Klipsch’s reputation for stellar sound goes untarnished by the high-fidelity iGroove SXT.
Summary
By serving up premium sound quality, Klipsch’s remarkably simple iGroove SXT delivers where most others have failed. Lightweight and unassuming, it may be just what you’ve been looking for in a portable iPod or iPhone speaker system. Be aware, however: The device does come with some drawbacks, including the lack of several features commonly found on competing models.
Have you checked out your local department store’s electronics section lately? If so, then no doubt you’ve noticed the plethora of iPod- and iPhone- related products lining the shelves. The iPod’s seemingly never-ending rampage has sparked an onslaught of products and accessories made by every electronics brand you know – and many you’ve never heard of as well.
Ironically though, these feature-laden, bulky and downright ugly contraptions usually miss the mark when it comes to the one feature that really matters: Actual audio performance. Thankfully, Klipsch has begun developing products that refuse to sacrifice sound quality at the price of convenience. With the iGroove SXT, form and function combine to offer you more than you bargain for when looking for an iPod speaker system.
Out of the Box
The iGroove is packaged sparsely. Inside the box you’ll find a cluster of dock adapters, a DC power supply cable, a small card-style remote and a manual.
It’s hard not to notice how light the iGroove SXT is when removing the unit from its packaging. For decades now, weight has been associated with quality when it comes to audio. Quality speaker magnets, power supplies and anti-resonant enclosures are usually made from heavier materials so, naturally, to sound good it must be at least a little bit beefy, right? The iGroove’s weight matches is diminutive size though, and at just 4.75” x 12” x 4.625” the system just doesn’t appear capable of delivering full-bodied sound without distorting.
Then you turn it on….
Features and Design
Since inception, Klipsch’s hallmark design has been the horn-style tweeter. Its low power requirements and superior dispersion have been providing Klipsch fans with big soundstages and engrossing stereo effects for years. We’re pleased to see this tweeter technology included in such a compact and inexpensive product. Indeed, most other manufacturers use a single driver to cover the entire spectrum of sound and, frankly, they just aren’t up to the task.
The two ¾-inch MicroTractrix Horn tweeters are mounted in the upper corners of the iGroove and are accompanied by two 2.5-inch mid-woofers. We suspect this is a similar driver compliment to what is found in Klipsch’s HD Theater 500. The speakers are bi-amplified, which is to say that the tweeters and woofers are each powered with their own class D amp. This approach usually leads to very accurate sound with low distortion.
The top of the iGroove provides a scant three buttons for operation: Power and Volume +/-. The remote adds play/pause, track advancement and mute buttons. On the back you’ll find the DC power jack, a 3.5mm mini Aux input (for use with just about any other audio device) and an S-video output jack.
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