iHome iP1 Studio Series Speaker System for iPhone/iPod

5 Comments

1. X. L. chen says:

   November 19, 2009 at 2:13 pm

   I link my Cable’s audio output to the system, use it as speakers. After 3 weeks of quality sound. The system would shut itself off automatically while been used. No explanation in the user guide. Unplug the power for 5 min will only let it work for less than an hour. No idea why. Going to contact the manufacture.
2. D. Steel says:

   November 19, 2009 at 2:28 pm

   I was in search of a hi-fidelity set of speakers for my iPOD since CDs have become a thing of the past. I was looking to get rid of the large stereo speakers for small big sound. This system has fairly big sound. Strong bass but not clear bass. For the money I’m torn. My son spent $65.00 on a set of computer speakers with a monster subwoofer. The sound is unbelievable compared to what I bought for $295.00. The only difference is his speakers will not charge the iPOD. If you want BIG BIG clear sound, and don’t care about carging the iPOD’s….opt in for a set of computer speakers with subwoofer.
   
3. monoblocks says:

   November 19, 2009 at 3:31 pm

   I’ve been looking for a replacement for my admittedly unloved Logitech Pure-Fi Elite for some time. Found the iP1 at a certain well-known warehouse chain for a great price due to an instant discount promotion, but also saw the intriguing Panasonic SC-HC3 alongside it on the shelf. Decided to buy both and have a shoot-out testing session at home, with the loser going back to the store. Not a true apples-to-apples comparison, since the SC-HC3 is really more a compact stereo than dedicated speaker setup, but since I was primarily after was great sound quality in a package that had some style and ‘look at me’ presence, there was considerable leeway on my part in rooting for the iHome unit.

   Unfortunately for the iP1, the SC-HC3 does sound exceptionally well also. In fact, to my ears even better than what the iP1 is capable of. It also has good looks, too. The iP1’s frequency range is pretty good, with decent and relatively convincing midbass performance for the size drivers it has onboard. Mids and highs are present, but I found that they seemed conspicuously muted with passages that I know shouldn’t be that way when listened to on other equipment and setups. I used my 2G Touch as the source iPod, and used lossless WAV files across several musical genres; the iP1 is certainly the best-sounding iHome unit I’ve ever experienced, and the best-looking to my tastes as well. But I found the abrupt crossover from mid/woofer to tweeter too noticeable and rather irritating to listen to over time (on my unit this was really apparent with the right channel), and there wasn’t much in the way of depth or image to its sound at all, not that I was holding out much hope considering that the respective drivers for each channel are mounted less than a foot apart from one another. But in the end it was the balance of the sound across the frequency range that bugged me the most.

   In usage I found that I preferred using the iP1’s digital processing circuitry over leaving it off and presumably neutral; it brought a liveliness and level of resonance to the audio that made the unboosted output seem bland, inconsequential and haphazard, which is actually contrary to how I usually like my music with other equipment that offer similar forms of ‘tarting’. Simply stated, overall I found the iP1’s sonic presentation decent, but just not as accurate as I would normally prefer. The imbalance I felt with midrange and high frequency output and the harsh crossover point from the midrange/woofer to tweeter introduced too much distracting characteristics to the sound, and the lack of depth when compared to the Panasonic’s sonic performance put the iP1 at a distinct disadvantage to my ears.

   From an aesthetic view, the broadbrush overview of the iP1 makes it look a winner that cater to my design preferences, but even here there are quirks as well. The power supply is external and is the poster child of the prodigal power ‘brick’; it’s about as big as the one that Microsoft supplies with the Xbox 360, and is cumbersome to place, conceal and plan around when locating the iP1 in the intended resting spot I had in mind for it…just like I experienced and loathed with the old Pure-Fi Elite I was so intent on replacing. In fact it’s probably worse since the iP1 is see-through.

   The smoked acrylic front face and the general finish of the speaker drivers is minimalist stylish in my mind’s eye (though my wife hated it), but the materials used on the dock tray fascia and control surfaces seemed a bit low end in comparison. The overall effect is entrancing, but this design would’ve really been fantastic had iHome used tempered glass and metal on the remaining plastic surfaces, but I suspect the $300 list price would be a fair bit higher as a result. From the rear, the housings for the speaker drivers and miscellaneous electronics also seemed a bit on the cheap side as well, though in truth all they do is sit in the background since they’re primarily viewed through the main acrylic face panel. There were a couple of fascia treatment options for the midrange/woofer driver supplied: the metal mesh grilles come pre-installed from iHome, with separate plastic bezel trim rings also included that give the iP1 owner the choice to expose the mid/woofer speaker driver. Since the grilles are supposedly acoustically neutral, the trim ring accessory would only be used as an aesthetic preference. Personally, I think the grilles work better from a visual standpoint, since the tweeters also are sheathed with a similar mesh that isn’t removable.

   In the end, the iHome iP1 lost my impromptu shoot-out with the Panasonic SC-HC3. The added features of the Panasonic (AM/FM, CD player, clock) along with its Bang & Olufsen-esque styling and its far cheaper price–even with the instant discount on the iP1 at the time of purchase, the iP1 is almost 50% more expensive than the SC-HC3–simply outshone the stylish iHome unit and underscored the value aspect in this comparison. And in these tough economic times, that last point alone makes the one-trick pony iP1 a harder horse to ride. Couple the Panasonic’s ability to provide me with superior and pleasing audio performance (your own mileage may vary, however), it was clear to me which of the two was going back to the store.

   I think that the iP1 is a good first effort by iHome at trying to reach into the higher-quality segment of the iPod speaker/dock market that others like Bose and Klipsch play in, but for me the expertise and know-how of old-school manufacturer Panasonic won out on this day. Maybe next time, iHome.
4. Marvin R. Doering says:

   November 19, 2009 at 3:42 pm

   So far I am extemely happy with this item. It works perfectly with my iPod and produces a much bigger sound than you would suspect. I have one made by Klipsh for my bedroom and I put this one with my HD setup in the family room.
5. James A. Gill says:

   November 19, 2009 at 5:15 pm

   I received the speaker system a couple of days ago and could not be more excited. The sound is FANTASTIC! I am actually giving my sister my Bose Wave Machine and buying another iHome IP1 system. Merry Christmas to ME!