Logitech Pure-Fi Express

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http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/accessories/0,39100116,49300160,00.htm

Reviewed 2 December 2008

Reviewed by Jasmine France

There's no shortage of made-for-iPod speaker systems on the market, and plenty of them are made by Logitech. Given the company's experience in that area, it comes as no surprise that the Logitech Pure-Fi Express, also known as the AudioStation Express, is impressive in both form and function for £35.

It's no replacement for a full-on home audio setup -- it offers little in the way of bass and shouldn't be played at loud volumes -- but this unit is great for bringing your music experience into the office, bedroom, or kitchen.

Design
Although the Logitech Pure-Fi Express can run off six AA batteries (not included) and comes with a handy travel case, we wouldn't consider the unit ultraportable. At 29cm wide by 11cm high by 9cm deep, it's too boxy and bulky to tote in your rucksack. It's certainly a manageable size for picnics and trips by car, however, and its footprint is small enough for your desktop or bedside table.

The Logitech Pure-Fi Express is contained in a glossy white plastic body, with a black speaker grille covering the entire front of the unit and wrapping around either side.

Features
A volume knob encircled by a glowing orange LED protrudes front and centre, and the few ports (power-in, auxiliary line-in, and video out) live on the back. A slot for the remote is etched out of the back of the unit, while the iPod dock is cut into the top. It's a simple design with an understated aesthetic.

In order to control playback from afar, you'll need to use the included infrared remote, which includes a power button, a Play/Pause key, track shuttle buttons and volume controls. Simple, but effective. As mentioned before, the Logitech Pure-Fi Express includes a travel case, and we're surprisingly impressed with this extra.

The Logitech Pure-Fi Express is suitable for any number of MP3 players and comes with a remote, making tuning from afar easy

The case is padded and has a handle built into one side for easy transport, and it's designed in such a way that you can leave the speaker in it while in use -- a flap opens to leave the front of the speaker unhindered, and there's a hole cut in the back for the ports. And of course, we appreciate that Logitech has included a dock adaptor for every permutation of iPod since the Mini (ten in all, with all the sizes taken into account). There's even a line-in cable for connecting non-iPod MP3 players. It's the little things that count sometimes.

Performance
Considering how weak the iPod's equaliser settings are, it would have been a cool touch if the Logitech Pure-Fi Express offered some adjustable bass and treble controls, though given the low price, we can't complain too much. Still, the unit could use some bass adjustment -- there's little low-end to be had. On the whole, music played through the speakers had a hollow quality to it, though the high-end detail was impressive.

Conclusion
In fact, audio sounded great if played in the lower third of the volume range, which makes the AudioStation Express an appropriate speaker system for rooms in which you'd likely play your music at a low volume, such as the bedroom or an office. While the unit gets quite loud, however, we don't recommend turning it up -- this increased the hollow sound, and at the highest levels, introduced some irritating noise.

Additional editing by Cristina Psomadakis