Technology is always on the move, attempting to make life easier and elegant. When it comes to audio systems, the latest movements have been towards minimalistic designs coupled with wireless comfort. It is in this context that we present the iHome iW1.
What is it?
The iHome iW1 AirPlay speaker system is a dock which connects wirelessly to your computer or iDevices and gives you non-stop audio performance.
Key features
The iW1 is packed with a couple of three-inch woofers and a couple of one-inch tweeters. Though it is power rated for 13×2 watts, the speaker system is able to replicate the extra-low bass that many of the similarly sized and positioned docks are not able to. The control panel is located on the top. It is completely touch based. The dock is also controlled through a Rz10 remote which has all the buttons that are on the top of the iW1 and additional ones for muting, shuffling and repeating tracks. A one-button ‘Bongiovi Acoustics DPS’ enabling just lifts the performance of the dock by a few notches. The main-power switch, the battery indicator buttons, USB connecting dock, the iDevice charging dock, a jack, the LEd to display WiFi status and the LED to show the firmware are all located away at the back of the iW1. This is elegant because some of these are never used after the initial installation. There is an attached carrying handle on the back which ensures that you can strut around with your dock, boombox-style!
Whatâs innovative
On first looks, the iW1 looks simply like an elegant black box! So simple and sweet! Only an iHome logo is seen and the minimalist design impresses at first look itself. The multi-colored LEDs and other indicators are all stashes away behind the cloth in front. And to ‘top’ it all, there is the touch-control panel (made up by capacitive buttons) which is really massive. It contains the controls and indicators for playback, volume and other controls. It is very sensitive and senses the slightest tap or swipe. Readable even in broad sunlight, the panel switches to a pulsating light when in standby mode.
Price and availability
The iW1 dock is available from SDI Technologies/iHome at a price of $300.
Accessories
The iW1 can be thought of as a $150 speaker with $150 worth of accessories. These accessories include a 3-foot USB to 30-pin wire, the Rz10 remote, a charging platform, a detachable wall-wart and a manuals box.
The up side
The iW1 is a really cool feature-loaded dock with fairly good, wireless, air-play features. At $300, it is a real bargain. The ease and elegance of air-play is magnified manifold with the introduction of the Bongiovi DPS technology. With its intelligent boosting and volume control, the system ensures a well balanced and a fuller sound for any sort of audio. Without this technology, many audio pieces will simply fall flat and you may think that you are hearing an FM radio! And the DPS works awesome well from classical music to rock and pop.
The down side
There are some flip sides of the iW1 too. The much spoken-about touch panel, though extremely responsive, is susceptible to fingerprints and scratches. Though they went in for a minimalistic design, there are two power buttons and three different indicators for Wi-Fi status! Though they are bright to be seen in daylight, they are mostly in a standby mode and so it requires one to develop a memory of sorts to know precise locations of the controls. The battery button behind the dock is a little out of reach. The air play takes quite some time to get established and keeps going off once in a while. Some of the features are available only on the remote! So if the remote goes somewhere out of reach, you are stuck. Though you can connect via USB to the iHome’s free Set app, that defeats the ‘wireless’ concept of the dock.
Our experience
Connecting using iTunes, iPod and supported iGadgets apps is very easy. Just select the iW1 from the drop down menu and the Airplay speakers are thumping away. Just like Apple products, there is a kind of non functionality when trying to communicate with other’s products. As long as it was and Airplay compatible iDevice, the connection was established in a jiffy. It was a kind of a nightmare when trying to hook up with Macbooks and laptops. BUt once the connection is established, the playing is cool! There is a lag of about 2 seconds, however, between the pushing of controls and the execution of the commands.There were very few signal cuts and when they occurred, they lasted only a few seconds. Though the dock moved from standby to play in a few seconds, the cold boot up time of bout 45 seconds can get on your nerves! The dock has decent bass, good treble and an awesome mid-range performance. Air play has not led to any loss of quality. The dock also boasts of about six hours of playback at 50 percent volume through its internal 2,600 miAh lithium ion battery.
The bottom-line
The iW1 has a harmony of portability, quality and elegance. But, the price you are paying is more for the wire-free comfort rather than the sound quality. You are buying yourself an ‘almost seamless’ experience.
