This week I am reviewing my favorite portable iPod speakers, Logitech’s mm50’s. The mm50 is basically a slab of four speakers, wrapped in stylish metal mesh grill on the front and glossy black or white plastic on the back. In the center of the four speakers is an iPod dock, which is compatible with any iPod with a dock connecter (all the way back to the 3G models.) The mm50 is very compact – about a 12” x 4”, with built-in rechargeable batteries. The batteries provide about 10 hours of listening per charge; the mm50 includes an AC power charger. At the back of the MM50’s are a pair of metal feet; these fold neatly into the body of the mm50 when you want to pack the speakers away. The mm50 comes with a sturdy carrying bag, with a recessed pocket for the included remote control.
This is a very well-built speaker system, which is appropriate for a portable device; it’s built for stashing in a picnic basket, backpack, or beach tote-bag.
Now for the important part: how it sounds. For a unit of it’s size, it sounds great. Music is full featured and detailed, and bass is rich and solid (though lacking gut-wrenching thump – that’s not possible in a unit of this size.) The mm50 offers standard sound and 3D sound. The 3D sound is meant to mimic surround sound, and it works surprisingly well. This is somewhat important for an audio device this compact; with the actual speakers so close together, it’s difficult to get real stereo separation. The 3D sounds covers this defect. Indeed, I prefer the 3D sound setting to the standard sound setting. The standard setting if great, but the 3D setting sounds notably “better.”
The mm50 received 4.5 stars out of 5 on Playlist.com, and a “highly recommended” rating at iLounge.com.
We sell them new for $152.99 by clicking here
Or refurbished (and on sale) for $79.99, “by clicking here””:http://www.smalldog.com/wag17489/at_kibbles
Next week I’ll be reviewing my favorite non-portable iPod speakers, the Audioengine A5’s, which I use everyday at home.