Portable audio with great sound isn’t very easy to come by. If you’re a musician, portable audio with the ability to connect your guitar/keyboard/mp3 player to is next to unheard of. Thanks to IK Multimedia you have an affordable solution for listening to your music, and even playing music while at home or on the go. The iLoud Portable Personal Studio Monitor can be used either plugged into the wall or with the internal battery. Is the iLoud worth the @299.00 USD price tag? Lets give it a good work over.
IK Multimedia is a name that has become synonymous with musicians and computer interfaces. The iLoud takes what they have given to musicians and put it inot a portable media player. The iLoud offers a full 40 Watts of power and delivers that power to 2 two way 2×3” neodymium woofers & 2 3/4” neodymium tweeters. The power is delivered by 4 class D amplifiers. To help with bass there is a bass reflex port on the rear. Part of what makes this speaker great is the fact that it has a frequency range from 50 Hz to 20 kHz. This fills the range for musicians from Bass players to Guitarists, to vocalists.
Now you have seen that I have said this is great for musicians, how can it work for all musicians. On the back side of the iLoud there are several connection options for you to choose from. First you have the 3.5mm jack that you can us for an input. The iLoud comes with the cable. Next you have the 1/4″ iRig input to plug your Bass/Guitar/Mic into. This connects to your compatible device and you can launch AmpliTube or VocaLive and you are good to go. Jam away in the park or your office.
Say you just want to listen to music with your iLoud. You can connect your device to the iLoud via Bluetooth (with A2DP) and rock out to your favorite tunes wirelessly anywhere.
The back also has the power/charging light and the Power switch. There is also a gain knob to adjust the gain for your instrument input.
The front of the iLoud is covered with a black grill that just lets you see the speakers underneath it. Towards the top in the middle of the front is an aluminium volume knob that has a red backlight.
The bottom of the iLoud is covered with rubber to keep the iLoud from slipping on surfaces and also to protect those surfaces. There is a slide out stand to help keep the iLoud steady while in use. The rest of the iLoud is a matte black plastic.
Sound quality of the iLoud is exceptional. Streaming music form your smartphone allows you listen to your music or podcasts as loud as you could probably want without having distortion to the music or voice. The 40 Watts of power is more than enough to fill a room full of your audio, be in streaming music or your personal jam session.
What makes the iLoud the great device it is; is not only the fact that it is compatable with multiple Instruments and Mic’s and phones, not that it delivers superior audio at all levels, but that fact that it can go with you anywhere. The built in Li-Ion rechargable battery will last up to 10 hours at normal levels. IK Multimedia says the iLoud will last for 3 hours at full volume. The weight of the iLoud is just under 3 pounds so it won’t add much to your backpack or bag, while still giving you studio quality sound in the middle of the woods, your office or Central Park.
The iLoud has a 1 year warranty on parts and 90 days on labor. Price is $299.99 and available from IK Multimedia. For traveling, they also sell a gig bag that includes adjustable straps and zippered compartment for $39.99
If your are a musician that like to have both a way to jam on the go and be able to listen to your tunes on high quality speakers, the iLoud by IK Multimedia is something you should seriously take a look at.
As a side note, as i write this review, I am listen to a movie through the iLoud and even with movies, you get a sound quality that my TV just can’t replicate.
