Title: I. Sound™ PSP™ Pro Speaker System & AC Power Adapter
Manufacturer: Dream Gear – www.dreamgear.net
The Sony PlayStation Portable has spawned a plethora of accessories. Some are quite useful while some are not necessary. What I find to be one of the most useful accessories available for the PSP is Dream Gear’s I. Sound PSP Pro Speaker System coupled with Dream Gear’s 100-240 Volt AC Power Adapter, which is sold separately. Now the power adapter is not necessary in order to use the unit with your PSP. The AC power cord that comes within the PSP Value Pack plugs right into the unit, which also serves as a docking station to charge your PSP before taking it on the road. The advantage of having Dream Gear’s 100-240 Volt AC Power Adapter is that it automatically adjusts for the necessary voltage and allows the user to plug the PSP alone or through the I. Sound Speaker System to an electrical socket providing power to use both the PSP and I. Sound Pro Speaker System while also charging the PSP unit at the same time. This is a definite plus since one can simply leave their PSP plugged into the I, Sound after they’ve finished using it and then return to it and watch a movie, play a game, listen, to music, etc and the battery will continue to charge. Even if you don’t buy the I. Sound, the AC Power Adapter from Dream Gear is well worth the investment because of that ability.
However if you are like me, sometimes I just am not in the mood to put the ear buds that come with the PSP into my ears and the tiny speakers on the PSP are so low even at maximum volume that it is almost a wonder why Sony bothered including them at all. However with the I. Sound Pro Speaker System, you get an easy to use plug and play docking station that fits the PSP perfectly and provides true stereo speakers that bring out the sound clarity and dimension inherent to the UMD format. In addition there is a bass button as well as a surround sound setting that both dramatically improve the sound output from the PSP and the viewing angle is very comfortable too. The I. Sound PSP Pro Speaker System will also work with your Apple I. Pod as well as other MP3 players using a 3.5mm cable that comes with the unit. I tested this feature on an old third party MP3 player and it worked beautifully so it doesn’t even have to be the I. Pod if you want to use the speakers to output your MP3 music from your player through the I. Sound speakers.
The package, which looks like the packaging the PSP Value Pack is sold in, also features a portable protective material case that the unit folds nicely into and the I. Sound can be used on the go by inserting four “AAA” batteries into the battery lid at the bottom of the main speaker unit. The only two design features that I would change with the unit is I would make a space on the back of the unit back so that the users can replace their UMD media without pulling the PSP off the dock though it is surprisingly easy to attach and detach the unit from the dock speedily. The other change I’d make is to make a power button on the system automatically turn on both the I. Sound PSP Pro Speaker System and the PSP at the same time. That way you don’t have move the right speaker to the side to turn on the unit and if there was a way to open the UMD drive door on the back of the PSP without having to disconnect the unit from the dock, one could just change UMD discs and leave their PSP on the I. Sound PSP Pro Speaker System indefinitely.
As is though, these two products truly enhanced my PSP user’s experience and I have already used the I. Sound with the AC Adapter to review approximately 13 UMD-Videos for my website and it has made that aspect of what I do much easier. I love it. Dream Gear’s I. Sound™ PSP™ Pro Speaker System & AC Power Adapter are sold separately now at retailers on and offline and can also be ordered directly from Dream Gear by visiting www.dreamgear.net.
© Copyright 2005 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.