iPod speaker review: Logitech AudioStation Express

I've been casually monitoring the portable iPod speaker market for a while, somewhat from a distance though. In fact, the sheer rocketing numbers of devices on the market almost makes selecting a suitable choice an impossible task. Especially with few shops offering both a large enough selection and the ability to hear them before you buy. However, wondering through a supermarket, one which doesn't deserve to be advertised here, I spotted a tempting offer. A nice looking iPod speaker for around £40 - reduced from £79 apparently. It was the Logitech AudioStation Express.

After phoning a friend and asking him to do a quick search for customer opinions on the product it seemed that it was quite quite highly regarded. A bit of deliberating and sudden rash purchase followed.

Getting the Logitech iPod speaker system out of its packaging was quite rewarding, everything looked new and shiny and all smooth surfaces had those little film coverings on, the removal of which always brings a pleasing satisfaction. It comes with a neat little remote, a bunch of adaptors to fit probably all iPods with the dock connector (although check before you buy), and a tough looking fabric case which can be used to protect the speakers while in transit or even while they are in use. All of which is of a high quality. The iPod speaker system itself is cleanly designed, not very large and has a large push button/rotating volume knob on the front. Push it in to turn on the device and an orange glowing ring lights up around it. A nice touch and one that lends to a high quality appearance. The remote can be stored in an area on the back of the speaker system which is a useful feature.

Anyway enough about the looks and features. You want an idea of how it sounds. In short, very good. There are some quirks and things to note however. When I first turned it on I had it placed on a table that I was standing at. Therefore I was a fair bit higher than the speakers. It is important that you are on a level plane with the speakers when listening to them. If you're not you will notice the treble falls off very quickly, leaving the sound sounding quite cupboard like. As with most small speaker systems it sounds much better if its in a corner somewhere. The system has bass boosting architecture to enhance the bass whilst keeping the unit small and using little power. It should also be noted that at very low volumes the treble falls off sharply again. This is very low volumes however and at a normal quiet background level it is perfectly acceptable. However, where it really seems to shine is when you crank it up, to about 90% of its output. The quality and volume of the sound for the devices' size is really amazing. Everything sounds very nicely balanced, with trebles crisp, and bass strong. And to think this is a device that can run on 6 AA batteries.

The speakers have a 3.5mm line input which is usefully if you want to add some kick to your laptop or if you have a non-iPod music player. Although of course you'll need to be using a compatible iPod for the device to charge it up or use the remote control. The charging functionality only works when the device is plugged in with the mains adapter, which is probably for the best. The remote control offers power on/off, play/pause, volume and next/previous track control. The device also has a coaxial video output which I haven't actually tested but shows video output from video capable iPods.

For the price I paid this is a great buy. Of course its much the same price anywhere on in the internet but I'd recommend grabbing one from Amazon (click the link in the box above).