Okay Geek Farm
iHome iDM11 rechargeable Bluetooth speaker review
Ricardo Trejo
Let’s face it, your mobile device or tablet does not offer the amount of volume that you need to achieve when sharing videos and music with friends, am I right? For everything the iPhone and iPad offer their speakers just don’t make the cut. So we need a solution for this and iHome has it in the form of the cute and portable, iDM11 rechargeable Bluetooth speaker.
Features
- Bluetooth wireless audio connectivity
- Rechargeable internal lithium-ion battery
- Speakerphone features
- 3.90” W x 3.94” H x 4.49” D
Our Impressions
Let’s start out by saying that clamshell packaging is the worst invention by man to date, and the box in which the iDM11 speaker comes in is just that… straight out horrible. The only feasible way to get into it is to unholster a hunting knife and slash into the plastic’s thick body. It’s a messy battle that we wish could’ve been easily fixed by just choosing a clamshell box that plucks open.
Once inside, you’ll find the iDM11 rechargeable Bluetooth speaker and a specialized Y-cable by iHome that is more important than you might think.
Design and Size
The iDM11 is tiny though not small enough to fit in your pocket. A carrying case of sorts would’ve been a delightul convenience but we won’t dock points for that. While it has a pyramid-like shape when its standing upwards, it definitely has a cube speaker persona, and it’s obvious that its desired location is to be placed on a flat surface, preferrably a desk of some sort. It has a concave speaker grill with the iHome labeling set up right on front.
On the rear of the speaker you’ll find a collection of buttons and illustrations on which option does what — from left to right: power button, volume down, volume up, and the pause and play button which doubles for Bluetooth syncing.
Underneath it is found a switch that changes the speaker from either AUX mode (to be plugged in directly to an audio source) or Bluetooth mode to be paired. And finally, the Mini-USB port for the provided Y-cable meant for charging and AUX out.
On its side there is also a curious little hole which you may or may not recognize as a microphone. Yep, the iDM11 can double as a speaker phone.
Proprietary Cable
Before we move on to what this little, glowing bad dude can do let’s talk about the provided cable. It’s a proprietary Y-Cable (no, not an audio Y-cable) that on one side has a USB and Male Audio Plug, while its other end features a Mini-USB connector.
Now you don’t have to use it if you’re going to be pairing stuff through Bluetooth exclusively, but you will eventually need it to charge this sucker — but if that’s all you need it for then you’re in luck. If you ever lose it you can easily replace it by getting a USB to Mini USB connector. — But if you want the luxury (and plus, you never know when you might need it) of the AUX out feature then you’re going to want to make sure you don’t lose this cable, otherwise you can cry to iHome for a new one, which is generously priced on their store for $10 bucks under the name: Audio/Charge Cable for Mono Speaker.
Set Up
Charging the device for the first time is recommended to take up to 3 - 6 hours, but when we noticed it was finished it took a measily 1 hour. To charge the iDM11, you use the Mini-USB connector and insert it into the rear port and then plugging the other side into any USB powered source, we used an iMac. While it’s charging you’ll noticed the LED indicator light on the bottom will glow red.
After charge, to get the iDM11 rolling you have the options of directly plugging in the provided cable to the audio source through the Mini-USB cable on its back and plugging the Audio Plug into an audio source’s 3.5mm audio jack, or you can simply pair the two up through Bluetooth, if they’re compatibe.
For the sake of this review we synced up through an iPhone, iPad, and our iMac.
To put the iDM11 into discovery mode first turn on the device, switch it over to Bluetooth mode, press and hold the Play / Pause which you’ll then notice the flashing LED on its base meaning it’s discoverable. On your audio device go to Bluetooth settings and make sure its searching, and then once it’s found, select and connect to it — no password should be required while doing this.
Performance
So everything’s charged, wirelessly enabled, and now you want to hear how it sound. Fair enough. We tested the iDM11 with a number of music and video streaming services, as well as giving it a shot playing some of our own personal music favorites.
We turned the volume all the way up on Ra Ra Riot’s “Shadowcasting” and Death Cab for Cutie’s “Monday Morning” and we didn’t hear a single hint of noise distortion and were even treated to some great treatment of bass coming from the underlying drum beats.
Tracks with a mix of heavy vocals and deep bass and guitar riffs do have trouble we noticed. This more is the case with most mobile, singular speakers with such a small casing that allows only one channel for multiple layers of sound coming from a dual channel, stereo audio source. In other words, too much stuff is coming through one speaker. But what are we expecting? The iDM11 is meant for convenience and it does it right with a small design and better than average sound quality.
When streaming movies the voices, background music, and even explosions were more than just “okay” and were way batter for experiencing and sharing something on my iPhone or iPad without everyone having to huddle around the device just to hear what was going on.
Speaker phone calls can also be accomplished when paired with a Phone. In this case we used our iPhone and called a few people and we had no trouble hearing their voices, which was awesome for group calls with individuals also in the same room, however they had to be close to the iDM11 or otherwise those on the otherside of the call had trouble hearing.
The iDM11 lasts a healthy 10 hours, more than enough for any over night party, 2 hour movie, or even the longest of podcasts, (I’m looking at you The Vergecast’s Lumia 900 controversy epsiode).
Overall
The iDM11, which I wish was nicknamed ‘the cube’, is the perfect size to pick up and take with you for any occasion; parties, sharing a video or song with a large group, or even handling a phone call or two while your hands are tied. The iPad and iPhone’s speakers leave a lot to be desired, so having this guy around is pretty handy considering it packs a punch in the sound department and has sound quality that is more than just average. Our only grip comes from the necessary proprietary cable that, if lost, costs $10 to buy separately.
Pro’s
- Small and easily portable
- Loud, undistorted sound
- Beautiful ‘Cube’ design w/ LED indicator
Con’s
- Requires propietary cable
Where to buy
iHome — MSRP: $69.99
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