iHome iDM15 Portable Bluetooth Stereo Speakers with OnLive

January 25, 2012 - Ed Krassenstein

I recently had the opportunity to review a set of iHome iDM15 Portable Bluetooth Stereo Speakers with the OnLive Desktop app and OnLive Player app. The OnLive Desktop app was running on an iPad 2, while the OnLive Player app was running on a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 with Android.

Most tablets today come with a nice speaker system already built into them. However, some people, particularly avid music listeners, and gamers prefer a better quality stereo sound. Until recently, gaming on a tablet was limited to only casual games, which did not require high quality stereo sound. However, with the recently launched OnLive Player app, console-class games can now be played on virtually any tablet.

The iHome iDM15 Portable Bluetooth Stereo Speakers will work with any Bluetooth enabled device, including: iPad, iPad 2, iPod, iPhone, and any other Bluetooth enabled tablet or smartphone.

When I first got these speakers, I was expecting to hear relatively poor quality sound, based on the small size of each speaker. However, that was far from being the case.

These speakers can connect via a 3.5 mm stereo jack, or through Bluetooth after being paired to the device. They will work from up to 30 feet away via Bluetooth, and the sound quality is quite tremendous.

The speakers come with a nice little travel case that converts into a tablet/iPad stand, which makes this combination your on-the-go entertainment solution.

The Speakers Working with the OnLive Desktop App via iPad

The OnLive Desktop App was recently released for the iPad, so I thought I would try these speakers out by playing some music and watching some videos via the new app. At first I played some music using just the built-in iPad speakers, and then I turned the iHome iDM15 speakers on and paired them to the iPad. Wow! The sound quality and volume was so much greater after the speakers were turned on. I could hear the music loud and clear in my office on the second floor of my house. The bass was incredible, and the overall quality was excellent, even for speakers 10 times their size.

There really was not a single negative aspect I found when running these speakers via OnLive Desktop on my iPad 2. I could not imagine better speakers for playing music on a smartphone or tablet.

The Speakers Working with the OnLive Player App via Samsung Galaxy Tab

Next came the fun part. I wanted to try the speakers out while playing some games on my Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. I knew that there would probably be issues running the speakers via Bluetooth, while playing a fast action game, so I decided to launch PES 2012 and give it a try. The aforementioned issues that I am referring to, is the problem with Bluetooth lag. While OnLive seems to have mastered any lag issues with their Bluetooth controller, I have yet to find a speaker system that has been able eliminate sound lag.

While playing PES 2012 with the speakers running through Bluetooth, I felt as though I was playing the game in my living room on my home theater system. Unfortunately, as expected though, there was some minor sound lag. When my player would kick the ball, there was a 1/2 second delay before you would actually hear the ball being kicked. Other than this, the sound quality was so much better that that of my normal Galaxy Tab speakers.

While sound lag was an issue; one that could be dealt with in some slower paced games, I decided to directly plug the speakers into my tablet using the 3.5 mm stereo cable.

The sound quality was still superior while using the 3.5 mm connection, but I did notice that the maximum volume was not quite as loud as it was when running through Bluetooth. I am not sure what the reason was for this, and it could just be an issue with the Samsung Galaxy Tab. While the sound was not quite as loud, the quality was just as good.

All in all, iHome is known for making high quality speakers for a large range of devices. The iDM15 speakers surpassed my expectations, and I would highly recommend them to anyone who is looking to listen to music, watch movies or play games on their tablets. These are high quality speakers, for a fraction of the price that you would pay elsewhere.

The speakers are extremely small for the sound that they put out (Dimensions: 5.4″ W x 3.07″ H x 2.48″ D), and weigh only .70 lbs, which make them the perfect set of speakers for you to take with you on the go.

The iHome iDM15 Portable Bluetooth Stereo Speakers can be purchase from the Apple Store for $99.95, which includes free shipping.

Let us know what you think of this review, and if what your thoughts were of the iHome speakers at OnLiveFans.com Forum