Review of Logitech MM50 Portable Speaker System

The Logitech MM50 Portable Speaker system is a great buy. Not only can it be found for cheaper than most comparable products, it produces impressive sound with great features! Whether you want portable speakers for your Ipod, speakers for in your room, or – more likely – a little of both, these speakers would be great for you.

The speakers are fully compatible with new generation Ipods. My nano needs nothing more than to be set into the cradle. It’s also compatible with other MP3 players with an auxiliary audio input port. Unfortunately, it doesn’t come with a cable.

The MM50 is built tough. The entire unit feels very solid and unlike other folding units, there’s no weak point. The grill covering the actual speakers is also very think and solid. I haven’t dropped mine, and I don’t plan to do so, but I get the feeling that it would survive more than a few hard falls without breaking. The fold out metal feet also have a very solid feel to them, and the rubber bottom keeps it still and protects whatever it’s sitting on.

Listening to music from the speakers is a pleasure. They’re by far the best portables I’ve heard! With the “fake surround sound” activated, you can’t even tell that the left and right channels aren’t more than a few inches apart. They get reasonably loud, and they sound good all the way to the maximum volume. The speakers manage to get into the upper ranges of bass, but lower bass tones don’t come out, something to be expected from small speakers.

The best part about the MM50 is all the little things it does right. One of the first things I noticed is that when you turn off the speakers, it also turns off the Ipod. I’ve noticed this feature missing from a lot of other portable speakers. The speakers have a built in li-ion battery that charges whenever they’re plugged in – no worrying about not having batteries.

The speakers also come with a remote. The remote isn’t so good. It works well for a small room if you’re directly in front of the unit. If you’re more than 15 feet or so away, or if you aren’t facing straight on, the remote won’t work at all.

They also come with a carrying case, with room for the speakers and the remote. The case is semi-hard and rather rugged. It has spots for the speakers and the remote.

There are, unfortunately, a few things that Logitech got wrong. The battery life is mediocre, and the case doesn’t have room for the AC adapter. The remote, while functional, is a bit cheesy.

However, a few minor shortcomings aren’t enough to ruin a cheap, high-quality set of speakers. If you want them, be sure to get them online. When I bought them, they were almost twice as much at Best Buy than they were from Newegg.

9 out of 10.