ipod accessories

After weighing all the options for small speaker options for the iPod, I decided on this system. Why?
1) SIZE: Yes, other systems that are slightly bigger probably have better sound, but with the folding feature and carry bag that comes with this system, it's unbeatable.
2) PORTABILITY: Closely linked with size, but with other key factors: Battery use and lack of parts. It uses 4 AA batteries and if you don't take along the power cord, it's one small piece when folded. That's it. You're gone.
3) EASE OF USE: With the built in iPod dock that lets you charge while listening, it is just too easy. But that's not all! You can connect to your PC via the system's base and do all the normal functions. But wait, there's more! Since the iPod is docked it leaves the headphone jack open. If you happen to have the iTrip (or other FM transmitter), you can use this jack and transmit to other speaker options using FM. This is useful in situations where others might want to share your collection (e.g. the beach). Then you and others can listen.
4) THE COOL FACTOR: I'm not sure how to put a price on this one, but I paid $109 and the cool factor is probably worth $75 of that. It just looks cool, and since it is clearly made for the iPod, gawkers know it's probably the latest thing.
Since it's so easy and sounds so good, I've taken to moving the speakers to wherever I am in the house instead of having the home PC play through the home speakers throughout the whole house. We're not talking earth shattering sound here, but for one/two room or office use - these are excellent.

The balance of size, weight, and sound quality makes these speakers a traveler's dream, whether or not you own an iPod. But do not expect the sound quality to compare to that produced by large floor or bookshelf speakers. My side-by-side comparisons indicated that the sound quality of these speakers was also inferior to similarly priced "2.1" satellite speakers with powered subwoofer that are designed for computers. However, given the size of these inMotion speakers, the sound quality is very impressive (as long as the volume of the sound output to the speakers is set correctly: see below).

I recently used the speakers every day during a three-week business trip to the Balkans. I like to travel light and prefer not to check luggage. These speakers are extremely small and light weight and fit into my carry-on bag without any problem. The speakers come with a universal power adapter (110V to 220V) that is usable in Europe. But I left the adapter at home, brought a small battery charger, and ran the speakers on rechargeable NiMH batteries. The speakers ran about 8 hours on one set of these batteries (4 X AA 1.2V 2300mAh NiMH).

The volume of the speakers was more than enough to fill my hotel room. In fact, I never felt like playing the speakers at full volume. The speakers do not seem to distort at the highest volumes. The speakers faithfully reproduced a wide range of music including hip hop, rock, folk, blues, funk, jazz, and classical. The bass response is impressive for such small speakers. I can clearly hear the bass tracks of blues CDs (Eric Clapton's latest) and Rap albums (Snoop Dogg). However, the speakers do not produce the heavy bass feel you get from a powered subwoofer. That means you do not feel the bass pounding in your chest. But this is actually a good thing in hotels. Powered low frequencies travel unimpeded throughout a building, whereas the frequencies produced by these speakers are quickly absorbed by walls. This means that I was able to play the speakers relatively loud late at night without disturbing the people in the next room. A second advantage is that it takes much less energy to drive these speakers than larger speakers or a subwoofer. This allowed me to play the speakers for 8 hours on four AA batteries.

I do not own an iPod and always played the speakers directly from my computer. I connected the earphones-out plug from my computer to the auxiliary jack on the iPod speakers. An extended cord is needed for this connection; the cord that comes with the speakers is too short. This worked well and allowed me to play new CDs I bought while traveling. But through experimentation, I discovered that if the volume setting on my computer was too low or too high it severely affected the sound quality of the speakers. Since the speakers have their own volume control, I can set the sound volume however I want, regardless of the volume output of my computer. However, when the volume on my computer was set too low, the speakers produced an inferior muffled sound. And when the volume on my computer was set too high, the speakers occasionally produced distorted sound. I eventually learned to adjust my computer volume to a medium level before connecting the speakers. Unfortunately, different CDs and MP3s are set with different default volume levels, so I had to reset my computer volume every time I switched albums.

i am replacing my cambridge speakers with this little compact unit. the inmotion sounds adequate for its size but if you're a bass junkie like me you have to have more bass. just to experiment i plugged the jack from the (cambridge) sub into the headphone jack of the ipod and voila, nice tight bass, controlled by the ipod volume, and speaker volume controlled by the inmotion panel. if you have a small sub already,you're set, otherwise add the price of a computer size sub to use with this set. i set the ipod to "treble boost" since i have the sub hooked up. the sound is wonderfully rich and you won't complain because you have highs and lows, perfect for the office!
just remember when travelling around with it, you're back to so so sound, but for something this size, it's great.

here is the downside i've found so far. plugging into the back dock, the ipod says "do not disconnect" and the ipod never mounts.
i'm using a windows machine configured to work with mac ipods
and the ipod works when plugged directly with the computer but
via the inmotion it just doesn't work. hoping to get help on this. even if i can't get it to work that way i'll still keep the "inmotion".