Digital Lifestyle > All Reviews > iPad > iPad Accessories > JBL OnBeat review

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 JBL OnBeat review

The OnBeat offers USB syncing and video output along with great audio quality

Ben Harvell

Manufacturer: JBL
Pros: Great sound quality; USB syncing; composite video out; also supports iPhone and iPod
Cons: Doesn’t grip iPad 2 well; iPad landscape mode not supported
Price: £149.99
We rate this 5 out of 5.Star rating:

JBL’s On Beat speaker dock looks and sounds great. Housed within its slick weave design are two Phoenix full-range transducers in a space only a few inches wider than an iPad in portrait orientation.

Unfortunately, the OnBeat doesn’t hold an iPad in landscape rotation as it does with iPhones and iPods. (It is possible but you do so at your own risk as it doesn’t receive proper support.) You also take a risk using an iPad 2 with the device, given that the arms that grip the first-generation iPad don’t quite do the same job with the slimmer new model.

These problems aside, the dock, coupled with its included remote offers very clear sound, is capable of room-filling output and can even sync the iPad when docked via a USB cable to your Mac. Composite video out is also supported, although a cable is not supplied.

The OnBeat offers USB syncing and video output along with great audio quality

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