iConnect: XtremeMac Luna

Posted by John P. on June 12th, 2007 Comments Printer-Friendly

Altec Lansing was one of the first creators of speakers for the iPod with their inMotion line of products. Other manufacturers have followed - and one stands out the most, XtremeMac. The new XtremeMac claims its Luna speaker system for the iPod is a revolutionary alarm clock and room audio system, we’re here to put it through its paces in our new Mac series of articles, iConnect.

Included with the Luna is of course, the Luna unit, a remote control, various universal dock adapters, an FM/AM radio antenna, and a power brick.

On the back of the unit is a line-in plug for connecting non-iPod audio sources, a port for the radio antenna, and power. One thing missing is a video-out and USB for synchronizing your iPod without having to remove it from the system. On the bottom, you’ll find a battery compartment that fits two double-A batteries for powering the clock in case of a power outage

The remote control is very nice and has controls for almost everything on your iPod and the Luna including a shuffle button and buttons to toggle through playlists as well as controlling the two alarm clocks. Speaking of alarm clocks, the Luna allows you to set two different alarm clocks and select the audio source and volume level you want to wake to.

Navigating through the Luna with the unit’s four controls on top is tedious and may be confusing at first - though XtremeMac includes a paper template that lays on top to give you an idea of what each control does.

Now to performance, radio performance was great with no static and the overall sound using an iPod video (5G) was great. Good enough sound that compares to the Altec Lansing iM7 and iM600 we reviewed previously.

In conclusion - the XtremeMac Luna is a great choice for users looking for a mid-priced iPod speaker system that sounds great and performs great as well. The Luna is available today for $150 from XtremeMac direct and many fine retailers such as the Apple Store.

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