iHome iHM79BC Rechargeable Mini Speakers (Black)

I was looking for a pair of travel speakers for my iPad 2 and my wife's iPod. At $40 I wasn't expecting much; just something I could use with the iPad in a hotel room while sitting at a desk or on the bedside table. Not looking for chest rattling bass or tremendous volume. Not even looking for something that competes with my Sennheiser PX200-II foldable headphones or the USB powered Logitech Z305 I use with my laptop. Just some speakers that don't offend my ears, I can carry in a messenger bag, can use with an iPad (or other devices) that lack a USB port and that I can afford to lose. The price and other reviews convinced me to give these a try.As others have said, don't expect audiophile quality sound. The laws of physics and economics have not been repealed. But with that caveat, these are GREAT little speakers. Far superior to the sound from the iPad's little speaker and far more convenient than headphones or earbuds for use with an iPod/smartphone/mp3 player. All in all, I'd put the sound quality on a par with (or perhaps even a bit better) than the Logitech Z305 speaker bar that I use with my laptop. Not as much volume but perfectly adequate for a hotel room/bedroom, better sound separation, and considerably more portable. (The iHome speakers and the Logitech clip-on Z305 sound bar are about the same price.)Also, as others have noted, the cable "solution" for the speakers is something of a tangled mess. I suppose I can understand the decision to combine the usb charging cable with the connections among the sound source and the two speakers. Less likely to lose an essential cable. But I suspect I'll never be able to reconstruct the way the cables were stored when they came out of the box. (I should have paid more attention when I took them out of the little holder that comes with the cables. Don't make my mistake.) No problem, really. The speakers and cables fit easily into the little sack that comes with the units. Just get used to untangling them.Can't comment on the time it requires to recharge the units (yet.) I used the speakers for about four hours before connecting them to a powered usb port on my laptop. (No sign of running out of juice, just wanted to charge them fully.) They've now been charging for about two hours and the lights on the speakers are still red (indicating they're not yet fully charged.)I may try charging directly from the wall with a usb cable if they don't finish charging soon. (Not all powered usb ports are created equal in terms of amperage.) On the bright side, I'm listening to the speakers while they're charging and don't detect any hiss or other interference. (But I'm listening to an old Jack Benny show and that test may not reveal the problem.)Obviously, I can't comment on the durability of the speakers, either. If they stop working in a month, I'll be disappointed, but so far so good.I'm of two minds about the overall battery design. On the plus side, rechargeable lithium ion batteries are more ecologically friendly than conventional AAA disposable batteries. And in the long run, more economical. On the other hand, limiting the life of the speakers to the life of the non-replaceable batteries is a worry. And if you're away from a charging source when the batteries die, you're stuck. Of course, if the battery power of the content source (e.g. an iPad) is less than the speakers, you may not run into the problem. Time will tell.All in all, for $40-$50 the speakers deserve a strong recommendation, even with tangled cables and questions about power options. If you're using a sound source without a USB power option and you don't want to spend the money and deal with the potential weaknesses of a bluetooth speaker, they're the best option out there, I think.P.S. After a bit more than two hours, the speakers' lights have turned blue indicating they're fully charged. Required turning the speakers off and back on while still connected to the laptop to get both speakers to turn from red to blue. Not bad.04/24/12 Edit: Been using these little guys for quite awhile with both my iPad 2 and my Kindle Fire. They continue to perform flawlessly.

I wanted something to amplify the sound on my Macbook Pro Retina while still being able to remain mobile. I bought and tested 4 different portable audio speakers, 2 of which were wired and 2 of which were Bluetooth.* iHome iHM79BC Rechargeable Mini Speakers* Logitech Z305 USB Laptop Speaker* Monster ClarityHD Precision Micro Portable Bluetooth Speaker* Creative D100 Wireless Bluetooth SpeakerAfter purchasing the listed 4 items, I had to play them with the various types of music I listen to, Rap/HipHop, R&B, Classical, Jazz, and Country. Here is my short review based off my experience with each item.1: iHome iHM79BC Rechargeable Mini SpeakersPRODUCT: Very nice design, however they are not wireless, there is actually a long USB cord with attached auxiliary cable. Each speaker is connected via this long cable to mini-usb, the opposite end is connected to the PC/MAC via USB and Auxiliary. I found this to be a mess of cables, more so than I wanted. Comes with a travel bag which is also nice. Speakers also collapse and attach to each other for travel.'SOUND: The sound out of these small speakers was quite surprising actually. Very loud and clear for how small they were. I was impressed. At higher volumes the bass gets to be too much for them and they started to rattle on my table and distort very noticeably.OVERALL: 3/52. Logitech Z305 USB Laptop SpeakerPRODUCT: Very nice styling, size is perfect. Fits on the back of my Macbook Pro Retina screen with no issues, its not longer than the 15" screen which is nice. Arrives with a travel bag. One single USB cable plugs in to the PC/MAC for audio and power. There is also an 3.5mm auxiliary to attach an MP3 Player, Phone, iPod, etc to listen to music from, keep in mind it will still need power so it will need to be connected via USB. I like that I can connect this to the backof my screen or simply set it off to the side of my Macbook.SOUND: The sound simply amazed me for how small this thing is. Overall it had the most full sound, clearest sound with the best highs, mids, and lows. Even at max volume it does very well with very little distortion. The sound is a nice 360 degree sound to fill a small room with ease. Given how clear, loud and overall great the sound was, this product amazed me to amplify the sound on a notebook and still being extremely portable.OVERALL: 4/53. Monster ClarityHD Precision Micro Portable Bluetooth SpeakerPRODUCT: Very small and nicely designed. I seriously cannot believe how small this thing is. Only one USB cable to charge the device when needed. Overall I think this is the nicest designed of the 4 items. This unit connects via Bluetooth to my Macbook Pro Retina with no issues at all.SOUND: The sound on this little thing is quite, well... mediocre compared to the first two items reviewed. The bass is so over the top that it distorts almost all the sound. It's not very "Clear" or "HD" as the title states. It also is very muffled and emits a lot of interference and static regardless of no other Bluetooth items connected to my Macbook. I was very disappointed with the sound from this unit.OVERALL: 1/54. Creative D100 Wireless Bluetooth SpeakerPRODUCT: Nicely designed, not too large but kind of big overall. Can be powered via four AA batteries or via the AC power cable included. This unit connects via Bluetooth to my Macbook Pro Retina with no issues at all.SOUND: The sound emitted from the unit is nice, when it isn't cracking, pooping or getting interference and static. Even when it's the only Bluetooth item connected to my Macbook, it still gets lots of static, popping, hissing and such. I was very disappointed with the sound from this unit but it does sound overall better than the Monster ClarityHD speaker.OVERALL: 2/5UPDATE 3/31/2015When I initially did this review, the Logitech Z305 was $29.99 its so high in price now because they don't manufacture it anymore.

I had my doubts about this product when I bought it. I was looking for speakers with great bass in a small portable form factor, but every speaker that had great bass advertised was ridiculously expensive! So I went with these.First, the speakers themselves are small, and are pretty compact. I will be able to lug them around in my laptop bag with my laptop to play music wherever I go with no over encumbrance due to the speakers. The cables that come with the speakers are long enough to allow the speakers to fit on both sides of a 17" laptop comfortably, and the 3.5mm sound cable is long enough to plug into the laptop no matter where the headphones jack is located on the laptop (no extender needed).Now to the sound, the most important part of the speakers:The sound itself is outstanding! I have them full blast on my laptop and have little to no reduction of quality from them and can hear them from every corner of my home and upstairs. The bass (what I was looking for) is decently crisp and not underwhelming like past speakers I have had. It has great mids, highs, and lows making these speakers an overall good buy.There is one downfall though, charging them. While charging the speakers and having them on at the same time produces this screeching constant feedback that is highly annoying. The only way I can charge them is to turn the speakers off and let them charge on their own, then use them when they are done charging. It is highly annoying, but not annoying enough to give these speakers any lower than a 4 star rating. I would definitely recommend these speakers to anyone based on the quality of the speakers, but not the charging feedback.Sound:5 out of 5Portability:4.5 out of 5 (may be bulky in some laptop bags since they are cylindrical, but for me, its perfect, 5 out of 5 in my experience, but others may not like their cylindrical design)Cables:5 out of 5Charging:3 out of 5 (good charging, fast, when turned off, but annoying as all get out when plugged in and turned on.)Overall:4 out of 5

I really like these speakers for the most part. They sound really, really good for their size. The lower end output is pretty stunning for a small speaker...I am constantly surprised while watching a film how powerful the bass response is...I often use them at work to play my ipod and they keep up the volume even in a larger empty space (construction work.) Battery seems almost endless, I've charge them kinda regularly and have never had them run out. Seems like I get 8-10 hours...but that could must be me. I did manage to blow out one of the speakers, but I blame myself for that, had them plugged into the computer and the music came on all the way at 10...now there is a slight buzz in the right side speaker at higher treble sounds...I think that was my fault though.The reason I don't give these a 5 star rating is the cord system. I am constantly getting tangled up in the oddball way they have everything connected. Hard to explain, but each stereo "in" part of the cord, also has a separate cord coming out of it for another function...basically the cord that you plug into the right hand speaker also has a usb charging cord coming directly out of the part that plugs into the speaker. Left side has the aux in cord...coming directly out of the part that plugs into the left hand speaker. Configuration didn't bother me at first, but after having used for 6-7 months...the cord is always getting tangled and just doesn't flow very well. I want the speaker to stand alone at the end of it's cord...but there is always another cord running out of it just hanging around.Another gripe is that the aux in comes out of the left side speaker and every device I have has the aux out (headphone jack) is on the right side. This may just be my devices but I'm constantly running the aux cord under or behind my devices to reach the aux out jack...Anyway - I use these speakers all the time and the sound quality is great, I just with they had figured out a better cord management system.

There are a few things that appealed to me when I saw them online. The first was that they're portable! I like to have my music with me all the time so being able to pack up these speakers in the provided pouch and go outside or to a friends house is great! The second is that I don't have to buy new batteries or anything for these speakers. The charging USB is connected to the speakers so when I need to charge them I plug them into my computer for a while and when I come back they're ready to go again! (You can even use the speakers while they charge!) And lastly, they're only $50.00! Honestly if you're looking for professional speakers that fill your entire home with sound then these aren't for you but if you're looking for not so fancy speakers that fill a room with music and get the job done, then these are perfect.There are a few minor complaints I have however. When I plug in my ipod and turn the volume all the way up, the music sounds fuzzy. I'm pretty sure its the quality of the songs I have and not the speakers but I feel its worth noting. Another thing is that the speakers are connected to eachother by a cord and that cord isn't too long so its not like I can place on speaker on one side of the room and the other on the other side of the room. And lastly, these speakers do not charge an ipod like most speakers do so I still have to charge my ipod on the computer. These, like I said earlier, are very, VERY minor complaints I have. I would definitely recommend these speakers.

I have two sets of these speakers. The first failed after a year or two. The second also seems to be failing after a couple of years. For both, the failure was that the sound on one of the speakers began dropping out intermittently. Recently I noticed that the drop-outs stopped if I had the USB cord plugged into a charger, so it might be a battery problem.One nice feature is their ability to operate without being plugged in, or during USB charging. They use a mini-plug for audio and work with both my laptop and my Kindle Fire. They don't do wireless or bluetooth, not a problem for me but might be a showstopper for some.Sound quality is adequate for such small speakers. I find it hard to untangle the cables and plug them correctly into the left and right speakers, but that is probably unavoidable in an entirely wired speaker system.I will probably replace them with another of the same.Edited late 2014 - I bought a third pair of these speakers, but they began having problems within a few months - buzzing and sound dropouts. So I downgraded my review from three stars to two.Edited 1/31/2015 - The third pair of speakers seem to be working fine now, so I am giving back the third star. Buzzing seems to happen only when I try to charge the speakers while listening to them. Probably, most USB chargers allow some high-frequency noise to leak through. And the speakers don't do a good job of filtering it out.The sound dropouts I reported with an earlier pair don't seem to be happening now.

If you are just looking for portable speaker with internal battery (rechargable)- the price might be too high- it is a build-in battery so when it is dead it jus like a laptop/desktop speaker that powerup by USB cable.If you are looking for a good sound quality- this might not be a good choice- but is good enough for such a small speaker.If you are looking for laptop speaker?- jus buy a laptop that support gaming or media, the sound quality came out from my ASUS N53SV speaker is some how better the this speaker.- Jus buy a normal 2.1 speaker or computer speaker is good enough.- but for a higher volume den ur laptop it is good.If u are looking for a speaker that increase the volume of your devices but the quality of sound is about the same as your device.- this speaker work well!- and it is portable so good for bring to party at area without power source.OVERALL!The Best part of this speaker is that it is portable, rechargable, small in size and good volume.The Bad part is it will not last long if u dont take care the battery! as it is build-in wqhich u cant replace when it is dead. soune quality is jus normal, if u looking of good sound quality? jus dont expect too much on this small speaker.- Sound? Good!- design? nice!- long lasting? jus take care the battery!- Portable? YES!

First I want to say: do not expect a bestial sound coming from such small speakers. Just keep a proportion in mind and undoubtedly you will enjoy this product.I've found on these "little giants" a fantastic solution. I never use them at the highest volume because that isn't really the purpose of speakers of this size (however they're capable of; just a very little distortion is hardly noticeable). I use them at a moderated volume and I love its sound quality. I really like their bass sound also, it is incredibly good considering the compact size.I also love how they look, even when they are closed and organized because they have a magnet on the bottom that keeps them together and aligned, making the operation of slipping them inside their bag something pretty simple to do. Btw regarding to those magnets, there is a serious warning in the documentation they're provided with, and refers not to place these speakers near screens or pc towers because magnets can affect them hopelessly. The warning scares! (just imagine consequences!), so be careful with that thing.I use them with my smartphone and have found them to be the perfect solution. Sure, there are on the market bigger, wireless speakers, with remote control, etc that produce a lot more powerful sound, but those are much more expensive and cumbersome to transport.I'm very glad I have chosen these speakers; this is a great quality product! No wonder are the brand offered by Apple.com among other accessories...JAS

I used to own these speakers, then they were stolen (Aww). Sad story aside, I repurchased them again because I saw a need for them and didn't want to pay over $100 for a loud, smooth sounding bluetooth speaker. These were the top of the line portable speakers a few years ago in 2012. I just compared them to my friends new Jawbone JAMBOX. These are just as loud, just as much bass and and just a smooth (I took a bit to show him how wrong he was for insisting I bought crappy speakers). The other best part of these speakers is that they will last for over a full day, turned on the whole time. I used them on friday morning, left them on my laptop. Came back home Saturday morning, used my laptop and didn't notice until I was checking my e-mail that night that they were still on. That's just it tho, they last longer than a day and a half. I just plugged them in at that point so they wouldn't die. I don't know how long they really last for but I imagine I might not ever know unless I forget about them for longer than that again. Don't let the price fool you, these speakers sound great and are a forgotten gem in this era of things being reproduced with a new name and look every year.

For $40... these speakers are awesome! They aren't going to produce the rich full sound that you might be used to, and yes they will distort if you play a song with a lot of bass and have the volume set at max... But! So long as you know what you're getting into, these are great. I use them when I work out doors and they totally raise the spirits of my co-workers. I used them for 5 hours straight at max volume without running out of juice. The magnetic locking base is cumbersome and does not work well. I usually just throw them into the included soft case that they ship with and then toss them in my back pack.As far as sound quality, I think that they are on par with the Jam Box at normal listening levels, but the Jam Box will play at a higher volume, with less distortion. I've used the bose sound link a few times and those speakers blow the jam box and these both away, but the Bose also cost $300.Bottom line, Great product, very portable, Good, but not Great sound.

These speakers are exactly what I was looking for in a speaker set of this size. They permit me to increase the volume to a level which is more then my laptop permits. The quality of the sound is very good for the size and quality of the product. They are something mostly used for private use in a small area such as your office or in the home. I was first introduced to them at a party for a young relative and the were hooked up to a laptop. I was suprised by the volume level they were able to put our with the quality of such a small unit. You can also just play one of them if you wanted to take one on a trip and don't want to take both. I am very satisfied with them at this point. Charging them is not a problem. Time will tell how well they hold up over time. They appear to be a good value for the price.

I did a lot of research on different speakers before buying these, and they sound great! They have a good range, aren't too twangy or bass heavy, and don't rattle with static when at a reasonable to louder volume. The battery life is great too.Two reasons I give it 4 stars instead of 5: (1) The cord! It's a little bit obnoxious. Seems like there has to be a way the designers could have simplified it. (2) When the USB charger is plugged in, the sound quality deteriorates a bit.These 2 issues don't end up being enough of a problem to not buy the speakers. I've gotten used to the cord, and since the battery life is so good I just plug the USB charger part in when I'm not listening anything and unplug it when I am. Overall probably about the best purchase you can make for good sounding, cheaper-end speakers.

I use these for playing lusic from the golf cart while I am golfing. They are just loud enough to be heard well on a windy day from outside the cart. The battery has lasted over 36 holes without a charge being required. I have dropped the speakers once in an asphalt parking lot, and they keep on ticking. Poer cord is well thought out in design. L and R side speakers and power cord connections are all labeled. My only wish is that they were more powerful, but for such a compact design, that is probably asking too much. The magnetic bases are not very strong. Strong enough to hold the speakers together during storage but thats about it. I would not try and use the magnetic mounts to hold the speakers on anything moving.

Dave Matthews and EmmyLou Harris are wailing Long Black Veil on these guys right now!! Excellent sound quality. Battery life seems like it is going into 2012...charged them out of the box for about 24 hours and that blue light has been on forever. The red light does work, but the battery charge is EXCELLENT! All features work as expected at least and most are much better than expected. Very highly recommended. Simple installation, cable network is user friendly and GREAT SOUND from Dave and EmmyLou 10 minutes after opening the box is great reward!ONE MONTH LATER: Can't understand the few negative reviews of these speakers! They have had hours of service now and couldn't be more pleased with the sound quality, the battery life (the initial charge overnight lasted for the entire month), the build quality, the portability, cord management, etc. Purchased a 6' male/female extension cable and the speakers now reach anyplace we could ever want them. If you're considering mini speakers, give these IHome 79's due consideration. They are fantastic. You won't regret purchasing them. HURRY $10 cheaper last month!

We purchased these at Christmas to go with a mini DJ set up for my 9 year old son. They are tiny. Smaller than I expected, but they make enough sound for what he is doing. He is experimenting and creating music for his own use. They do only charge with a USB connection. Since these were not going to be plugged in to a computer, that seemed like a puzzle to me at first, but my 9 year old quickly figured out how to use an extra USB AC adapter to charge them when he needed. I gave it 4 stars because, once I got them, I really felt the price was higher than the value of the speakers. Something about $13 less would have been more in line with what you really get.