Logitech mm28 Review

Summary

Not every laptop comes with award-winning speakers that will blow you away. Sometimes we have a song on our CD player we want others to hear. These are just a couple of scenarios where portable speakers come in handy. Whether you’re at school or on the go, having a portable speaker can make your multimedia experience a lot better. The Logitech mm28 Portable Speakers are a decent set of speakers that have barebones features and great battery life. If you’re looking for a quick solution for sharing audio with friends, this may be it.

Features and Design

The Logitech mm28 is a big pill-shaped speaker system that can be used with any audio device with a 3.5mm output jack. It uses NXT’s flat panel speaker technology to make the overall thickness of the device actually very thin. Only 1.25” thin, to be precise. Logitech claims this little device also has “enhanced bass,” which is true, but isn’t exactly a good thing. It can run on either the included AC Adaptor or 4 AA batteries, which is what makes the mm28 stand out.

Apparently, you can get up to 45 hours of battery life with the mm28. I didn’t sit around waiting for this device to die, but it lasted for what seemed like forever on AA batteries. Another great feature on this product has to be the clear plastic cover that is on top of the actual set of speakers. When you get the mm28, you might wonder whether or not you should remove the plastic covering on top of it. Eventually you’ll see that the top acts as both a stand for the speaker and a protective casing as well.

When you want to connect a device to the Logitech mm28, you just need to insert the attached 3.5mm jack that is built into the bottom of the speaker system into the device. Most iPod owners will scoff at not having a dock for their music player of choice, but remember, this is a portable speaker system meant for several different uses. It’s meant to support everything from an old 1988 Walkman to a Sony-Ericsson W800i. The cable length of the jack on the bottom of the speaker is short, though, so users with bulkier devices will find themselves with a connection that’s too close for comfort.

Image Courtesy of Logitech

Setup and Use

Setting up this speaker does not require a bachelor’s degree in engineering. You throw your batteries in the mm28, you plug it into your music player, and you hit the power button. The simplicity of it all is both good and bad. Most casual users will be pleased and should find that this offering from Logitech is a great way to have instant audio at a small get-together or hanging out in the park, etc. There is no volume control or remote, just a power button. You take care of the rest by using your device’s volume settings to make the music louder or quieter.

Unfortunately, louder isn’t the best way to go. This little speaker can get really loud. So if you want something heard, you need not worry. But with high volume comes distortion, and in the case of the mm28, lots of it. Using a 30GB Video iPod, I listened to some classic rock and techno downstairs at my place. When I put the volume past 75%, the mm28 became an unrecognizable blur of fuzz and distortion. Not good. When using it at 50% though, quality was very crisp and clean with significant bass enhancement. Logitech should have included a small volume controller on here.

Image Courtesy of Logitech

Another feature I would have liked to have seen would be the inclusion of a remote. With an MSRP of $79.99, the mm28 is lacking a bit and needs something extra like a remote. Plus, it becomes mundane and it could get annoying having to manually change the volume. The price for this device seems a little high for only providing a set of speakers with a power button and nothing else. I would hope that Logitech lowers the price or at least provides batteries for you in the future.

Issues aside, the price for a decent quality portable speaker like the mm28 is right on the money. Pricing this speaker system at $99.99 would be too high and would have people looking at other options for improved sound quality like headphones or speaker sets. Too low of a price would turn most consumers away from the product and wouldn’t showcase Logitech’s consistent quality within most of their products. You won’t be breaking the bank for something that’s pretty decent overall, which in turn will make you feel a lot better about the mm28.

One thing you have to keep in mind when using this device is that it’s designed to be used with all music players and audio devices, not just the iPod like a lot of other docks out there. Compared to other portable speakers, the mm28 is really good and stands out well above most others you’ll see on the market. The price point makes it worth the while, though you will find some others from companies like JVC and Sony that are a bit cheaper. You’ll be hard pressed to find a set that produces quality audio like the mm28, though.

The size of the mm28 is a mediocre feature that almost defeats itself in ways. Sure it’s really thin and has a slim-lined quality to it. However, this thing is long! You’ll have trouble fitting this in a small backpack and no way is it going in a purse. Just make sure you have a decent-sized bag ready if you plan on carrying this around with you. If you have a 15” laptop or bigger, the bag you use for that should get the job done. Not having to lug around additional wires because of the built-in audio jack makes the mm28 a true blessing.

Logitech has produced a decent portable speaker that enables many people to now showcase their audio to friends and family with consistent quality and volume. If you need to pump music out really loud, however, stay away and move to a different configuration; trying to achieve extremely loud volume from the mm28 results in distortion. Just enjoy the ability to lounge around with your iPod, laptop or CD Player without being tied to your headphones.

• Compatible with any device with a “headphones” output
• 3.5mm jack built-in
• Battery and AC powered

• Distortion at higher volumes
• No volume control