Lightning Speaker Docks

iOS
#1

I’m on the hunt for a speaker dock that will fit an iPhone 6 Plus and it’s turning out to be surprisingly hard to find much of anything. At the moment we are using a $25 Kmart special but it really is a total POS.

Ideally, it would be a clock/radio dock (although it doesn’t really need a radio) and it’s not going to be hundreds of dollars since it’s for a kids bedroom. Second hand/eBay/Gumtree are all fine options.

I’d really prefer something that isn’t just the iPhone balancing on the lightning connector (ie I’d like some sort of backrest) because kids.

Can anyone recommend anything?

#2

Does it really need to be a lightning docked one?

Won’t the myriad Bluetooth speakers do a better job than having a plug that can get broken easily?

1 Like
#3

Some kind of wifi enabled stereo device would do the trick. There is generally a range of those options in various price brackets at your nearest Apple related store, but you should be able to find them online at better prices anyway.

1 Like
#4

I’ve considered bluetooth/airplay speakers too but would consider still grabbing some sort of a dock even if it’s just plugged into power. I’m starting to realise that this might be the inevitable answer.

While I might be able to find some of the following bit’s and bobs floating around spare, when you add up the cost of a dock + power supply + cable + speaker it starts to add up.

I’ve considered that too, but the compact-ness of a clock radio docky thing is very attractive. Although the idea of a cheap soundbar wall mounted would solve that problem… mmmm interesting…

#5

Yes a sound bar would improve the situation quite dramatically. You can even buy them a clock at the same time if you really need that function, although the alarm clock on the phone in question should suffice.

If you want to introduce them to Triple J or whatever, just get RadioApp installed on their phone which has all the live streams for Australia radio stations on it.

#6

Thanks for the replies, just writing it down has helped with the thought process :smiley:

$49 probably isn’t going to be buying high-end gear, but the hope would be that it would be a better piece of kit than a portable Bluetooth speaker in the same price range. I’ve had pretty good results with Bluetooth in the past. It does tend to stay connected and work pretty consistently.

http://www.kmart.com.au/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?urlRequestType=Base&catalogId=10102&categoryId=&productId=824485&errorViewName=ProductDisplayErrorView&urlLangId=-1&langId=-1&top_category=&parent_category_rn=&storeId=10701

As an alternative, I’ve got a UE Boom that I use when I’m working out in the garage. I’m thinking about sacrificing it to the Children and borrowing it should I ever want to use it. It’s small enough that it should work although I then need two USB power adaptors to keep both powered.

The other option is a Pioneer A1 speaker. I’ve got a couple of these which are AirPlay units but the AirPlay was always a bit temperamental (although this could be down to the old WiFi Network). Using the USB connection on it should work fine instead and means I don’t need an extra power source. The issue with this is that it takes up a bit of space, especially when it has to live next to the bed (so it can be reached). There is actually an IR remote (if I can find it) so maybe I can make it live elsewhere.

#7

The iPhone Lightning dock from Apple has a 3.5mm jack in the back of it. Just get one of them and plug into speakers if you want to be powered while you play music?

1 Like
#8

Another option I hadn’t considered which would likely be compact enough to fit the space, although at $59 or $79 it’s pricey for what you get. I’m still not convinced on the whole ‘balancing on a lightning port’ design either. I’m sure there is a flea bay knock off for a few $$ :stuck_out_tongue:

Logitech used to have a great range of little speaker dock things in the 30 pin days (hell I’m still using one!), sadly these all seem to have died off in the lightning era. maybe because they all felt burned by the switch so invested in bluetooth instead?

#9

From memory Telstra was clearing out the genuine ones on eBay for quite low prices.

#10

I’ve been using them since they came out, no issues at all. They’re super sturdy, it’s not “balancing”

1 Like
#11

My concern is that your are relying 100% on that little lightning connector to hold up your phone without any additional support. That’s a pretty small piece of metal holding up the phone and on the other side of that, it’s a pretty small socket on the phone that’s taking all the force that may be applied to it…

Mind you. the more I ponder my concerns the more I think you’re right. The old 3G/S and 4/5 Apple docks had a small molded section that the phone sat on which felt like it was providing some sort of support, but probably not much to speak of really… and they survived just fine. Also the Apple stores use these docks for everything and they seem to work very well. Of course, they can always swap out a busted phone/dock quickly and easily should they ever have to and they only have to last 12 months… although they probably get a hell of a lot more use and abuse than my daughter is going to put it through.

Personally, I’ve got the Twelve South Hi-Rise which has a little adjustable backrest. It uses your stock Apple cable and comes with a couple of little inserts to lift the plug higher in the base so it works with many different cases. I’ve actually just had to dig the adaptors out of the drawer because I’m using a different case on the new iPhone and it’s a little deeper.

#12

Again, it’s super sturdy. The phone isn’t going anywhere. The lightning plug isn’t going to move, it’s locked in place with a small moulded support around it. The only way you’re damaging either the dock or the phone is by picking them both up and dropping them on the floor. And even then they’ll probably still be docked together. I can lift up the phone and the dock comes with it. I have to wriggle the phone to get it to disconnect from the plug, and my little finger has to rest on the back of the dock to keep it in place in order to undock the phone.

I can assure you that your concerns are not required in this case.