundtrack. I was really disappointed as I had so been looking forward to singing along in my shower!
Since then, I have used it a few times and the same thing seems to happen each time, which is a little annoying. However, I have used it elsewhere and it seems to be fine, so not sure whether it's a product fault or just something to do with my bathroom! The radio function is quite good on it, but I have the same problem when using it in my bathroom.
I know that the sound will always be a little muffled as the speaker has to be waterproofed and I appreciate that, but I hate that I don't get anywhere near the sound quality that I would expect.
Overall, I think that this is a great idea for a product, although it looks as though it may have been made on the cheap! Unfortunately, for me, it just doesn't do what I want it to do very well. I would still give it 3 stars as I'm unsure whether the product is at fault, or the bad signal in my house.
Read the complete review |
|
|
Konig 2.0 Speaker Set
by Daedalus
Although not a relatively established or particularly reputable brand, Konig is known for providing very basic electronic hardware of robust design and high reliability. The Konig 2.0 Speaker Set is an extremely basic pair of speakers ideal for a desktop computer or MP3 player.
Relatively vanilla in design, these plastic ... speakers are very cheap at around just eight pounds a pair, which is the ideal amount that someone who isn't a DJ, music aficianado, avid film buff or sound engineer should be paying for a pair of speakers. They have a sturdy, though easily removable base which means they are difficult to knock over by accident but also fairly portable, a design plus, fortified by their notably sleek aesthetic and light weight. Despite the latter feature, they also have the capacity to provide fairly powerful volume and deliver surprisingly good bass response.
Power, volume, on and off. This is very much the bare bones of the speaker system world. No need for manuals, driver CDs, installation menus or an adaptor, these are straightforward, plug and play speakers ideal for the average joe to enjoy through a standard audio jack. The port of which is particularly sturdy, and I've never had the slightest problem with the cable coming coming loose.
Probably needless to say, there is no battery back available, so you can't really take these things out in the woods with you, unless you have a 3-pin power source, other than that, the Konig 2.0s make an ideal set of computer speakers, provided you don't wish to space them out too far, as the unchangeable speaker-power lead doesn't stretch particularly far.
The speakers are aesthetically pleasing and will match most decor. If you're fussy though, they are available in both black\silver or black\white themes, and for the same price, you'll be relieved to hear.
As far as basic cheap stereo systems for desktop PC, these have got to be your best bet if you're going for substance over style, and trying to save your pennies. A good, strong pair of speakers that are great for the money. Very much recommended.
Read the complete review |
|
|
Jawbone JAMBOX Wireless Speaker Hi-Fi
by chrisheels
Jawbone (The Product)
The Jawbone Jambox is a wireless speaker that can be plugged into most portable devices that have a bluetooth connection. It can be used with non-bluetooth devices, but not wirelessly. The speaker is small measuring Just 151mm in length, 40mm in width and 57mm in height and weighs in at 347grams. The ... speaker is made mainly from stainless steel and moulded rubber making it lightweight, portable and hard to break.
It's available in Black Diamond, Blue Wave, Grey Hex and Red Dot where the name describes the colour and the texture that is recessed into the front of the speaker. In my opinion the Jawbone jambox is extremely sleek and stylish and well made.
Jawdropping (functionality)
The jawbone has just 3 buttons on the top. An on/off button and two volume control buttons shaped like a plus and minus (up and down), It is easily connected via blutooth using the search and connect functions on the device being used. I recently rented a house with some friends and tried this speaker out with a selection of phones and laptops and the speaker worked perfectly.
The speaker communicates with a voice to tell you that it is turned on, or connected to a bluetooth device. The voice certainly sounds a little raunchy in my opinion, but is clear and easy to understand.
The bluetooth has a decent range of up to 33 feet so is perfect for use around the house. It is charged via an AC wall adaptor or using a USB connection on a laptop or desktop PC.
The battery life can last for up to 10 hours without charging which is exceptional for a portable speaker.
Jawcrushing (Sound Quality)
The sound quality is by far the best I have heard from a portable speaker. The high frequency (tweeter) and low frequency (woofer) sounds are far superior to other portable speakers I have owned and used and it is easy turn a portable music device into a decent stereo system easily using this. The sound is full and rounded and has none of the tinny feel of may small speakers. The jawbone jambox can produce up to 85dB (decibels) which is comparable with standing 25m from a train (yes I looked that up) so is pretty much suitable for all uses apart from raves, festivals and nightclubs.
Jawbreaking (The Price)
At £118 jawbeakingly expensive pounds the Jawbone Jambox is very expensive for a portable speaker. Thats the current price on Amazon, but this can increase to around £150 from other suppliers. As a device intended for travelling as it is portable I get extremely worried about loosing it. It's Ok for hotels or proper holidays, but for backpacking I wouldn't dream of carrying it about.
Jawsome (Summary)
The speaker is small, portable, easy to use and has totally Jawsome sound quality. Despite this the price is a bit over the top and I'd recommend trying out some cheaper brands before buying this. If you want the best, go for this.
Read the complete review |
