Tongfamily Website

Hat tip to iPod Lounge. Here is the latest of gifts for Ipodders here’s a run down on the best speakers. As they say from ultra=portable, to portable to near portable to not portable

• Macally Podwave. These are tiny little speakers that fit at the top of an iPod. $39 and they sound decent. Makes the Ipod a nice transister radio for those of old enough to remember our first musical thingy. For me, it was a little radio the size of an iPod that got AM.
• Altec IM3. Expensive at $180 and they don’t sound super great, but this paperback size speaker set is the best integrated. Comes with a remote too. Budget folks should get the IM2 which isn’t integrated but costs typically $39 at online sites on the web.
• JBL On Stage. These are near portables. And at $110 are much cheaper than the top of the line Bose at $300. Sound pretty good too. I like this design because it is small and you can in effect make an iPod a “clock radio”. Main thing is that it sounds way better than the iM3 and has a higher WAF (wife acceptance factor).
• Tivoli Audio. If you need the AM/FM clock radio stuff, an Tivoli iPal at $130 is the ticket. Sounds good, but is less integrated than the drop it in the station On Stage.

• “JBL Creatures”. I have a set of these $70 street 2.1 speakers. Wow, they are big particularly the subwoofer, but they sound good. In fact, most 2.1 speakers are going to blow the doors off of the little things mentioned previously, but these are white so match the iPod well. Use it at the office and it is loud and clear. Biggest comparison is with the Bose Sounddeck. Main issue is that it doesn’t have a remote, but sounds way better at 1/4 the cost.