ILuv i199 (black)

Manufacturer: jWIN Electronics Corp. Part number: i199BLK

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$141.44 - $180.32 at 7 online stores

CNET Editor rating:
3.5 stars Very good
Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 2 reviews

More product information:: Editors' review; User reviews; Specifications; Product series; Manufacturer info

Bottom Line:: The impressive iLuv i199 provides a dizzying array of features--including iPod compatibility, CD player, AM/FM clock radio--you'll be hard-pressed to find on any other tabletop audio systems at this price.

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CNET editors' review

ILuv i199 (black)

price range: $141.44 - $180.32

Reviewed by: Jeff Bakalar
Edited by: John P. Falcone
Reviewed on: 06/06/2007
Released on: 03/15/2007

The good: Tabletop audio system combines iPod, AM/FM radio, CD (audio and MP3/WMA), and USB-based audio playback; line-in jack for connecting any additional sources; Bluepin feature can receive and transmit audio to and from Bluetooth devices; supports iPod video output; dual alarms can wake to any source; includes every cable you'll ever need using the system.

The bad: No EQ settings; minor USB issues; video out is composite, not S-Video; subpar sound quality when utilizing Bluetooth streaming option.

The bottom line: The impressive iLuv i199 provides a dizzying array of features--including iPod compatibility, CD player, AM/FM clock radio--you'll be hard-pressed to find on any other tabletop audio systems at this price.

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In the past, we've looked at countless iPod audio systems that provide adequate to excellent iPod playback but lack other desirable features such as a CD player and AM/FM radio. The i199 from iLuv (the accessory division of discount manufacturer jWIN) strives to bring an end to iPod speaker systems that come up short. It's got an integrated iPod dock, CD player, AM/FM radio, USB port, and line-in jack, so it's equally adept at playing back any iPod-based music, audio CDs, and MP3 and WMA files from CD-Rs or USB devices. Furthermore, the i199 sports something iLuv calls "Bluepin," a Bluetooth-based wireless interface that allows the unit to receive as well as transmit audio. This means you can not only stream music from any compatible Bluetooth device to the i199's speakers, but you can also transmit any of the audio sources the i199 can play to any Bluetooth device--such as wireless Bluetooth headphones.

Available in black (i199BLK) or white (i199WHT), the i199 is coated with a glossy plastic that doesn't show fingerprints. About the size of a bread box, it can easily fit on virtually any shelf, nightstand, or countertop. The i199 has a vibrant blue LCD readout with three brightness settings--in addition to the time, the display can show file and track information when playing MP3s or WMAs via the USB port or data CD.

The i199 features a dual-alarm function with some impressive flexibility. The alarms can be set to wake to any source--iPod, radio, CD, and so forth--or an alarm tone. When an alarm is sounded, the audio begins to gradually rise until it peaks at a level you customize when you initially program the alarm. The volume customization also means you can lull yourself gently to sleep (the "sleep" function can be set in 30-minute increments) at a low volume level but still be awakened with a loud enough signal to get you out of bed in the morning. (Of course, a snooze bar is available for procrastinators.)

The eight-button remote control bundled with the i199 is small and has a rounded plastic edge that fits comfortably in your hand. On it you'll find most of the same buttons as on the top of the unit.

The controls, iPod dock, and Bluetooth transceiver are all located on top of the unit.

The i199's top-mounted iPod dock will work with most recent dock-enabled iPod models (including Nanos and Minis), and the system includes a number of matching plastic dock inserts for tight fits. The iPod will need to be controlled manually--with the scroll wheel--and its song info won't be displayed on the i199's LCD, but it does charge the device. Another welcome addition is the support for AV out for iPods with picture and video capability. Simply attach the included AV composite cable to any monitor or TV, and you can view all of your iPod videos and pictures on a bigger screen--just make sure your iPod is set to TV out. Video quality will vary according to how well your videos have been encoded and their resolution sizes. Owners of older iPods, iPod Shuffles, or any other MP3 players aren't completely out of luck--the included audio patch cable lets you connect anything with a headphone jack to the i199's line-in port.

Sound quality is right on par with what we'd expect from a mini audio system like the i199. Played at a normalized level, the unit sounded crisp and clear regardless of which audio source was playing. The only exception to this was quality via Bluetooth (more on that later). It was only until we really pushed the unit did it begin to sound clouded and muzzled. That said, the system can easily fill up a large size room, as it did in our 15x22-foot testing area. We would have liked to have been able to tweak some of the audio, but unfortunately, there is no EQ control on the i199.

USB mode worked well, but we did notice a few minor hiccups with its functionality. The i199 will recognize WMA and MP3 files on a flash drive or mass-storage-compliant MP3 player, but if you switch to another source and then back to USB, you'll most likely need to toggle the i199's power in order for the unit to reread your USB drive. Navigating through our drive was easy, and the i199 will also recognize "albums" if you place groups of music files in separate folders.

The i199 is equipped with a small removable Bluetooth transceiver iLuv dubs "Bluepin" that can send or receive audio to compatible Bluetooth devices--pretty much anything with the Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP). That means it can stream audio from Bluetooth-enabled sources (MP3-friendly cell phones) as well as stream audio to Bluetooth headphones. Unfortunately, this was the only place where we found the audio quality noticeably lacking--the songs playing off our Motorola Q cell phone sounded like FM radio quality. That's probably because the i199 utilizes the older 1.2 version of the Bluetooth spec, not the more music-friendly 2.0 or better version.

One strange issue we did have with the i199 was completely unrelated to its performance, but rather a cosmetic concern. The unit shipped with a sticker on the top of cover to the iPod dock--visible in the main product photo--and removing it was incredibly difficult. In fact, we were never able to completely remove the residue left by the decal. Usually these peel right off, but in this case, we may have been better off leaving it on--it's something to keep in mind.

In the final analysis, the i199 is a solid all-in-one tabletop audio solution that offers more features than many competing models--some of which cost hundreds more. Models that include both an iPod dock and a CD player are actually few and far between--the $300 Sharp DK-A10 i-Elegance lacks the advanced dual-alarm features on the iLuv, and the $400 Cambridge SoundWorks Radio CD 745i has a somewhat cumbersome outboard iPod dock. By comparison, the i199 has a retail price of $250, but it's widely available online for less than $200. Considering its plethora of features and decent sound quality, it's a great value.

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Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 2 reviews
My rating: 0 stars

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6 stars

a let down but room for improvement

by a3rdleg on October 21, 2007

Pros: connectability, the sound

Cons: connectability, the sound

Summary: After looking for a long time to find a radio with features like the ILuv i199, I still feel like someone who has gone out on a date and spent ...

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Summary: After looking for a long time to find a radio with features like the ILuv i199, I still feel like someone who has gone out on a date and spent all this money and still came up short... just a peck NO ROMANCE! I really wanted to like the i199 and I think with some improvements it will be a must have for iPod owners and anybody that loves the radio, music and the sonic vibes this machine is capable of. The CD player sounds great and makes this player shine!! With the added Bluepin (bluetooth) and usb support the future is looking up. The minus marks come because the i199 just doesn't have the chops and falls short on volume. Just when you think it will stand up and roar it loses it's voice. Also it NEEDS to have treble and bass controls! I known its the jAURA sound thing that they promote but it NEEDS a treble and bass control! The nice thing is this box is luscious and soothes your ears!! mmmmmm! BUT!!!!! I just can't get frisky with something that has all kinds of "Things" hanging off of it! Yech. The AM loop antenna has got to GO!!! I have a $25 radio that gets better AM reception without the added extra. And forget AM without the thing. FM fairs better but the unit also has to sport a second wire antenna to deal with that. The radio reception lacks and needs improvement maybe it's the antennas?? iPod convenience, charging and playback, not to mention the included remote control was a must and was just the thing for me! It works just great but I would pay more money for this if it had better iPod menu accessibility than just track forward and backward. This is something that would be right at home in any students room or family room with it's rich sound, solid performance and many features. It is my sincere wish that the powers that be at ILuv add and subtract to this product because it could really be a winner. Right now it is a wanna be. I give it a 6 out of a possible 10. I'm taking 1 point off because you can't crank the thing! Having a loud party forget it! 1 point off for no treble and bass controls. 1 point off for the lack of specific iPod controls and 1 point off for the tuner's performance, gotta have radio! And the antenna thing has got to be someone's cruel joke to turn this glossy black beauty into a shiny ugly duckling. Shame on you! Give me version 2.0 with the improvements and similar price and you've got a winner! Hands down!

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8 stars

Good product for the price

by topdoc on July 7, 2007

Pros: Lots of features. Relatively inexepensive. Good sound quality.

Cons: Display is too bright, even at dimmest level. No standard headphone jack. No ability to add an external FM antenna.

Summary: I have owned this for a couple of weeks now. Overall, I am pleased with it, but the user interface and controls could use some improvement in design. The display, ...

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Summary: I have owned this for a couple of weeks now. Overall, I am pleased with it, but the user interface and controls could use some improvement in design. The display, while easy to read, is just too bright, even at the dimmest of three levels. It can be turned off completely, but its brightness level is controlled with the snooze bar. This is a problem because you cannot adjust the display while the alarm is ringing or in snooze mode. So if the display happens to be completely off and the alarm rings, you have no way of being able to turn the display back on until you completely turn off the alarm. The display should have a separate button to control its brightness level.

While the Bluepin features work well, it would be nice to have also included a simple stereo headphone jack for those of us who don't want to invest in bluetooth headphones.

The unit comes with a single-pole FM wire antenna permanently attached to the back of the unit. I live in an area where FM reception is not great, so it would be nice to have the ability to connect a better dipole external FM antenna.

The controls are all located along the top of the unit. But they are completely flat (flush with the top) without any tactile feature that would assist the user in locating specific controls in the dark or while in bed. The remote is pretty helpful, however.

The owner's manual contains some inaccuracies, also, but overall isn't bad.

In general, I am pleased with my purchase of this unit. I have tried it with a couple of different iPods and a 4-GB USB thumb drive. Everything works as advertised.

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Specifications

Manufacturer: jWIN Electronics Corp.
Part number: i199BLK
Description: What it brings to you is clear quality sound using jAura acoustic speaker technology playing music from your iPod, CDs, MP3 CDs, USB or AM/FM radio. What you bring is music from an audio device, computer, mobile phone, etc. designed with Bluetooth wireless technology and, thanks to the BluePin wireless audio transmitter/receiver that too can be played through the system. In return, you can listen to music in your room wirelessly on headphones or speakers equipped with Bluetooth wireless technology. It's give-and-take. Your music can put you to sleep or wake you up and you can always know the song title and artist on an MP3 track if it has an ID3 tag. With the AV output, you can even send video content from your iPod to a TV. This system gives you a lot, and you can give a little something in return.

General
Enclosure Color Black
Product type Boombox
PC interface(s) supported USB
Included accessories Bluetooth USB adapter, Docking station adapter, AM antenna
CD System
Media Load Type Slot-load
Playback Modes Repeat folder, Repeat all, Intro scan, One track repeat, Random play / shuffle
Response Bandwidth 60 - 15000 Hz
Signal-To-Noise Ratio 40 dB
CD Track Programming Yes (32 tracks)
Supported Digital Audio Standards MP3
CD system type CD / MP3 player
CD shockproof memory Yes
ID3 Tags Support Yes
MP3 shockproof memory Yes
MD System
Type None
Cassette System
Cassette system type None
DVD
Type None
Audio Features
Digital storage None
Sound output mode Stereo
Timer Snooze, Sleep, Wake
Built-in clock Digital clock, Sleep timer
Alarm qty 2
Alarm wake-up modes Buzzer, MP3 playback, CD playback, Radio
Digital Player / Recorder
Digital player supported digital audio standards WMA, MP3

Built-in Display
Audio system built-in display LCD
Features Display dimmer
Radio
Tuner Type Digital
Tuner Bands AM/FM
Tuning Display LCD display
Preset Station Qty 40
AM Preset Station Qty 10
FM Preset Station Qty 30
Tuner type Digital Radio tuner
Features FM stereo/mono switch
Speaker System
Speaker(s) 2 x Right/left channel speaker
Remote Control
Remote control Remote control - Infrared
Type Remote control
Technology Infrared
Power
Type Internal
Power Consumption Operational 40 Watt
Connectivity
Cable(s) included Audio cable - External, A/V cable - External
Connector type 1 x Composite video/audio output RCA phono x 3, 1 x Audio line-in, 1 x IPod docking, 1 x USB 4 pin USB Type A
Battery / Power
Battery Memory backup batteryInternal
Power device type Power supply

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ILuv i199 (black)

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