Comments on: Livespeakr Ultra-Portable Speaker System for iPod/iPhone

By: L. Fosdick

L. Fosdick — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:44:39 +0000

I bought this to use with a new 3rd generation iPod Touch. It sounds very good, and lets me rotate the iPod to watch videos in lanscape mode. The sound is good for a system this size. The internal rechargable battery has a good life, and it charges from a mini-USB connection, so I can use a common adapter for cell phone, iPod, and speaker.

The holder for the iPod seems a bit flimsy to shove into a suitcase, so careful packing is needed. Though it wasn’t documented in the manual, I figured out that the holder can be popped off to route the audio cable for the Touch. It comes configured for the iPhone.

Viewing angles are limited by the mass of the iPod. It has to tilt a certain amount, or none at all, or it will fall. If there’s a way to shift the base, I haven’t found it.
Rating: 4 / 5

By: Elias Friedman

Elias Friedman — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 02:06:41 +0000

The speakers I purchased are at first glance very impressive. Here is what you will like: 1. The ease of use. It is truly easy….even for people who have a tough time understanding how to use new equipment. 2. The size of the speaker. Size is everything. It can be compacted and put in a desk drawer without taking up a a lot of space or a glove box in a car. 3. Craftmanship. This is no cheap plastic set of speakers. You can tell the manufacturer used quality pieces to manufacture the speakers. 4. Most importantly – you will like the sound. You probably have heard of other companies who manufacture speakers but not this one. dont worry about the lack of name recognition, the sound quality is GREAT and I can use these speakers almost anywhere.

My recommendation: Buy 2, one for yourself and the other or a friend.
Rating: 4 / 5

By: J. Farrell

J. Farrell — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:33:02 +0000

I purchased the Livespeakr. Came in nice packaging but it doesn’t work. The unit will not produce any sound and it is fully charged. My iphone plays thru its speaker — plug it into Livespeakr – no sound.

Call the service number and you get voicemail. No return call yet.

Very limited instructions on line or in box as well.
Rating: 1 / 5

By: Thomas P. Larsen

Thomas P. Larsen — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:01:52 +0000

LiveSpeakr sounds very good for such small speakers. It doesn’t compare to any larger speakers, as there is no bass and very little low midrange. But, that’s comparing apples to oranges. I bought this as a gift for my wife and her new best friend, her iPhone. LiveSpeakr doesn’t disappoint with it’s tiny size that fits in her purse to go everywhere, and the sound that’s better than anything in its size class, not that there is anything in the size class. Other small speakers I’ve seen are very cheap and sound horrible. I have a $30 Ryobi rechargable radio/speaker from Home Depot that’s larger, with a 4 inch speaker. It has more low-midrange, but I like the quality of LiveSpeakr’s sound better. This is the most direct comparison I can make.

I have one major diappointment: my wife’s iPhone doesn’t fit in the holder, the holder is too small. My wife keeps an Invisible shield on her iPhone for protection from scratches and that tiny thickness of a few mils makes the phone too large to fit in the very tight holder. I keep a Griffin Wave case on my iPhone at all times, and, of course, that makes it much too large to fit. Too bad the LiveSpeakr didn’t come with a big rubber band to hold them. I’m going to take my heat gun, warm up the plastic till it’s soft, and see if I reshape the holder to allow a phone with a case.

It’s mentioned that the LiveSpeakr works as a speakerphone with the iPhone. While it works, the caller hears a horrible echo of their voice coming back, making conversations impossible.

Other features I wish I could have found in an iPhone speaker this size:

1. It should use AA batteries, so when they run down, you can pop in new batteries and keep listening. You can always use rechargeable AA cells if you want a recharge option.

2. It should power/charge the iPhone, especially if it uses replaceable AA cells. My wife often works in remote locations where plugging in is not an option, and it would add a lot of value if the speaker would also recharge the phone.

3. I’d like a more monolithic design. In a purse, and on the go, we’d rather not have a bunch of protrusions and places to get caught and break. This design has too many moving parts: you rotate the holder and the speakers move out. It’s cute, but I expect (even though it’s made of quality materials) it will break. When that happens, perhaps I’ll cannibalize it to put the great quality speakers in a box of a different design.

Criticisms aside, we’re keeping it. My wife loves it, though I won’t be buying one for myself. LiveSpeakr is probably the best choice on the market at this time.
Rating: 3 / 5

By: Jack

Jack — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:47:57 +0000

I got this for the new iPhone 3GS. I must admit, the speakers are very compact/portable. However, when I hooked up my iPhone and tried to play music thru them, I experienced a lot of feedback and interference. Plus, my phone would intermittently cutoff and stop playing music for some unknown reason.

Oh yeah, this unit will also not fit your iPhone if you have an Incase slider installed on it.

I ended up sending the unit back for a refund due to all the problems and I got a different unit by a different manufacturer. No problems now!

Anyway, this product may work fine with an iPod (I don’t own one and therefore had no way to test that). My review is based solely on how it functioned with my iPhone.
Rating: 1 / 5