- Wireless speaker for iPad, iPhone, iPod touch: Stream and control stereo audio from your touch screen tablet or smartphone
- Long-range Bluetooth wireless connection: Place the speaker up to 33 feet/10 meters from your tablet or smartphone. (Actual wireless range will vary with use, settings and environmental conditions.)
- Rechargeable battery: Listen up to 6 hours straight on the internal NiMH battery (Actual battery life will vary with use, settings and environmental conditions. Rechargeable batteries have a limited number of charge cycles.)
- Custom-tuned audio: Eight speaker drivers deliver big, rich sound with deep bass
- Go-anywhere design: Easy to take around the house, to parties and on the road
I bought a Bose soundlink on sale for $225 at my local NEX.
I also got these units from Amazon:
1. Logitech wireless Boom box $109.96
2. Supertooth disco $100.45
3. Monster clarityHD $63.57
For ~$49 more for the above 3 units, I decided to return the Bose it sounded good but muddy overall on some of the music I like to listen to (pretty much everything but country).
The Supertooth sounds good overall and the 28 watts RMS stay the same level when its plugged in or unplugged.
The Supertooth is only a total of 3 speakers right, left and sub so the sound isn't quite as full as the logitech unit.
The logitech unit isn't built as well as the Supertooth Disco but it is lighter so its easier to carry around.
The logitech sounds best when plugged in as it gets 20 watts RMS plugged but the power output drops to 6 watts unplugged to conserve battery (the Supertooth disco battery still lasts longer than the logitech though).
The Monster clarityHD sounds really clear on most music that doesn't have much bass to it but the passive radiator doesn't really produce much bass response at all (compared to what the logitech unit can produce with its twin radiators).
The Monster unit is a good, small portable speaker that I can carry on my motorcycle and not have to worry about breaking a more expensive, less portable unit.
This gives me three speakers for slightly more than the sale price I paid for the Bose with more rewarding full sound on 2 of the 3 units and the benefit of a "super portable" speaker.
Overall comparing all 4 units, I like the bass, mids and trebble on the logitech unit the best.
Buy Logitech Bluetooth Wireless Speaker Now
Short and sweet review.
Loudest and clearest portable bluetooth boombox in it's price range. Very good deal. Bluetooth range is good (fully covers my 1200 sqft condo), sounds good outside by the pool even in the wind. Simple pairing and on/off/volume buttons. Reliable connection and operation.
Definitely could use a case or decent cover of sorts (Logitech, sell it as an accessory!)
The real meat here though is this: I tried LOTS of external battery options to deliver the 12V-2Amp necessary to keep that full-bass "plugged-in-sound", and finally found the solution. We're talking a 10-pack of AA NiMH recharges, LiON 12V packs off eBay, etc. etc. Lead acid battery for video camera lights worked but too big & heavy.
Without further ado, search Amazon for: Anker Astro3 10000mAh battery. It has 2x full 2A (ipad-strength) USB outputs, and a 9V/12V switchable output, which is what I used with included adapters to plug into the Boombox. Worked like a charm blasting R&B at full iPhone & Boombox volume!! And charged my iphone at the same time, which is perfect for the beach, etc.
Note: It was out of stock and not showing up when I just searched amazon again, so inventory might come and go. Or google for it. I emailed LaptopMate (the seller) to restock it. The Astro2 doesn't seem to have 12V output.
A backup option could be the nearly-identical EZOPower 10000mAH one, but I didn't test it. Same specs and similar pictures.EZOPower Black 2-Port Ultra High-capacity Portable External Rechargable Backup Battey Pack -10000mAh (2A/2A) for IPhone, IPOD, IPad, MP3 Players, Tablet, GPS, Mobile Phone, Android Phone, Cell Phone, Blackberry, HTC, Samsung, Nokia, LG, Sony Ericsson, P...
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Read Best Reviews of Logitech Bluetooth Wireless Speaker Here
There are 2 versions of this speaker sold on this page, and this review is for the Logitech Wireless Boombox with Bluetooth.
Super easy to set up, I had this up and running with an iPod touch in a just a few minutes time. Right out of the box all you do is plug it in and it's ready to be synced with your devices. You can either wait for the internal battery to be fully charged and listen wirelessly, or keep the power cord pluged in and start listening to music right away while it charges.
Syncing with the iPod touch is simple, just turn on the Bluetooth on the iPod, press the sync button on the speaker, then when the iPod sees the speaker, touch the name of this speaker (Logitech Wireless Boombox) on your iPod and it will activate the connection. With the press of just a few buttons, you are able to instantly play all the music on your iPod through this speaker.
The sound is WONDERFUL! I have an almost identical speaker set up (with Bluetooth as well) made by Creative, which is also in the exact same price range and the sound is not nearly as nice. There is a huge range of sounds that come through on this Logitech speaker, where as the Creative speaker seems to have a bit less. Side by side, this Logitech wins hands down.
The speaker has a pop out stand on the back for propping it up on flat surfaces. There are volume controls on it, however you can also control the volume through your iPod. It comes with a 3.5mm cable adapter, so other MP3 players and tablets that have an earphone jack, but that do not have Bluetooth can still be used with it. Just plug one end into the players ear phone jack and the other end into this speaker/boombox and you can play all the music without the need for Bluetooth. I was able to hook this up with my Kindle Fire tablet with no difficulties.
The speaker has a rechargeable battery inside, so you don't even need to be connected to any wires to listen to music, perfect for taking with you outside where you wouldn't have any outlets. The Bluetooth and the rechargeable battery make this speaker a truly wireless setup.
With wonderful sound and easy syncing to Bluetooth devices, this Logitech Boombox is a stellar device for listening to all your music stored on any music player or tablet.
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Here's my scorecard on the things that matter most to me:
Sound (wireless and wired): A and A
Bluetooth Connectivity: A
Size/Weight (portability): B+ (3.75 lbs. and easy to hold and carry, but lacks a carry handle as on the newer Logitech UE boombox)
Battery: B+ (may not outlast an 8-hour workday, but will come close)
Build Quality: B+ ( very solid, but plastic)
Value: A+ (the later model, the UE, is at least $130 more expensive -at that price it better sound like a concert-hall-in-a-box)
This is a great product, but it can no longer be reviewed solely on its own merits. A comparison is now necessary. Logitech has released a newer wireless bluetooth boombox since I purchased this one. However, the new boombox (Logitech UE 984-000304 Boombox Wireless Bluetooth Speaker (Silver)) weighs 6.6 pounds (versus only 3.75 lbs. on the original), and is priced currently at a prohibitive $250.00. Meanwhile, the original model's MSRP previously was $100 less at $150.00, but now is discounted to slightly more than $100.00, making it an almost irresistible value. I have never auditioned the newer UE model of the boombox, but I can report with enthusiasm that the older model is an absolute gem as to sound quality, especially given the size and the power requirements for a portable, battery-operated bluetooth sound system.
The music that comes out of the older Logitech bluetooth boombox is simply phenomenal. We often play the boombox in our family room/den where it shares space with a very good home theater/music sound system. Rather than play our music through the expensive home system, we simply place the boombox on top of the Velodyne subwoofer enclosure, and operate it remotely from an iPhone while playing downloaded songs from iTunes. The irony of our practice of playing the boombox for hours on end while it sits on top of thousands of dollars of unused stereo equipment is not entirely lost on us.
Some have expressed concern that the boombox might not be able to generate enough volume when played under battery power. All I can say in response is that they must want to play their music at ear piercing levels. On battery power our unit plays as loud as we would ever want in a large room that has a 25-foot high ceiling, whether the music be by Pink Floyd or Pinchas Zukerman. If more volume were demanded, I suppose we could plug it in, but we have never had a need or desire to do so. Importantly, the unit can play while the batteries are charging on AC power, but as soon as it is recharged, we take advantage of the boombox's portability to literally listen to it anywhere we please. The music can be selected and played remotely from an iPhone or other bluetooth device, but the volume control on the boombox is the only way to control the sound volume.
What about the sound fidelity? The boombox resembles a lot of indifferent sounding audio devices. In fact, in the long history of the boombox, few such devices have ever sounded this good. Vocals stand out clearly from the instrumental music, and are never muddled (unless recorded that way by the artists themselves). A good test of sound fidelity is by listening for individual instruments in a ensemble to see if they sound accurate and true to the sound of the instrument. This boombox does a very nice job in putting out a sonorous guitar line, and in reproducing the complex interactions of piano chords and orchestral sounds. The bluetooth system pairs readily with any source bluetooth device (such as iPhones), and the wireless sound is very airy and open, never sounding compressed or infused with noise or static. The unit can be played for hours without ever experiencing noise or distortion that grates on one's nerves as so many inferior boomboxes do.
Quite amazingly, the boombox holds its own on fairly low bass notes, with the low end sounding pleasant and convincing. The rolloff of the very low notes it cannot reproduce is graceful, and never boomy or thumpy. Thus, while it will never be an ideal way to experience the 20 Hertz and below pedal notes from a pipe organ, there is an uncanny sense that the missing frequencies are unessential to the enjoyment of the overall sound. This must be a result of the clear reproduction of the tuned active drivers in the boombox.
One is not confined to wireless bluetooth sound sources or iPhones or iPads. The boombox comes with a aux input, and Logitech kindly furnishes a cord with 3.5mm stereo connectors, allowing almost any sort of sound generating or storage device (laptops, portable Blu-Ray or DVD players, radios, etc.) to be played through the boombox using the aux input.
Our testing of the battery duration has met up with a big problem. In the two months we have owned it, our listening sessions have yet to outlast the battery. I have no reason to believe that Logitech's spec for the battery duration is inaccurate. One can listen hour after hour after hour. Anyone listening for more than 6-8 hours at one time should either plan on plugging it in, or taking a short walk while it recharges.
Little things add up. Among the little things on this product are the nice rubber feet on the bottom of the unit and on the pull-out "kickstand" that holds it up. No risk of scratching your polished antique furniture, and no risk of having it walk itself off a table due to vibration.
This is a winning product that takes full advantage of Logitech's long history of packing great sound into small spaces. At the current discounted price it is a steal. Yes, go ahead and audition the newer boombox, but don't overlook this one.
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Most of the reviews on this site are NOT for the Logitech Bluetooth Wireless Boombox. They appear to be for the Logitech S715i...a similarly engineered ipod/iphone docking station. It is best not to confuse the two.
For bluetooth connectivity (note the iPad doesn't fit on the s715i) and an almost equal to Apple's Airplay at a far better price point, you want the Logitech Wireless Boombox. It's a great sounding little speaker system that DOES NOT serve as a docking station. It will not charge your device, and it does not come with a remote or carrying bag.
For charging your iPod or iPhone, while playing music on a similarly great sounding little speaker system, you will want to purchase the Logitech S715i. It comes with a remote and carrying bag.
Now that's out of the way, here's the review of the Logitech Wireless Boombox:
Great sounding little unit with crisp, clear highs, a well defined midrange and very good low frequency performance (with limitations). I'll let others focus on the technology. For that you can read the Logitech web site or other reviews. I'll focus on the sound quality and user features.
This unit offers terrific definition, range and volume output that is not common at this price point. The Bluetooth functionality gives it Apple Airplay features (albeit with Bluetooth's more limited range) at value pricing. No remote is needed as your bluetooth device remains within your grasp, so all controls are at your fingertips. For non-Bluetooth devices, it does come with an auxiliary cable connection and cable.
I had a chance to perform and side-by-side (A-B) audio comparison to my Sony RDP-X500i IPod/iPhone/iPad docking station launched in the Fall of 2011, and the Logitech's sonic performance is 7/8 of the Sony at 1/2 the cost. The Sony filled the room better, and offered superior bass perfomance, however it was not as crisp on the highs, and does not offer Bluetooth nor battery-powered portability. The Sony arguably belongs in the Modern Museum of Art for its design. The Logitech is clearly a speaker system...nothing more and nothing less.
Upon set up, the Logitech was a breeze to pair with my multiple Bluetooth devices and was up-and-running within 3 minutes of unboxing. My major complaint is that it does not serve well if you are planning to use it with each of those multiple Bluetooth devices. The Logitech unit only remembers the last device with which it was paired. On my Apple iPhone and 2 iPads, to re-establish a connection with a previously paired unit, I had to "forget" the former pairing on the Apple device and then go through the pairing procedure from scratch. This is a hassle.
The Logitech has a self-contained rechargeable battery, but sonic perfomance degrades noticeably when unplugged (presumably to prolong battery life?). When plugged in, output is greater and bass performance stronger. When running on batteries, the sound is acceptable...it just doesn't have that "wow...that sounds REALLY good" quality.
In summary, the Logitech Wireless Boombox is a great little piece of technology offering excellent sound for the price. It will not fill up a large room, but then again it is not supposed to. What it does EXCEPTIONALLY well is provide a new level of functionality through its Bluetooth connectivity, which allows it to pair with any Bluetooth device (including iPhone and iPad) allowing you to maintain complete control of the device at your fingertips (think multitasking)....all while sounding a lot more expensive than it is.
PROS: Sound Quality, Price Point, Portability and Bluetooth Connectivity. Freedom from a docking station. Airplay functionality for far less.
CONS: It is intended for a monogomous Bluetooth relationship (multiple Bluetooth devices are a hassle). No charging of iPhone/iPad.
This unit is a winner and I will recommend it to family and friends.
