Review by Get a Mac:

I purchased 4 speaker sets in the price range of -. My intent is to find the best set for teachers to use in their classroom at this price range. Out of the 4 sets this was the only one I returned. The sound was okay, but the all the others were noticeably better.

Logitech S220 2.1 Speaker System (Black) – good sound, but if the max volume was any softer then it would not work well in a classroom.

Logitech X-140 2.0 Speakers – Loudest Volume level; Easiest hookup with only 2 speakers; base levels are okay without a subwoofer, but subwoofer would improve music; Best of the group for listening to someone talking.

Boston Acoustics Horizon MM220 Multimedia Speaker System (Midnight) – I would describe this set as being in the middle of the road compared to the 2 described above. Sound volume, music quality and talking quality are clearly in the middle.

My Recommendation – Depending on what you want to mostly use them for…

Music – Logitech S220

Talking and Volume – Logitech X-140

The Boston Acoustics Horizon MM220 has gone up in price on Amazon () and is on [...]. I would not pay that much. If I was going to spend that much I would purchase the Bose Companion 2 Series II at SamsClub for plus tax. You can simultaneously hook up a computer and DVD/VCR and the sound is great.

Review by Daniel:

Despite a few bad reviews, I decided to try these speakers out. These speakers are really cool looking and make a great first impression. I have to say, I was expecting them to sound like my music was playing out of a tin can, but they really proved me wrong. They actually do have a nice full sound. I also like that the on/off switch and main volume is easily accessible and I don’t have to reach very far at all to adjust it. Another nice touch is the fact that there is a knob on the sub woofer to adjust the base. Most sets with a small sub woofer like this one don’t have that. As for the sound of the sub woofer, I think that it is great, however this is the first pair of speakers that I have had with a sub woofer. I would say that these are an overall good pair of speakers, and I have already recommended them to a friend.

Review by Drew Johnson:

I received a Zune for Christmas, which is what I wanted (I’m not an ‘Apple’ person), and bought this to use my mp3 player at work. Essentially, the unit sounds and looks good, but it doesn’t connect 100% to the Zune and has to be plugged and replugged until it works. The most frustrating thing is that the remote only works when it chooses to, which is about half the time! I put a new battery into it, hoping to alleviate the problem, but it didn’t. Now, I simply don’t use the remote; I get too frustrated wondering whether or not it’s going to work this time!

The sound quality is good. I use it in an office, so I don’t have it cranked up to maximum, but it does what I bought it for. I just wish they hadn’t even included a remote it the darn thing wasn’t dependable.

WELL, (Jan. 30) it’s been sent back to the company for a week now. It is completely unusable. If the unit is repaired or replaced and sent back to me in a timely manner, I will raise my rating to a five, because costumer service counts for something. If I don’t get a response or satisfaction, I’ll drop the rating to a 1 for the small consolation that will provide. At least it will serve as a warning to others. We’ll see what they do.

OKAY! I received a NEW Zlive Speaker System to replace the malfunctioning one I returned and this one works exactly as I hoped! It’s a very nice system! I might’ve gotten a lemon the first time around, but I’m impressed with how this thing functions now that I have a good one! The remote is simple to use (don’t put a Pepsi can between it and the system) and works every time. The sound is not gigantic, fill-the-room-with-wall-to-wall-music bold, but it’s simply perfect for the office environment in which I use it. I tried to change the rating from 3 stars to 5 because of the prompt, courteous service the company exhibited in making things right, but it won’t let me. In any case, even with my false start, I recommend the Zline.

Review by Derrick B. Smith:

Zlive’s first speaker, the NS108B is really a Zune version of the iLive IS208B ipod/touch speaker dock tailored, of course for Zune devices. I bought this from Amazon.com for .99, presumably retail, seeing as it’s not available anywhere, not even on Amazon for 1-2 months or on the Zlive website. The ipod version maxes out at .99 (average ).

Unboxing: Nice package, all the standards. Just plugging it in lights up the clock display.

What’s included: Clips for different Zune sizes, the remote (with button battery already installed), warranty and manual.

Operation: Pretty simple, plug it in, clip in your clip for your Zune device and slide in your Zune to start playing.

Sound quality: Given its size, the Zlive NS108B gets very good volume considering it’s size. It’s not a full sound and sounds kind of confined, or rather restrained in the bass section and even a bit in the highs; but it’s not meant to be a boombox (we’re waiting on Zlive’s 2nd entry for that). It has an EQ but it’s not documented what the settings are – use your own ear for the best setting. Even at what I deemed the flat setting, which is how it starts, the sound is clear and never distorts even at max volume – which is pretty nice. It seems as though the mid range gets the most boost.

Treble – ok and clear; mid-range – good, clear;bass – present, not powerful.

The dock also has an aux in for other devices, an aux out and a video out (assuming your device can send video out) – pretty standard; the video out worked without a hitch.

Also, it’s worth noting the remote is just great. Not only is there a back button (finally), but also a Menu button, which jumps straight to the menu – neat. You can do everything from the remote you would be able to on the device/speaker dock except fast-forward/rewind songs. Cool.

Pros: Even though the ipod version is cheaper by on average, it’s still the next to cheapest Zune speaker dock on the market, (iHome’s first Zune dock has that honor @ .99 retail) and the least expensive 2 speaker stereo portable dock with a clock. Great remote control.

Cons: Although there is a clock, it isn’t an alarm clock – not really a con. It’s small, but constrained to AC power; there’s a panel for 2 AAA batteries, but it’s really for backup and not for real playing. Strangely enough, as I’m writing this review the sound in the right speaker goes out. I’ll have to return it – dang! This t could just be a bad unit – it happens sometimes.

Ratings:

Price – 4.0/5.0 (Could be , which would still be more than the ipod version, but still be a good value)

Quality (hardware) – 3.0/5.0 (I reduced my score from a 4.5 because my right speaker just went dead 20 minutes into steady use – what the hey?)

Quality (sound) – 4.0/5.0 – Not high end sound, but you should expect that from a small form portable dock like this. It could be better, because the mid-range is so nice.

Others – 4.5/5.0 – Excellent remote, intuitive design, ease to use

Overall 4/5 – Recommended

Review by Manuel R. Melendez:

I purchased this tonight and cannot believe the sound clarity that this lil’ thing has. I am very pleased with the sound however cannot give this a 5-star rating because the cord has a strange setup. Instead of being hidden the cord must wrap around the side to plug into the ipod. I have a 3rd gen nano (lil’ square one) and the jack is on the bottom making it sit off-center. Also props the ipod a little off the back plate. If this didn’t sound as good as it does I would take it back. For this price its definitely a keeper!

Review by J. Moody:

Wow…this thing is great. Yes, it runs on batteries. And no, it doesn’t charge your ipod. But it costs and it’s portable! All you need is 4 AA batteries and you can take your music anywhere! It’s great if you are having a BBQ, hanging out on the boat, or just want to move it from room to room to enjoy your ipod! I loved it so much, I ordered a second one just to have for when I do stuff outside. It’s little, it’s loud, it’s a great setup. Totally worth the money!

Review by M. Savino:

I purchased this item in July, 2007 as a way of listening to music while working on my computer. The item fits perfectly on my computer desk and is easy to use. Do not expect superior sound quality. For the price it provides adequate sound quality and allows me to listen to my iPod music without using headphones. My 30 GB iPod fit perfectly into the slot and the device charges my iPod at the same time that it plays my music. The buttons on the front of the machine provide for easy volume control. Overall I am pleased with the purchase and it performs just like I thought it would. I find myself listening to more music on my iPod since I’m not bound by the earphones. My music is now good background music and now not something that I have to totally concentrate on while working at my desk.

Review by Science Rules:

I went to Frys and tried about 25 different display models of iPod speakers, from to 0 with no pre-conceived preference in mind. I found that this model was the best buy for the money. The really expensive Bose speakers sounded better, but NOT 5-times-the-price better. The other similarly priced speakers paled in comparison; they were either tinny-sounding or muffled. And the really cheap speakers sounded really cheap, plus they didn’t charge my iPod. So, I bought one for myself and one for my daughter for Christmas. So far, so good! No problems. I’m satisfied and would recommend it.

Review by Systems_Consultant:

This cable would be OK for a set of headphones but you should not use it in the signal path between a source device, like an MP3 player or computer, and an amplifier. The shielding is so poor in this cable that it will pickup a considerable amount of 60Hz EMI (aka hum) and you won’t like the results.

I bought this cable to connect my high-end Dell portable computer to the Sony pre-amplifier unit of my home entertainmenet system. I wanted to use my portable as an MP3 player since it’s a lot easier to program and create playlists on a 17″ computer screen than any of the portable MP3 players I’ve seen. When I had everything hooked up I experienced a very noticeable hum from my stereo speakers even before starting the player application on the computer. At first I thought I had a ground loop so I removed all other external cables (power, usb, ethernet) from the computer, running it on battery only. Still the hum persisted. Even with the AUD-1100-25 cable unplugged from the computer the hum persisted.

I then replaced the AUD-1100-25 with a pair of RCA cables w/ RCA to 1/8″ stereo adapters and the hum went away. The RCA cables were hand-made with some quality shielded cable with the connectors hand-soldered by me. What a difference. So, that’s what I ended up using.

Although I think Monster Cables and the like are a way over-priced, this product has gone too far in the other direction. I don’t recommend this item if you’re going to use it in an application that will amplify the signal (and noise) coming through the cable. It’s easy to see why this cable is so cheap.

Review by Travis G. Mandel:

I use this to connect my laptop to my tv when I watch downloaded shows. It works well.