While the Geeks were at CES earlier this year, we ran across a company that tingled our gizmo senses on Day 3 called dreamGEAR. dreamGEAR carries quite a few gizmos from speakers whose styles really fit the whole Apple and iPod look to PSP accessories to general gaming accessories for PC, PS2, GameCube, XBox, Xbox 360, Game Boy and Nintendo DS. dreamGEAR was kind enough to send us a iSound Tripod to review. Read on to see if the stylish speakers are worth listening to.
So, who is dreamGEAR? dreamGEAR was founded by three veterans of the Consumer Electronics, Video Games, Video Game Accessory and Entertainment industries as is evidenced by their product line. Also, with two of the original founders of Electro Source-PELICAN Accessories and the former President of Paramount Television Production on board, this dream team brings together over 50 years of entertainment and technology experience, dedicated to providing the latest in design and performance in Video Game Accessories and Consumer Electronics.
When we first received the iSound Tripod, our initial impressions centered around the style of the gizmo. The iSound Tripod comes with the speaker tripod, an AC adapter, a universal iPod docking stand with a few different fittings, and a case for the tripod unit. The iSound Tripod looks like it is made with the same material as white iPods, in particular the iPod Shuttle.
This unique speaker system actually has three “legs” that fold outward creating a tripod stand for the iSound Tripod. Two of the legs contain two speakers each and the third leg contains a built-in dock for an iPod shuttle. There is also an on/off switch, volume control and a standard headphone jack located around the top of the speaker system. Because the unit will accept standard headphone jacks, the iSound Tripod is also compatible with all iPods, MP3 players, CD players and any other audio device with a standard headphone plug.
The tripod folds up and fits perfectly in the case for portable and easy travel. Since the unit supports four AA batteries and an AC adapter, you can save space while traveling by not bringing the AC adapter and docking stand along. I tested how long batteries would last to make sure a typical trip could be covered by the speakers and I gave up keeping track of battery life after 25 hours of use. So you should prefectly set on a typical multi-day trip.
The true grooviness factor really kicks in when you turn the iSound Tripod on and the gizmo lights up. There is a red light that glows in the on/off switch area and a groovy blue ambient light flowing from the top of the tripod legs. Until I turned on the iSound Tripod, I had no idea the unit would light up like that and I’m surprised dreamGEAR does not advertise that on their site.
We definitely approve of the iSound Tripod style, but what about the sound quality?
If you are looking for an audiophile quality speaker system to play your digital tunes on, the iSound Tripod is not the answer. In fact, you will need to be prepared to spend at least $200 USD or more to satisfy your audiophile needs. However, the iSound Tripod provides a nice sound for the price. With the suggested retail price of $49.99 and priced at Amazon lower than $35, the sound is easily equivalent to other speakers in the same price range. The speakers present sound with lots of volume. Due to the size of the speakers, bass is mostly absent but by boosting bass levels in your iPod or other media device, bass sounds better.
While comparing the speakers to another older pair of Sony speakers I had lying around that were slightly less expensive (sorry, I don’t know the model number) , the sound is definitely superior and the portability and style are levels better. As mentioned above, the speakers could sound better, but you will have to pay for that luxury.
The iSound Tripod’s suggested retail price is $49.99 and is available from www.isoundusa.com as well as Amazon.com.
What’s Groovy:
Groovy is definitely the first word that emerged from my mouth when I first turned the iSound Tripod on as the blue ambient light and lit up the space between the legs that form the tripod.
What’s Sucky:
My only complaint is that the lower registers are hard to hear and you really have to crank the bass up on the audio source.
| Features | Performance | Quality | Value |
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| The ambient lighting was a nice feature that I did not expect in the iSound Tripod and the entire form factor, including the ability to fold the legs out to create a tripod, was pretty cool. Also, since not everyone has an iPod Shuffle, the ability to hook up other digital music players is necessary (although I wish the speaker system came with the cable needed to hook up an iPod to the iSound Tripod). | The speaker system performed as expected with portable speakers in a similar price range. | The iSound Tripod is definitely a quality product with the minor issue being that the the docking stand adapters can easily come out of the docking stand while traveling. This is not a big deal and you simply snap it back into place though. | If you are looking for a portable, groovy and competitively priced speaker system, the iSound Tripod is a very good value. |
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| The iSound Tripod speakers sound like other speakers in their price range but provide a nice groovy vibe with a unique tripod form factor and ambient lighting when on. | |||