I wouldn’t consider myself a true audiophile but I care about sound quality a great deal more then most people. This is a small unit so I am not expecting it to sound like the Paradigm speakers I have in the living room but for a small device, the sound is overall very good. I was pleasantly surprised by the reproduction of the lows (and highs even) with this little unit. It’s no where near perfect but it sounds better then any two-channel system I’ve listened to. There is no tin-like sound that is found with cheaper systems. Stood far enough away from the wall (the unit also fires through the rear as well if I am not mistaken), this unit gets quite loud without distorting the sound, even when it’s loud enough to hear it two rooms away.

I sort of wish I found a clock radio that lets me wake up to tracks on my phone. This does not but I was pleasantly surprised to find out I can still use my phone’s alarm and this unit will automatically wake up and play my ringtones that I use as an alarm to wake me up. (Not that I was planning on using this as an alarm, more or less a clock with an iPod dock.) I tried the alarm once and it was neither annoying or deafeningly loud. I liked it but prefer the way the iPhone works as an alarm clock more.

One thing that worried me was the brightness of the display. I need to sleep in total darkness. I haven’t found a way to dim the lights in the front but luckily this unit is bright enough to see in the daytime but just dark enough it doesn’t bother me. The orange light nice.

The other thing I was glad to see is this unit does not disable the iPod app in the phone when it is docked. When my phone is connected in my car, it gets connected through the dock connector and all iPod features are done through the head unit and the iPhone screen goes blank. This unit lets me control everything through the iPod so I can still see album art and such.

This leads me to the one downfall of this unit- the lack of buttons for track selection. The unit only has buttons for shuffle and repeat. The remote has all of the start, stop, fast forward (next), and rewind (previous) buttons. So I have to either wake my iPhone up when the screen is off or I have to fumble around to find the remote. Sort of a big oversight in my opinion.

Overall, I am quite satisfied with this unit. I’d recommend it to anyone that can afford it.

Rating: 5 / 5
Logitech Pure-Fi Express Plus Omnidirectional Speaker Dock for iPod and iPhone

PROS

+ Compact size for bed-stand, shelf or desk use

+ Integrated one-piece design includes remote storage built into back of the unit

+ Omni-directional speaker sound fills a nice area when positioned properly

+ Bright orange clock display is more readable than those on other units I own

+ Graduating alarm clock slowly gets louder

+ Includes basic remote functions for power, volume, skip, forward, rewind, play and pause

+ Storage area for remote built into back of unit so you won’t worry about losing your remote

+ Line-in port allows you to connect a PC or other Mp3 players, such as Sony, Creative or Zune, via auxiliary cable

+ Dock charges and plays a wide variety of iPods with the proper adapter (several standard ones are included)

+ Black body and orange lighted controls will look attractive to many

CONS

- Fewer features than similarly priced units by Logitech, Altec Lansing, iHome and others

- The sound is clear, but lacks the depth of higher end systems, though it did improve over time

- Alarm is buzzer only with no option for iPod music alarm (possibly could be updated)

- No outputs of any kind for hooking up to other equipment (RCA, USB, etc.)

- Only one (line-in) input, limiting the device’s flexibility

- Remote functions don’t let you navigate iPod menus

- No AM/FM radio within the device

- Poorly designed for mobile use – speaker fabric feels vulnerable to damage in transit

- Portable use also requires 6 AA batteries, making re-chargeable ones almost a necessity

- No included carrying case for portable use

THE ALTERNATIVES

For those who really want the omni-directional speakers, this unit may be worth the price tag and the missing features. Many people probably fall outside of that category.

The alarm feature is a curious and inadequate feature considering the ones that were left out. Both the Logitech Pure-Fi Dream Speaker and the Pure-Fi Anytime Premium Alarm Clock function better as alarm clocks and each include more features, such as an AM/FM radio. While the Dream is more expensive, the Anytime is priced comparably. The speakers are not omni-directional, so they do not fill a room in the same way. But considering the mid-range pricing, most people would probably prefer the extra features over the slightly more expansive sound.

As a desk dock, even the Etón Sound 100 iPod Dock is probably superior to this for certain uses. The remote included with that radio allows full iPod navigation. It doesn’t come close in terms of sound quality since it is monaural. But is loaded with features and much more compact.

Docks such as the iLuv i177 Alarm Clock also deserve consideration from those who need a lower price tag for more features. For those willing to spend a little more, there are many alternatives worth paying a premium depending on the intended use. As a general iPod dock, this unit has enough positive traits that it should still be in the running.

CONCLUSION

If you need a speaker dock for a medium sized room and plan on relying on your iPod to drive it, you can do a lot worse than this. But this is not the best value out there and even in terms of performance there are others that may be better for your needs. This unit is a sort of jack-of-all trades. Even though it is OK, it is not ideal for portability, features, or as a clock radio. You can probably find a unit better suited to the use that matters most to you f you explore the docks that are superior in each of those categories.

Review your options and test it out at retail outlets if possible. But as long as the missing features are less important to you, you may still like this dock.

Enjoy.
Rating: 3 / 5
Logitech Pure-Fi Express Plus Omnidirectional Speaker Dock for iPod and iPhone

I was looking for a unit that sat next to my bed, played music from time to time, had an alarm clock and most importantly charged my iPhone 3G. Believe it or not, that was a much more difficult task then you would think – 95% of iPod clock docks won’t work with the iPhone, let alone the 3G due to GSM buzz. This radio does it without problems. The sound quality is excellent. iLounge gave it an A- rating. It also includes a remote! Nifty!

The one thing I with was better was the alarm clock function. It’s very basic, and doesn’t include a snooze button, but the loud beeps seem to wake me up just fine (and I never use the snooze).
Rating: 5 / 5
Logitech Pure-Fi Express Plus Omnidirectional Speaker Dock for iPod and iPhone

First of all, I love electronic devices with knobs rather than tons of buttons, so this one had a head start in making me happy. The LED clock looks nice, that’s another plus for me. The overall design is pretty ok. I mean, it looks really nice in a picture, but I’m constantly disappointed with the mega-plastic form factor of this and every other product these days. That said, this product pretty much does what it says–it plays your iPhone or iPod’s music, keeps it charged, and has an alarm clock.

One of my disappointments is the lack of functionality with the remote control. You can increase/decrease the volume, fast forward/reverse the tracks, and specify continuous play or random. I’m not a big playlist kinda guy, I’m an album guy, so there’s a small gap of control missing for me. The alarm sound isn’t my cup of tea either, but isn’t too big of a deal since my iPhone’s alarm chime will play through the speaker and suits me just fine.

The quality of sound is good enough for an alarm clock kinda thing. They have some press pictures of taking this thing to the park. I doubt the sound is robust enough to satisfy that environment, but again, that doesn’t bother me personally.

Overall, I’m pretty happy with it. Go ahead and get one already!
Rating: 4 / 5
Logitech Pure-Fi Express Plus Omnidirectional Speaker Dock for iPod and iPhone

As far as performance goes, the Pure-Fi Express Plus didn’t provide the same quality output as my set of standalone speakers with subwoofer, but it holds its weight. Logitech’s Pure-Fi Dream Speaker might be a better alternative if you’re looking for higher quality output (and AM/FM radio).

For portability, the Pure-Fi Express Plus is certainly nice, compact, and simple. In fact, it’s a little smaller than expected (Logitech uses a 2nd generation Nano in many of the product photos which makes the Pure-Fi Express look bigger than it is). If you’re primarily interested in portability, however, the even more portable, rechargeable Logitech Rechargeable Speaker S315i might be a better choice.

For the alarm clock functionality, the Pure-Fi Express Plus gets the job done, but it just has a buzzer (it won’t let you wake up to your iPod), it doesn’t feature dual alarms, and the snooze button doubles as the volume dial which doubles as the power button. Fortunately, another Logitech product, the similarly priced Pure-Fi Anytime Premium Alarm Clock, has all the features you’d expect of a full-featured alarm clock, if that’s what you’re after.

The only compelling advantage the Pure-Fi Express Plus has over its alternatives is the omnidirectional speaker which broadcasts in 360°. That makes it worth considering if you really need an iPod dock for a coffee table in the middle of a room, but otherwise I’d buy the other Logitech alternatives before this unit.

Overall, I wouldn’t say the Pure-Fi Express Plus is a bad choice, necessarily. I just wouldn’t call it as good of a choice as the other products mentioned. I’d give the Pure-Fi Express Plus an unenthusiastic recommendation, but only three stars because of its more specialized, and arguably more appealing, sister products.
Rating: 3 / 5
Logitech Pure-Fi Express Plus Omnidirectional Speaker Dock for iPod and iPhone