Don't buy this player.
Like some other reviews have pointed out this unit can fail suddenly. About about a month of use the speakers suddenly stopped working, no sound would come from a docked iPod or from the aux input port.
A quick search on the net informed me this is a common defect of this unit and customer service is no help.
Customer service (the manufactures, iLive) has not responded to emails. iLive IS208B Stereo Speaker System with iPod Dock (Black)
I bought this for myself to use at work, for my iPod, and was very pleased with the size and how it sounded. I especially liked the style, it's rather cute. Not sure about the EQ button, but the remote is a blast to use. My supervisor even wanted one. It comes with brackets to fit different sizes of iPods. I was quite impressed. It's worth the money.
I bought one of my adult children an expensive Altec Lansing speaker system for his iPod a few months ago and he loves it. I purchased this item for myself thinking I'd be settling for an inferior product because I wasn't willing to spend big bucks on a more sophisticated speaker system. Well, I was WRONG! This little iLive System/Dock packs one heck of a great sound and performs nearly as well as my son's $300+ system. The music is surprisingly crisp and clear and voices bellow from the speakers. You can't go wrong here...don't let the price fool you!
This speaker set is a great value for the price. It can fit really nicely on a bedside table or shelf. It comes with a lot of trays so it can fit almost any iPod, except for the Shuffle and the iPhone, I believe. The back light on the clock is kind of bright, but it dims when not in use. You can also just cover the back of it (where the LEDs show- the brightest part) if it bothers you. In case of a power outage there is a back up battery compartment so the clock doesn't lose the time- but the speakers will not work on batteries. The remote it comes with is quite small and a bit finicky- you have to press a certain part of the button or else it won't work, and it doesn't respond right away, so scrolling through many artists is a bit of a hassle.
This is a great set of speakers for the price, making it a great value.
EDIT -10/31/2010-
As I said above, the speaker system worked great- until now at least. Lately, the volume seems to spontaneously fluctuate (the numerical value of the volume isn't changing, just the volume itself). Furthermore, some of the higher notes in many songs just refuse to play at all. It seems to be certain pitches only, though.
So, for longevity's sake I took off a star, but 2 years life isn't that bad for speakers, I suppose.
Someone else's review said "You get what you pay for," and that is the truth. The player worked great for the first 4 months. After that, I got a low tone buzz out of the speakers and now they hardly work at all. The speakers were never dropped or moved since I first plugged the unit in. Keep your receipt because the warranty is only for 90 days. I will not be buying anything else from this company. I am very disappointed and would not recommend anyone buy anything from this company.
My old iPod dock I used outside in the summer died. I spent quite a bit of time looking for a not to expensive replacement with a remote. Needless to say, they are hard to find.
When I saw this had good ratings and a remote, I bought one right away. I got it today and played it for over two hours straight now and LOVE IT!
Pros:
1. Great price (my old cost me $50-60)
2. Great sound (better than my older, expensive one)
3. Nice design (hey even has a clock!)
4. REMOTE!!!! Which by the way does anything and everything you can imagine - shuffle, skip to a new playlist, repeat, play, pause, turn on/off, play video, volume, etc. etc. (old one skipped songs, and did volume, pause, and mute)
Cons:
1. It's a bit bulky/heavy - my old one was small and light with a built in handle, this has NO handle, so you have to put it in a tote bag to carry it outside, hey no biggy, just be careful.
2. Cannot play it on batteries, you HAVE to plug it in. This means stringing an extension cord out to my deck and rigging it so no one trips over it but eh, not like I have some super duper landscaped yard and deck that a long orange cord is gonna ruin.
3. Can't see the clock really but again, I have a clock on my deck, I have clocks all over my house, not really necessary.
Overall, I give it 5 stars because it has a great sound (did I mention equalizers - cool!), great price, does what I need and I can ignore the minor annoyances. Anyway, it's worth it just for that remote, LOL.
Highly recommend this for someone looking for something decent for around the house or outside and you don't want to spend a fortune. Did I mention, it has a remote?! - Docking Stations - Ipod Dock - Ipod Dock System - Ipod'
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