XtremeMac Tango Audio System Case, Speaker System (IPD-TAN-00) for iPod - EU
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- UPC: 0842603001646
- Brand: XtremeMac
- Compatible Devices: Apple iPod
- Type: Case, Speaker System
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Impressive looks and size but poor sound quality
Pros
Great looks and quality materials. Serves as iPod charging station. Video out.
Cons
Poor sound quality. Need to change bass/treble for every song. Terrible for low frequencies.
Recommended it?
No
The Bottom Line:
The Tango needs to go through another design phase. Some sort of auto audio correction is required before this unit can be considered a worthy iPod accessory. Sounds terrible.
I bought the Tango with very short notice for my niece who I was visiting after many years. When asked what she would really like me to get her from the States she said she wanted speakers for her iPod - and this information I got the night before my flight. So I rushed to COSTCO and picked up the most robust looking speaker system for iPods. I paid $95 and tax.
The packaging of the product is simply excellent. While unpacking you can't help but feel that you have bought yourself a quality product. The accessories that come along with it and the unit itself appear to be of very high quality. It's been a month since I bought it and so below is a list of what I remember was in the box:
1) Tango
2) Power supply adaptor with multiple plug pin connectors that snap onto the adaptor. (For different countries/regions)
3) Instruction booklet
4) Remote control
5) Adaptors for seating your specific iPod.
The unit is very simply and elegantly designed. Its body appears to be all metal - including the front grille that covers the front speakers. It has a downward firing woofer (I won't call it a sub woofer) that is not visible unless you turn the unit over. The iPod port is on the top of the unit and when connected the iPod stands by itself leaning back slightly. Setting up the unit is a snap. All you do is plug in the power cord into the unit and the adaptor with the appropriate pins for your region into the power outlet. Put your iPod in place and your ready to go. I should mention that the power adaptor handles 100-240v without having to change anything. Also must mention that I could feel a slight leak in electricity when the unit was plugged into 220v outlet. I could only feel this slight leak when I touched the iPod as it sat docked on the Tango.
There are 3 buttons on the top of the unit just in front of the iPod dock. The middle button is the power button and the buttons on either side are for volume. While in standby mode the Tango is like a docking station that will charge your iPod. Turning on the unit using the power button brings your iPod also to life. From this point the remote control takes over.
Power can be turned on/off from the remote control also. It's a small device no bigger than a credit card - just slightly thicker. It has buttons for turning the volume up/down, play/pause and selecting the next or previous song on your iPod. It also has separate buttons for increasing/decreasing bass or treble. There is also a reset button that will reset the bass/treble levels. Apart from these functions all other functions - such as selecting play lists etc have to be executed from your iPod.
A blue light on the front face of the Tango indicates that it is on. When any signal is received from the remote the light turns red. An interesting feature I felt was that when the unit is turned on/off the volume becomes louder slowly as opposed to surprising you by playing at full volume if that's where the volume was when you turned it off the last time.
Now for the sound: The first song I played on the Tango really impressed me. This unit can be really loud. The sound quality takes a beating at higher volumes though. The Tango sounds best when the volume is set to about 25% of its max volume. Anything more and the bass is boomy. It does not handle low frequencies well at all. In fact songs with deep bass sound terrible. No amount of adjusting the bass will help. You end up having to listen to the songs without bass!!!
I tested the Tango using my 30 GB 5th generation iPod (the one that plays movies). An interesting feature of the Tango is that it has an S-Video out jack and audio out jacks. So you can actually connect it to your TV and watch videos that you have on your iPod on your TV. You could even connect the audio out to your TV and hopefully get much better sound!! The Tango does not come with the s-video or audio cables.
Overall I am disappointed with the sound quality of the Tango. The downward firing woofer will shake almost any surface that it is placed on and the resulting vibrations distract from the music. I had to place it on the ground and even there on the carpet or on bare floor I couldn't quite adjust it just right so all the songs would play fine. I was constantly adjusting the bass and treble for every song and the end result was a frustrating and futile attempt to make it sound right. No wonder there is a reset button on the remote.
If you are an audiophile the Tango will disappoint greatly. You want this product with its GREAT packaging and presentation to sound good but sadly it does not. If you want loud sound from your little iPod and don't care about sound quality - the Tango was made for you.
The packaging of the product is simply excellent. While unpacking you can't help but feel that you have bought yourself a quality product. The accessories that come along with it and the unit itself appear to be of very high quality. It's been a month since I bought it and so below is a list of what I remember was in the box:
1) Tango
2) Power supply adaptor with multiple plug pin connectors that snap onto the adaptor. (For different countries/regions)
3) Instruction booklet
4) Remote control
5) Adaptors for seating your specific iPod.
The unit is very simply and elegantly designed. Its body appears to be all metal - including the front grille that covers the front speakers. It has a downward firing woofer (I won't call it a sub woofer) that is not visible unless you turn the unit over. The iPod port is on the top of the unit and when connected the iPod stands by itself leaning back slightly. Setting up the unit is a snap. All you do is plug in the power cord into the unit and the adaptor with the appropriate pins for your region into the power outlet. Put your iPod in place and your ready to go. I should mention that the power adaptor handles 100-240v without having to change anything. Also must mention that I could feel a slight leak in electricity when the unit was plugged into 220v outlet. I could only feel this slight leak when I touched the iPod as it sat docked on the Tango.
There are 3 buttons on the top of the unit just in front of the iPod dock. The middle button is the power button and the buttons on either side are for volume. While in standby mode the Tango is like a docking station that will charge your iPod. Turning on the unit using the power button brings your iPod also to life. From this point the remote control takes over.
Power can be turned on/off from the remote control also. It's a small device no bigger than a credit card - just slightly thicker. It has buttons for turning the volume up/down, play/pause and selecting the next or previous song on your iPod. It also has separate buttons for increasing/decreasing bass or treble. There is also a reset button that will reset the bass/treble levels. Apart from these functions all other functions - such as selecting play lists etc have to be executed from your iPod.
A blue light on the front face of the Tango indicates that it is on. When any signal is received from the remote the light turns red. An interesting feature I felt was that when the unit is turned on/off the volume becomes louder slowly as opposed to surprising you by playing at full volume if that's where the volume was when you turned it off the last time.
Now for the sound: The first song I played on the Tango really impressed me. This unit can be really loud. The sound quality takes a beating at higher volumes though. The Tango sounds best when the volume is set to about 25% of its max volume. Anything more and the bass is boomy. It does not handle low frequencies well at all. In fact songs with deep bass sound terrible. No amount of adjusting the bass will help. You end up having to listen to the songs without bass!!!
I tested the Tango using my 30 GB 5th generation iPod (the one that plays movies). An interesting feature of the Tango is that it has an S-Video out jack and audio out jacks. So you can actually connect it to your TV and watch videos that you have on your iPod on your TV. You could even connect the audio out to your TV and hopefully get much better sound!! The Tango does not come with the s-video or audio cables.
Overall I am disappointed with the sound quality of the Tango. The downward firing woofer will shake almost any surface that it is placed on and the resulting vibrations distract from the music. I had to place it on the ground and even there on the carpet or on bare floor I couldn't quite adjust it just right so all the songs would play fine. I was constantly adjusting the bass and treble for every song and the end result was a frustrating and futile attempt to make it sound right. No wonder there is a reset button on the remote.
If you are an audiophile the Tango will disappoint greatly. You want this product with its GREAT packaging and presentation to sound good but sadly it does not. If you want loud sound from your little iPod and don't care about sound quality - the Tango was made for you.
