iLive Portable Music System

[packers1966]

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7752041&type=product&productCategoryId=pcmcat33100050027&id=1141762609264
just picked this up last night and had a chance to play with it a little bit and wanted to report back.
i tested with my 4g 20gb model and it starts to charge right away and pretty quickly i thought. pretty easy to operate and the sound is pretty good i thought! i havent tested anything else so nothing to compare it too but even cranked up the sound filled the room pretty well. they have 3 settings for base boost (cant remember the term they call it). the highest setting started to get a little rough with the base so i found the middle setting to work just fine for me. its not booming bass but does the trick for what i wanted. the remote that comes with it works very well although you can just pause/play, stop, advance and volume control (basics)....so you cant go back on the menu's but thats fine.
the range on the remote worked pretty well as long as there was nothing obstructed between it and the machine (i got to about 30 ft and worked great).
i didnt get a chance to play with the am/fm or cd player yet but i liked that those features were on there.
the unit itself seems to be a fairly solid piece of equipment.....not chincy at all.
the only grip i have is when i put in our 30gb video model, it docks fine but you can wiggle the ipod back and forth too much (doesnt affect the playback but that bothered me so i'm going to try to get something to stick behind it as a buffer to hold it in place.
all in all i'm happy with the product though. lots of features for the low price!

[Frightened Inm8]

Thanks for this review - and glad to hear you're happy with it. This past weekend I got the iLive boombox at Kohl's ($90 price), although it will be a Father's Day/birthday gift, so I can't use it until the 18th. Hard to find reviews on it at this point, but feature-wise, it looked like it had more than I expected at a pretty good price. (While I'd love the Apple or Bose models, well, they just aren't budget-friendly at this point.) I also have the video iPod, so I'd love to hear how you get it to stay in place.

One question: Does the display show you track names when you play a CD?

[Frightened Inm8]

Finally got to try out the new iLive boombox yesterday. I like it!

The sound quality is good. It's not top-of-the-line quality, so people who desire Bose-type sound will probably want to steer clear. But for me, this was a solid budget-friendly option that gets a lot of bang for the buck. Listening to softer music in a quiet room, or on headphones, I can hear a very slight hiss in the background. Playing it outside, the sound quality was outstanding. Had to turn it down from a mid-volume setting because my wife thought it was too loud. So it should be good for outdoor gatherings.

I love the features this model has - the CD (& mp3) player and the radio. So if (heaven forbid) the iPod goes on the fritz, it doesn't render this system worthless until a replacement is purchased.

I see what "packers1966" means by the iPod wiggling slightly in its dock, since it's designed to accommodate slightly larger iPods. It fits fine, but you probably wouldn't want to be carrying it for long distances with the iPod docked. Honestly, though, I don't think that will ever be an issue for me.

Although I will nearly always use the adapter, I wish it didn't require 10 "D" batteries for auxiliary power. The clock resets every time I unplug it, and will unless I get some batteries. True, this is minor. I'm probably frustrated with this only because I have about 30 "C" batteries in my possession, and no "Ds".

I haven't had any problem with the remote control. It's easy to use and very handy.

In the end - decent sound, and more features than I would've ever expected for a $90 system. I am having a love affair with iLive!

OK, maybe that's going a bit far. But I am very satisfied with it.

[niclet]

Thanks guys.

I was interested by the iLive IBCD3816DTBK (http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/portable-media/ilive-ipod-boombox-cheap-loaded-191541.php) (the black one) but all the reviews are really bad. Now you give me enough curiosity to re-evaluate my mind.

[ultimatenerd]

This product is horrid. The sound quality is pure horrible. There is audible white noise regardless of volume level. It takes about 10 seconds for a cd to start playing. The play button on the cd player does not start a cd. First you have to toggle to the right function then hit play, wait 10 seconds, if it doesn't start you toggle again and hit play till you find the right function. Loading a cd is trial and error, you have to press a button to insert the cd but sometimes the player doesn't accept the cd. The FM antenna is so weak that it can barely get signal from high powered radio stations. This machine is pretty much just crappy speakers for your ipod. I can't believe BB sells this thing. I'm almost sure the first 2 posters are working for some advertising or promo company cause no one in their right mind would keep this machine.

[kansas666]

I received the ilive for Father's Day.

Now I am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. But after listening to this thing for a few moments, I asked my wife if we could exchange it for something else. She realized it sounded horrible and agreed.

We returned it and purchased the Altec Lansing IM600.