Review: Logic 3 iStation Traveller for iPhone & iPod touch

When we reviewed Logic 3's $30 iStation Traveller, a tiny speaker system for iPods, we found it to be a fine value and surprisingly good-sounding for such a small and inexpensive product. The company has since released an iPhone-friendly version of the Traveller, the appropriately-named iStation Traveller for iPhone & iPod touch , and it picks up where the original left off. (Note that the name of the product line is sometimes spelled i-Station, and this particular model is also seen as just Traveller for iPhone.)

The $60 Traveller is approximately 6.7 inches wide, 3.5 inches tall, and 1.3 inches thick when collapsed for transit; it weighs just 11 ounces with 4 AAA batteries installed. Instead of a traditional iPod dock, the Traveller connects using a standard headphone cable; the cable, which features an iPhone-friendly headphone plug, is permanently attached to the system and stores neatly in a groove on the back for travel. You control volume using the iPhone or iPod; the Traveller has no volume control of its own.

To listen to audio, you give the two sides of the system a gentle tug; they pull apart, revealing a cradle for your iPhone or iPod touch. You just plug in the audio cable, turn on the Traveller, and press play. And if you want to watch video, a firmer tug opens the Traveller even wider to accommodate a horizontal iPhone or iPod touch. Two pop-out legs on the back of the Traveller hold it upright.

This design is clever and works well, but it does have a few drawbacks. The first is that although the Traveller's cradle is a good fit for a bare iPhone, or even one in a thin case, thicker cases don't fit. The second is that when the Traveller is configured to hold a vertical iPhone or iPod touch, the cradle is a bit too wide-your player can slide left and right. You can slide the Traveller closed a bit to eliminate this extra space, but then you can't see your the entire screen of your iPhone or iPod touch. (The extra width is a consequence of the Traveller being able to accommodate a horizontal player.) When used with an iPod touch in vertical mode, the touch's bottom-mounted headphone jack requires you to connect the audio cable before putting the touch in the Traveller, and then the touch rests-a bit awkwardly-on the headphone plug. Finally, although the Traveller's legs hold the system in a good position for listening to music, I found that the system didn't lean back far enough for comfortable video-watching; I ended up using a small object to lift the front of the Traveller for a better angle.

(The Traveller for iPhone & iPod touch can be used with other iPod models; note that a nano's bottom-mounted headphone jack makes for slightly-awkward positioning in the cradle. You can also connect the Traveller to your laptop's headphone jack.)

As with the original Traveller, the iPhone version's standout features-especially given its relatively-low price-are its size and its performance for that size. The system is small enough to fit in a large pants pocket, so it's easy to throw in a laptop bag or carry-on. Yet despite this small size, the Traveller sounds quite good. As you'd expect from two 1.25-inch speaker drivers, you don't get much bass, and the maximum volume isn't ear-splitting. But midrange and treble are decent, and the system isn't nearly as tinny as many speakers of this size I've tested.

Included with the Traveller are a tiny AC adapter, an adapter for using the Traveller with mobile phones that feature a 2.5mm audio jack, and a thin-fabric carrying pouch.

Macworld's Buying Advice

Like previous Logic 3 speaker systems, the iStation Traveller stands out not necessarily because it offers superior performance or features compared to other systems on the market, but because it's a good combination of small size, good sound quality, and a reasonable price. With a few tweaks, its video-viewing feature would be ideal for a desk or airline tray table; however, the current viewing angle is a bit awkward. And if you don't plan on watching video at all, consider the original i-Station Traveller, instead; although its sound quality is a bit more "tinny," it's half the price and about half the size.