iHome iP46 Portable 30-Pin iPod/iPhone Speaker Dock

I purchased this product in January of 2012 and it still works great. Haven't had a single problem with it. It keeps charge while playing music for around 4 solid hours. Which makes it pretty good for camping trips if you don't want to waste the money on an electric camp site. It also charges rather quickly, a full charge in around 30 minutes. The sound is also spectacular, for being such a small speaker set I'm amazed at the quality sound and bass it puts out. Also it gets more than loud enough for pretty much anything. I love blaring music in my house and while I work and I can't remember a single time I've turned the volume all the way up. So if you're looking for a small portable speaker system you don't have to keep plugged in, then this is perfect for you. I take it camping with me, in the bathroom for showers, and to work with me. It allows me to easily take music anywhere I want to go.

The iHome iP46 is a great little speaker unit. It couldn't be more plug and play right out of the box. Just press on the retractable dock, attach your iPod or iPhone, power the unit on and it plays. And for a set of speakers that only measures 3.6 x 1.9 x 13 inches, it sounds a lot bigger. In fact, the thing is loud enough to play in a room full of people and still be heard with decent sound. One of the best parts is that it adds another charging station to our house full of iPhones and iPods. You don't even need to turn the power on for it to charge your device. You DO need to have the AC adapter plugged in for it to charge devices. We keep ours attached to the AC adapter (included) most of the time. But the thing is great to take outside (in nice weather of course). The battery(ies) last for like 8 hours before it needs recharging and you can monitor the battery life with the built in 4-bar LED battery indicator light on top of the unit. The actual battery is not replaceable by the consumer; like your iDevice the battery is 'supposed' to last for the life of the unit. The only other buttons on top of the unit are power, SRS Sound on/off, volume up and volume down. On the back of the unit there is an auxiliary input so you can play music by attaching your iPod to the dock or you can use the unit with any device by connecting with a 3.5mm jack audio cable. Also on the back of the unit is a is a switch labeled "Remote" that can be set to auto or on. I found this curious because the unit did not seem to come with a remote control of any sort. After a little searching it turns out that a remote control can be purchased separately...what a gip. The best feature of the iP46, aside from how good it sounds, is its portability. Whether you're renting a ski house, spending some time in a hotel or just plain going somewhere that you'd like to be able to listen to your music without headphones, you've found the answer here. The iP46 weighs less than 3 pounds and is super easy to pack. The dock retracts into the unit and the little legs that help it stand upright fold under the unit so that you're left with a small rectangular box that takes up barely any room in your travel bag. When we're not traveling, our iP46 has found a home in the kids' media room. Like I said earlier, we don't store it because it adds another charging station to the house. Plus the kids like to use the iP46 while they play Playstation. Now they can listen to music and use their mics while they game. Happy days. The iP46 seems a little pricy, but it's built well and I think we'll get our money's worth.

Below is my original review. Mine quit working already, so I am changing my review. I have been careful with it, and it has not been used all that much. For it to quit working this soon is unacceptable to me under any conditions. The speakers I replaced with this unit, I had used since 1984. This is exactly what I was looking for, and what I expected after having read the reviews. It is simple to use, looks nice, seems well built, and has good sound for the price. I tried several inexpensive cheap speaker systems, and this is by far the best that I tried. That said, if you expect Bose type quality, spend the extra hundreds that it will cost. If you want decent sound in a small well built product, then this is what you are looking for.

I bought this system a few months ago before my summer vacations, and it worked out great. The sound is resepctable considering the price, but the small size and long battery life made it worth the purchase. I took it out camping and with me to the beach (though I didn't take it out on the beach) and it worked well. I held onto the original packaging and store it in there when traveling, but it doesn't take up a lot of room. The battery seems to work pretty good so far, I ran it continuously through a playlist of over 150 songs, (though the speakers were not on full blast) and there was still plenty of juice left in the battery. My only concern is the connection port to the Ipod, in which it stows away when not in use, but pops out for when you want to connect your Ipod. It seems a little flimsy and I feer that at some point from prolonged use, it may eventually break. But it works fine so far.

Bought two of these one as gift and one two keep. Works flawlessly with any 3GS to 4s iPhone. It has two sound choices, one higher quality than the other. I use the "low" quality on when it is not plugged in to save battery life. However, the battery live is very good. It has never run out on us while using it. The "low" quality sound choice is very good and works great, but when you choose the high quality sound, you will never go back to the low quality. It sound great. As sated in the title, sound gets a bit lost outdoors in large areas but still fairly loud. Also, you most likely need to take the device out if the case to drop it in the dock. We love the speaker and worth the price.

Good things first: the sound for the size is great. We used it in our livingroom, kept it plugged in and it happily played and charged the kids' iPods and my iPhone. We really enjoyed the music output...for about 2.5 months. It then, suddenly and for no discernible reason, stopped working. It still charges iPods, but won't play music. "No problem," I thought, "even though we can't return it to Amazon, it must be under warranty." And, it is. HOWEVER...after some research, this is what I've found: these players do tend to stop working. On this model you cannot replace the battery on your own and will have to send it to the factory. In order to send it to them, you must pay to ship it, insure it, pay for return shipping AND include a 20$ handing fee. Then you'll stop and remind yourself how much you paid for this item to begin with and wonder if it's worth it. My thoughts? Not really. Like I said, we enjoyed this quite a bit for somewhere between eight and ten weeks, but I wouldn't buy it again. You're better off finding a different player with a better warranty that won't stop working after two months.

This iHome is absolutely perfect for anyone looking for a simple high quality docking station with excellent sound production. My iPhone 4 has an Otter box which never leaves it so any dock I purchased had to accommodate the extra bulk at the base. This product fits my device perfectly, charges on the spot, and produces great sound quality as well as sufficient volume to serve as my alarm clock. It is also compatible with the iHome+Sleep apps which is handy. Grips on the feet of the unit prevent sliding when you press the "Home" button on your iPhone or iPod and volume controls on the outside make quick adjustments a breeze. Purchase this iHome unit with confidence.

We bought the iHome iP46 for tailgate parties and picnics. The concept is great - the sound was great, but when we brought it out for the second use, it was dead. We tried four different outlets in the house and it would not charge. We kept in plugged into an outlet in between uses. I checked the manual and tried their only suggestion which was to select another outlet. I sent it back today along with a $20 check for repairs - as the booklet suggests. I wrote an angry letter about our disapointment. This is the second iHome we have had to send back for repairs in the last 6 months. I would not recommend. After a few weeks we are spending $20 plus shipping to repair.