Pros: A truly portable iPod docking speaker system with 9 total speaker drivers, separated into left and right channels with a larger subwoofer. Includes good remote control, Universal Dock Adapters, wall power supply, and AA battery option. Compares favorably in sound quality to similarly-priced options.
Cons: Spotty implementation of integrated, not especially useful LCD screen makes use of the system more difficult than necessary – because of synchronization process, which has oddities, not as plug-and-play as competing options. Treble response not as impressive as in some competing, less expensive products.
As one of several sequels to the company’s earlier i-Station docking speaker system, i-Station 8 ($180) includes eight individual mid-range drivers and a dedicated subwoofer driver in the center, plus an iPod dock and nice little remote control. With an integrated one-line LCD display on its front top, i-Station 8 can display iPod track information, forward/backward track status, and other information so that you can easily see from a distance what’s playing or happening with the speakers. Logic3 has also included a large variety of ports on the unit’s back, enabling you to take S-Video and composite video output directly from your docked iPod, as well as data and audio; line-in is provided for non-docking iPods, and there’s a switch to let you toggle between AA battery or wall power. A remote conrol with album, playlist, repeat, shuffle, muting, and iPod track/playback controls is also included, as is a protective front shield, Apple Universal Dock-compatible inserts, a power supply, and an audio cable.
With some regularity, we issue less than A-caliber ratings to iPod speaker systems with outstanding sound quality, and on occasion, the manufacturers ask, “why didn’t they rate an A?” The answer is always in the review, but typically boils down to one or two of three things: pricing, feature omissions/ defects, or cosmetics. Logic3’s new i-Station 8 ($180) is that sort of speaker: a novel portable design that sounds great for the price, but has a few kinks. It’s available in two colors, white or black, to match your iPod of choice.
A Familiar Design, Rendered Portable
As with much larger desktop speakers sold by Altec Lansing (FX6021, iLounge rating: A) and Harman Kardon/JBL (SoundSticks II, iLounge rating: A-), i-Station 8 takes a “large array of drivers” approach to creating its audio – a novel approach by portable speaker standards.
Four drivers are dedicated to each of the left and right channels of audio, rather than the traditional one or two drivers found in each channel on other portable systems. Each driver is tuned to a specific band of frequencies, then crossed over with the others to produce a wall of full-frequency sound. The unique twists here are that all nine Logic3 drivers are integrated into the same chassis, capable of running off of AA battery power, and fit in a briefcase rather than a huge suitcase.
Also unlike those options, Logic3 has integrated a collection of iPod-specific features, most notably a Universal Dock Adapter-compatible iPod dock that folds up for storage or travel, and a large variety of ports on the system’s back. The ports let you take S-Video and composite video output directly from your docked iPod, as well as data and audio; a line-in port is provided for non-docking iPods, and there’s a switch to let you toggle between the eight optional AA batteries or included wall power adapter. Above the ports is a small handle hole with a shelf, which optionally stores Logic3’s included Infrared, 13-button remote control. The remote features album, playlist, repeat, shuffle, muting, and iPod track/playback controls – more than the typical iPod remote, and that of any competing docking speakers in its price range. For the $180 price, you also get a protective clear plastic front shield, Apple Universal Dock-compatible inserts, and an audio cable. The system isn’t sexy – except for one feature below, it’s merely passable on looks – but it crams a lot into a small package.
The LCD Screen
The single most distinctive feature of i-Station 8 is one that’s not found on any other iPod speaker we’ve seen: there’s a LCD screen at the unit’s top, backlit in blue with black text, capable of displaying the current track’s title, or status text based on whatever you’ve done with the remote control.
Volume, mute status, shuffle mode, and other features are all indicated in large characters – at least, larger than those on the iPod’s screen. Unless you have pretty good vision, you won’t be able to read them well at a 10-foot distance.
For better and worse, this feature is based upon technology also found in Logic3’s In-Line Remote with LCD Display (iLounge rating: B-), which you might recall from our earlier review had a fairly significant flaw: it requires an initial synchronization period of roughly 20 seconds with your iPod, and sometimes doesn’t succeed. Your music will stop, you’ll see a Do Not Disconnect screen a couple of times, and then in any case, music will start to play. When the process fails, i-Station 8 falls into “Standard Mode,” and can’t display your track data on the screen.
That wouldn’t be a terrible thing, but if it succeeds, it oddly starts playing back your entire music library from the beginning, no matter what your iPod was doing before. In other words, you’ll need to go back and choose your preferred song again. This is a really annoying process to suffer through, and unless you keep your iPod docked for extended periods of time, detracts from the experience far more than it adds to it.
As much as we hate to say this, this “bonus” feature hurts an otherwise good speaker, dragging down its rating. We’re all for adding cool new features to boring and predictable speaker designs, but the lesson of i-Station 8’s LCD screen is obvious: do it right, or don’t do it at all, because you can ruin a great listening experience with a weird interface experience.
Competitive Testing
If it wasn’t for the screen, i-Station 8 would be a top-flight competitor in the portable speaker category. When you consider what companies have been selling as portable speakers for the iPod at the sub-$200 price level, you’ll first come across impressive entries like Logitech’s mm50 (iLounge rating: A-) for $150, which produces clean, balanced audio but has less bass than some competitors.
