In my days of being an iPod Touch and now an iPhone 3G user, I’ve gone through my fair share of speakers in my Apple product owner’s lifetime. Cheap speakers, crazy speakers, you name it I’ve probably tried it out. I love my iPhone 3G from the moment I took it out of the box so of course it is only natural for me to want to buy “accessories” to compliment my favorite gadget.

When a representative for Klipsch recently approached me to see if I would like to try out the new iGroove SXT, of course I said yes. How could I not? My iPhone has been itching to have a new toy to play plus I was in the market for a new set of speakers for the kitchen anyway so it was absolutely perfect timing.

Many of the speakers that I currently have in various rooms of my home, are great docks, a good way for me to charge my iPhone when I’m in that room but the problem is that I bought these various speakers when I only had the iPod touch meaning they weren’t really ment for the iPhone. What does that mean? Well in a nutshell it means that there is static from the cell phone signal. In order to listen to music uninterrupted from static noise I needed to put my iPhone into airplane noise which also basically turns the phone part of the iPhone off meaning I was missing a lot of various messages and calls from friends or family members all because I
wanted to listen to some music. With the iGroove SXT it is completely compatible with the iPhone (even the EG S model) reducing the cell phone noise enough so that I can’t even tell that my cell is on and not in airplane mode. Major perk!

Design-wise I think the iGroove SXT is very sleak….hawt even for a piece of electronic equipment (sorry I get a little too excited about gadgets sometimes). The reason why I wanted a set of speakers in my kitchen is because they really motivate me to get my work done in there. Washing dishes, cooking, cleaning while listening to music just makes life a little bit more fun, I think. The sleek body of the iGroove SXT looks beautiful sitting on my cookbook shelf in my kitchen. Definitely a great addition. I’ve even gone as far as to give it its own shelf (LOL I told you, I love gadgets…maybe a little too much).

Functionally the iGroove works like a dream. Very basically yet powerful is how I would describe it. The iGroove SXT comes with a little remote that is like a little slice of heaven in the users hand. Since my iGroove is on the other side of the kitchen from where I am typically working the remote allows me to skip songs, turn up or down the volume, or turn the unit off with ease. One thing I did learn while testing this unit out in my home is that you have got to make sure there is nothing obstructing the battery in the remote or it will not work. You know those little pull tabs that come in most battery operating devices that you must pull out before use. Well when I pulled the “pull tab” a little piece of paper broke off inside the remote not allowing it to work until I pulled the rest of the paper out.

Volume. This little device packs some serious sound. Literally I can turn the iGroove on in the Kichen and hear it clearly in my bedroom at the back of the house. The sound on the iGroove definitely blows my other iPod speakers out of the water. I didn’t know that sound was such a big deal when purchasing a iPod dock with speakers until I tried out the iGroove SXT. Definite improvement from what I am used to and a much welcome change.

Another perk that I learned from reading the Owner’s Manual is that the iGroove SXT is Video compatible. Meaning that with the S-video output in the back of the unit you can hook your iPhone/iPod up to your television and watch your videos on a bigger screen. I’m super excited about this feature because I’m a huge advocate for digital copies of DVD’s and such. I like taking movies with me on the go but sometimes, like when I rent a movie from iTunes, I want to watch that movie on a bigger screen. With the iGroove SXT I believe that feature is available. I do not have an S-video output handy to test this feature out completely, so don’t quote me, but the idea is exciting enough for me to be looking for an S-video hookup cable.

Another fabulous feature I just read about, the iGroove SXT instantly turns on when your iPod/iPhone’s alarm goes off. Interesting.

For more information please check out the iGroove SXT overview page on Klipsch official website.

Are you an iPod or iPhone user? What external features and docks do you use? Where did you get it? How did you come to the conclusion of purchasing that particular one? I’m curious to know what everyone else likes to use for their iPod/iPhone docking stations and/or external speakers. Oh one more thing, when do you use your external speakers most often?

Disclosure: this post is sponsored by Klipsch. This is my personal opinion of this product, I am not an expert. Please check all facts with the manufacturer.