One of the OnBeat Xtreme’s key benefits over competing speaker docks is its floating docking connector and the clips that come with it. The unit weighs 9 respectable pounds and measures approximately 9 x 17.5 x 9.5 (H x W x D, in inches). Though this unit offers composite video output and a ⅛-inch auxiliary input, cables for these connections are not included. Also provided in the box was a remote control, USB cable, docking clips for iPhone/iPod Touch and iPad and a product manual. With this much beefier model, the power supply is built in, so only the provided detachable AC cord is needed. Even the metal buttons on the right hand side of the dock have a solid feel to them.Īs we started pulling accessories from the box, we noticed there was no bulky power brick to deal with (yay…those things are a pain in neck!). Sure…that works!Īside from its unique shape, the OnBeat Xtreme has other appealing aesthetic features including a wrap-around grill, chrome accents (yeah, they’re plastic) and an arching dock support which doubles well as a handle. At one point we actually heard someone comment that “it looks like it’s hugging itself”. To be sure, it’s one of those love-it-or-hate-it designs. Its geometry is strange, yet oddly appealing to your author (the rest of our crew thought it was…challenging to look at). We think someone with some eccentric design chops really got creative while developing this thing’s shape. In fact, without an iPod or iPad mounted, you might not immediately recognize it as a speaker. The OnBeat Xtreme’s “weave” shape makes it an attention grabber, for sure. Read on to find out how this new speaker dock compares to the likes of B&W’s Zeppelin Air and Klipsch’s G-17 Air. We’ve been wondering if JBL’s latest home audio products could deliver the goods, so we accepted the opportunity to evaluate the OnBeat Xtreme with no reservation. Case in point: The OnBeat Extreme speaker dock. It is working to make relevant, accessible products it hopes will resonate with the public, and backing them with some heavy-hitting marketing, which features the legendary Paul McCartney as front-man, no less. Over the past five years JBL has released several high-end speaker models, which have wowed us every time we’ve had the opportunity to hear them, but the company isn’t pouring its entire engineering prowess strictly toward esoteric floor-standing speakers with stratospheric price tags.
But when we ran into JBL and its $60,000/pair Project Everest DD6600 speaker at CES 2007, it was glaringly obvious that JBL was on the rebound. Since then, it seems as if JBL’s home audio products haven’t been able to recoup the prestige they once had.
We recall a period in the late 80’s/early 90’s when JBL, like Infinity and KLH, fell out of favor with the North American audio enthusiast community, perhaps in reaction to a sudden influx of, shall we say, rather mediocre (Northridge) speaker products. Its consumer audio division, on the other hand, has had its share of ups and downs. It has consistently built rugged, high-performance PA speakers and monitors for over 60 years and remains a favored brand of many a musician and sound engineer to this day.
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We’ve always had a healthy respect for JBL’s professional audio products.