If I Lived Alone, I'd Throw The Old Sound System Out the Window
Written: May 31 '08 (Updated May 31 '08)
Product Rating:
Pros: Incredible sound, easy set up, loud volume, versatile, saves space
Cons: None from this user. I love this speaker system.
The Bottom Line: Highly recommended to people with limited space for older sound systems or for those who are looking to supplement their current sound system for parties, kitchens, etc.
meagandowney's Full Review: Kicker IK500 Powered iPod Speaker System
I'm not an audiophile, but I was raised by one and live with another. Both my father and my significant other love to play with their equalizers and speakers, but if I had only myself to think about, I would gladly get rid of all of the equipment to go digital with the Kicker IK500 Powered iPod Speaker System. Most buyers will be thinking of summer parties in their backyard when they buy this, but if I had a friend going through a breakup or divorce, I'd buy her this speaker system and congratulate her on a life free of music-related clutter. The Kicker IK500 would also make a fabulous gift for music lovers going off to college who won't have the space or money for a CD player and won't be satisfied with smaller versions.
I received the Kicker IK500 Powered iPod Speaker System at no charge in exchange for my honest review here on epinions. I never expected to love the system so much. I have a simple iPod Nano that holds around 200 songs at the moment, but I'm seriously considering upgrading in the near future to an iPod with more memory so that I can keep all of my music on the device and use these speakers.
Set Up
Set up was incredibly simple - like a few minutes simple. Initially, I pulled it out on the front porch to take it out of the box because we had company and I wanted to see what I was in for. Before my drink was half drunk, I was ready to plug in and go. Just as much set up time is dedicated to removing plastic and packaging as it is to dealing with the actual product. I received several adapters, but only needed to plug in a cord to the back of the unit and connect it to a power adapter.
Design
The unit itself has a sleek, compact design. It's black and slightly resembles a matte version of Darth Vader's mask. It would look beautiful on a granite countertop in the kitchen or fit snugly on one of your roomier bookshelves. We have ours in an indoor porch off of our kitchen so that we can play music through the window for gatherings in the backyard or listen to music on something better than the PC speakers in the office.
I like the fact that it's so lightweight and portable. It weighs maybe 12 pounds and comes with a very small, thin remote that would take up minimal room in your back pocket. It's slightly shorter and much thinner than a pack of cigarettes with (thank you, Kicker!) simple, clearly labeled buttons, such as VOL and MENU.
At the bottom and center of the unit sits a docking station for your iPod. I clicked my Nano on the docking station and was ready to go. All I had to do was push the dial in to power up and find a song on my Nano to play. I played a little George Benson ("Give Me the Night," to be exact) and Booker T and the MGs to start. With the baby and the company safely on the other end of the house, I turned up the volume all the way to the max and let the pure pleasure take over. The sound was so clear to me that I excitedly ran to get the resident audiophile to come and listen with me.
His first response was "Wow! That sounds really good!" His second response was "Is there an equalizer?" I looked at him in disbelief. Then he said, "I just mean - you know - can I change that bass and treble?" I didn't see any need to change either, but I did see that I could change them both by depressing the volume dial. A soft blue light emanates from the top of the black speaker system as you do so. It's clearly visible, but dim enough not to change the feel of a darkened room.
I'm Enjoying Music Again
After listening to some R&B for a while, I put my Nano on shuffle and let the library go from classical to indie to hip hop and was really pleased with the sound quality for every genre. The Kicker got me so giddy that I went on an iTunes spree and truly enjoyed listening to music for an entire evening. I can't remember the last time I had the opportunity or the equipment to do that. It's always been someone else's music on their fabulous sound system or my music on a tinny, cheap one. I work hard to bring home the bacon and after frying it up in a pan, I deserve to have the Kicker and am so glad I could participate in this review process. It's a kind of right of passage for a woman in her 30's, not too far behind motherhood. There are few pleasures that are completely my own these days, but the Kicker is one of them.
An informational sheet that came with the Kicker instructed me to match my iPod's output settings with those of the system, but I never needed to do that. The default settings were perfect for my level of auditory savvy, and I assume that the same would be true for all but the die hard audiophiles. It retails for around $300 and I believe it's worth every penny. If it inspires you to convert your library to digital files, you'll save money and space in the long run. The only things I'll miss are the skips and the pops in one of our Stan Getz albums.
Five out of five stars.
This product was provided to me at no charge in exchange for my honest review.
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