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Thanks to the people at Eos Wireless, they sent over an Eos Wireless iPod speaker system and dock for review just in time for Summer.
While other offerings claim to be “wireless”, such as the Marantz IS301, you will still need wires to get the speakers to play some sound. Not the EOS Wireless system where the speakers have built in wireless receivers and amplifiers built into the speaker – just supply a power socket and no other wires.
Mind you, I live on a relative big patch of land (28+ acres in total) and in some areas if I wanted music, I’d have to have concert level speakers (and noise) in order to feed my dogs which are about an acre away. I’m not in the mood to pay for disturbing the peace however I do have power that runs down there next to the dog’s lot since I might have to do work in that area. And despite being rated only for 150 feet, these speakers worked at about an acre (212 ft/~65 m) away. And clearly too, I might add.
However, the Eos Wireless system though is a mixed bag – more good than just “okay”.
The build quality is actually very nice, with thick, black plastic and a very tight fit being the norm and per usual, the finger print magnet black plastic that basically will keep cleaner business going basically forever. The remote control is perhaps the smallest thing I’ve seen in ages. Smaller than a zippo lighter, but still tactile enough to keep me using it in the near future without discomfort.
The sound… this is where it gets good.
If you’re expecting enough boom to shake the change in your pockets loose; it’s not gonna happen. But the sound from these little speakers (5.75 in x 9 in x 5 in) has some of the clearest midrange and treble, even matching in clarity my much more expensive Paradigm speakers that comprise part of my game room stereo. The speakers do include SRS WOW! technology that kills any harshness and mellows out the mids easily. Simply put, you can hear very clearly the vocals, the high hats and cymbals in each and every song you own.
The bass, while not spectacular, it present enough to let you hear songs with enough range to keep you satisfied. Hiphop and jazz fans won’t be overwhelmed with the bass, but at least this does not bottom out as easily as the Mint DS 220 speaker system I had reviewed a while back.
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The design of the speakers was hit or miss for me. The look is pretty darn cool complete with the prerequisite blue LED, but the plug portion was troubling for me. Anytime there is a sticker that says “Push down hard” I get scared and think of how I can break things. The cool part is that you can leave the plugs in without having to “push hard” down on them to disengage them and plug them straight into the wall and let them hang there like a towel on a hook. Despite the “push down hard” label, I still liked how the plugs were worked into the back of the speaker.
The controls on the main unit, which has speakers of its own, are simple enough. Ever used an Apple iPod? Then you’ll have no problem whatsoever with this. Serious… it’s that easy. And that’s a very good thing.
Back to the wireless part. I hooked up the base and plugged up a speaker in a different room. On the top of the speaker, there’s a volume/power knob and another push button with a status LED. When there’s a connection, it’ll stay on solid and blink if there’s any disconnection. Pulling the speaker out all of the way to the dog lot in my backyard, plugging it into the power that’s back there and having it sync up easily was surprising yet the audio was still very clear.
And speaking of transmitting wireless tunes, the Eos Wireless system promises to not interfere with wifi, bluetooth and cordless phones. I can also confirm this is entirely true – works great, didn’t interfere with anything my house at all. Phone calls came and went without that annoying interference noise or lose of quality.
All in all, the Eos Wireless System is great for whenever you’re outside and want to add extra speakers without having to bust through some walls or run wires all over for people to trip over and break things. It has a very good sound that’s not entirely devoid of bass and a clarity that would make you and others think that it should cost more than $249. While testing around, I got the attention of my friends that truly enjoyed them and were curious about them as well.
So far, it seems like you can buy them only at their website, but with 3 payment system via Paypal as well as credit cards, there are a few ways to pay for this cool product. Only bad part of this system to me was the unlocking mechanism for the power plugins. I’d really recommend this system for the people that do any kind of entertainment for others while outside. Just don’t get them wet – they’re not waterproof.
If you’re that type of person that wants your tunes outside or in other rooms, then this system is perfect for you. In fact, the Eos Wireless iPod System gets Remove The Labels (RTL) very first 5 out of 5 (A must buy).
[ Eos Wireless ]
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