Aside from being the dominant -- if not the coolest -- consumer electronics item, the iPod has created a cottage industry of devices designed to work seamlessly with the iconic MP3 player. Among the latest entries is Oregon Scientific's iBall wireless speaker system. Although it has some flaws, the reasonably portable iBall makes for a good device to use at parties. At AU$429, however, it's not cheap.
DesignThe Oregon Scientific iBall is a combination of a 2.4GHz wireless speaker and a transmitter dock. The speaker itself is a white orb that looks like a 1970s version of futuristic design -- think something out of Sleeper. You connect your iPod to the transmitter dock, which comes with docking trays for all iPod iterations. For owners of the iPod Nano, Oregon Scientific will even send you a free docking tray, though it's not included with the package; Shuffle owners can use the device's line-in jack. We connected our 60GB iPod Photo without a problem. For the speaker, the package also comes with six rechargeable batteries (they automatically recharge while the speaker is plugged in) and a wall-mount kit.
On top of the speaker is a small control panel, which includes buttons for power, play/pause, fast-forward/rewind, volume controls, sound mode/clock set, and mute. The control panel looks like it should pop out to become a wireless remote; sadly, it doesn't, though it's nice that the speaker itself serves as the iPod remote. The front of the speaker features a blue-backlit LCD, which indicates volume level and whether the device recognises an iPod connection. All indicators are graphically represented by a series of dots, which can make deciphering menu options a bit tricky. It's also weirdly retro, given that this is a wireless system meant to be paired with the epitome of high-tech elegance.
Set upTo begin playing music, you plug in the transmitter dock, connect the iPod, and turn on the speaker. Unfortunately, it has to be plugged in, so if you want to be truly portable, check out the Logitech mm50 or the Altec Lansing iM7. We didn't get a connection in our first attempt, so we had to go through the RF mating process. In this case, you power up the speaker, then hold the fast-forward/rewind buttons simultaneously. When the dual-arrow indicator appears on the display, you then use a pin or a paper clip to press the RF mating button on the bottom of the transmitter dock to make the connection.
Once your iPod tunes are piped through the system, you can use the speaker up to 30 metres away from the transmitter. We had no problems listening to music anywhere in our 84-square-metre apartment, even with doors closed. The audio quality never suffered, although there is some noticeable background interference. To be fair, the farther away you are from the speaker, the less noticeable the background hum.
PerformanceThe audio quality is quite good and gets loud enough to use during backyard barbeques, though you wouldn't be able to take it to a picnic unless you had a power outlet nearby for the transmitter; the product would be better if the speaker itself had a line-in port. You can also adjust bass and treble levels. After pressing the sound mode button, the unit displays bass and treble musical notations in annoying dots to denote the setting you're adjusting, which most people won't understand right away.
Like any good iPod accessory, the transmitter dock charges your iPod while it's in the cradle. You can also connect the transmitter dock to your computer to sync your iPod while it's in the cradle as well as connect a secondary audio source to the system, allowing you to play music on another set of speakers along with the Oregon Scientific iBall. Additionally, you can switch between listening to music from the iPod and a different audio source, such as a CD player. If you have an audio/video cable -- such as the one that came with earlier iPod Photos -- you can connect the transmitter to your TV and view a slide show of photos stored on your iPod while music is playing.
The Bose SoundDock may be the high-water mark of iPod speakers, but the Oregon Scientific iBall adds a new level of mobility.
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fender22
27/10/2006, 08:43 PM
rating
9/10
Functional and great sounding item
Much better sound and volume than expected after reading reviews. Very good solid build and design. Looks fantastic..... a real talking point!
I am pretty fussy about the quality of my sound and this is much better than any of the Altec Lansing units I've had. Sounds much better from a few meters away where the stereo effect is spacier.
Pros: Heaps of accessories, easy to set up and control, great sound, looks fab, going cheap at the moment..Ebay $150
Cons: None found yet
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16/10/2006, 08:58 PM
rating
8/10
Sounds great, sample it at the shop and see...
Pros: Suprisingly good sound for its size. It sounds great, even the bass. I also like the auxilary-in so you can play stuff from your tv, computer etc on the iball. Overall, the sound quality makes it worth the price.
Cons: The price. I have seen it for $200 at the Myer sale though. Also the hub seems to get hot underneath if it has been left on for a few hours, but its not a big deal. I wish they made the iball as an alarm clock too!
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jmac
18/09/2006, 04:35 PM
rating
8/10
Great in the garden
I really like this unit, I have several radio remote products for my ipod and this one is the best sounding AND I got a bargain as they were selling them for $99 @ Officeworks!
Pros: Good sound. I like the way you can take the ball outside using the rechargable batteries and still be able to control volume etc. This is perfect for my situation.
Cons: Removable remote would have been handy and perhaps a black model to match the black ipods.
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Portable
04/08/2006, 05:01 PM
rating
8/10
does what it needs to do
Pros: looks cutting edge
Cons: cant link two or more speakers to the system.
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