Review: iriver clix 2 cradle

One of the most uniquely designed and stylish accessories made exclusively for use with the iriver clix 2 is its official cradle, which not only charges and syncs the player but also enables audio playback through its integrated speaker and headphone jack.

Too good to be true? Read on to find out.

Packaging

The cradle is nicely packaged in a black box that features a glossy and slightly raised image of the clix 2 on the front and back.

Printed on the flap of the box is the phrase "For clix mania," which is cute and helpful in rationalizing any accessory obsession you might have.

Contents

Included in the box is quite a bit more than I expected, especially considering the insignificant set of accessories bundled with the actual player.

The warranty pamphlet and USB cable didn't surprise me, but the all-Korean manual (an English version doesn't seem to exist) and zippered pouch sure did. And since you already know about my love of cases, I'm sure you won't mind the following indulgence.

Pretty nice, right? And it even has two pockets!

I think the top pocket is supposed to be for the USB cable, but I use it for my Sennheiser CX300 inner-ear monitors.

Even though it's nearly three times as thick, the pouch isn't big enough to hold the clix 2 (all the more reason to consider the Noreve leather case, of course).

Design

Fashioned out of brushed aluminum and black plastic, the cradle nicely complements the player and is an attractive accent on a nightstand, desk, or other flat surface.

What sets the 2.15" x 1.94" x 0.59" unit apart from docking stations for other players is not just the X-shaped indentation (from which headphone and USB plugs are jutting out) but the fact that it is actually made to sit on its side.

Because what at first glance looks like the base of the cradle is actually a 1W mono speaker. So setting it down in what would typically be the regular or "normal" way muffles most of the sound, which defeats the purpose of the speaker's inclusion.

If you would rather make use of the headphone jack and plug in your favorite pair of IEMs or a set of external speakers, resting the cradle on its speaker is fine.

Connecting the cradle to a computer through its USB 2.0 port does more than just enable you to manage the content on your clix 2. The connection also charges the player and the cradle itself. That's right. Built right into the cradle is a non-removable lithium-polymer battery that reportedly receives a full charge in an hour, runs for 7 hours, and can be on standby (notice the power switch) for up to 35 hours.

Since the cradle is not equipped with an LED indicator, there's obviously no way to know when it's fully charged or when it's running low on power. And given its estimated runtime, it doesn't tap into the clix 2's battery supply either.

Function

The placement of the cradle's headphone and USB plugs may look incredibly odd, but given that the player's headphone jack and USB port are on opposite sides of the device, it's actually completely sensible (not to mention functional).

With the cradle set in its "proper" side position and the clix 2 connected through its headphone jack, the player is placed at the perfect viewing angle for watching videos and looking at the "Now Playing" screen during music playback.

When the player is connected through its USB port, the cradle is best used with the speaker facing down and the display orientation switched to portrait mode. This makes sense for two reasons. First, the cradle's integrated speaker is useless without being connected to the clix 2's headphone jack. And second, look what happens when the unit is set on its side:

The player is upside down and backwards.

Speaker

The cradle's built-in mono speaker has a maximum output of 1 watt,  so its audio quality is far from stellar. In fact, it's actually quite poor. My un-discerning ears weren't expecting much, but they're still disappointed by the hollow tin-can sound, slight distortion, and "fuzziness" at even barely audible volume levels.

The cradle doesn't have any volume controls of its own, which I wouldn't mind so much if I didn't have to practically max out my clix 2 to hear anything. The player's volume level tops out at 40: I set it at 8 with my Sennheisers but crank it up to at least 35 when using the cradle. I haven't yet forgotten to lower the volume before using headphones afterward, but if you ever hear a scream from the middle of the Pacific Ocean, that's me . . . blowing out my eardrums.

And while I like the unique "side design" that the cradle adopts, it's not practical when watching a video. When the display is facing you, the speaker is not; when the speaker is facing you, the display is not.

Conclusion

The iriver clix 2 cradle would be a fantastic, must-have accessory if not for its integrated speaker, which sounds great on paper but falls far short of even lowered expectations in person. Not only does it produce muffled and tin-like sound, but it's also the root of one of my other gripes about the unit: no dedicated volume controls.

If iriver omitted the speaker (and added an LED indicator for battery status), the dock could still command its $45 asking price based solely on its charging/syncing capabilities and good looks. Then again, its unconventional design (part of its appeal) doesn't make any sense without its speaker.

Available now through Amazon and other retailers.

Comments

[dantat8]

Great review as usual! Love all the pics. Just one question. Is the line-out on the cradle truly a line-out (constant volume) or just a headphone jack (volume adjusted from player)?

[Jenn]

Thanks, dantat8.

The volume can be adjusted from the player and a set of external speakers. What does that make it? "Line out (headphone out)" is printed on the box, but now I'm not sure what to make of those parentheses.

[dantat8]

Thanks for the reply Jenn. I think that makes it a headphone jack. I was hoping it was an actual line out jack like on a home dvd player or something where the volume is controlled through the receiver. I'll probably pass on this cradle. I really wanted to like it but it doesn't have the functions I would have liked.

[Captain Ødegård]

A little pointer, Jenn. If they removed the speaker, there would be no need for a battery, and hence the USB on the dock would be 100% a pass through, and you could just plug the cable into the player directly with the same result. Hence it would be nothing but a viewing stand :)

It is definitely a headphone out, as it's a 3 pole jack that connects the dock... no way to separate headphone out and line out from that

[Jenn]

Excellent points, Captain.

Most docks work are just a more convenient way to charge/sync than dealing with a cable anyway, though, so I wouldn't mind too much.

Thanks for the headphone clarification, too. I'll update the review to get rid of all the line-out nonsense. iriver really shouldn't advertise the capability right there on the box...

[PeterSt]

So, let me summarize this: THERE IS NO LINE - IN CAPABILITY in the cradle? I am asking, because this is the only reason why I would buy it in addition to the CLIX2.

You confirmation would be appreciated.

[Jenn]

Yes, there's no line-in capability on the cradle (or the player).

I think the only player iriver released this year that does is the X20.

[Vaidas]

Hi, Jenn (I like your reviews as the best page on net), I still wondering to choose from X20 and clix2.
clix2 has great display, flash/themes, text viewing, but has no integrated speaker, or the battery dont know how many years will last.
X20 has replaceable battery, integrated stereo speakers, and as for europe 8gb version is similar price to 4gb clix, still its bigger, less functions.
For clix2 it realy takes mind by those themes and customizable menus :) so I still dont know which will I get.

I havent got any player before through, except listening music from mobile, and I think its great option to be able to listen music not only by IEMs, but with integrated speaker or some kind of added speaker thing.
As for better functions on clix2 Id like to pass for speaker thing, cradle seemed to be a solution (not so cheap).

So I got some questions, concering those two players:
a) It may seem by using IEMs at both players sound is about the same output? In quality and strength.
b) By using integrated stereo speakers on X20 and cradle with clix2, It seems quite a diference in quality and strength?
c) Any thoughts which should I choose, like maybe IEMs is enough to listen to audio..

Sorry I talk so much, but I'd be pleased to receive answer/comment, also (just maybe) it would be nice review on comparing X20 with clix2, but Its still quite understandable from both your reviews on those two players, so bad idea considerably.

Thanks for being,
looking forward :)

[Jenn]

Hi there, Vaidas. Thanks for your comments and questions.

I don't have the X20 anymore so I can't do a side-by-side comparison, but from what I can remember and to answer your questions:

a) Yes, the sound quality was just about the same using Sennheiser CX300 IEMs. There may be a noticeable difference with high-end earphones, but I think both players sound equally great.

b) The X20's stereo speakers are much better than the clix 2 cradle's mono speaker in terms of volume and overall clarity.

c) Although the X20 has many advantages (line-in, removable battery, speakers, etc.), I personally prefer the clix 2 because of its design, beautiful display, themes, games, and ease of use.

Hope that helps. :-)

[alex]

if you don't buy the iriver cradle are there any other speakers the iriver clix2 can dock with?

[Jenn]

None that I know of, alex. The player can be connected to any set of speakers through its headphone jack, but this cradle is the only one I know of with docking functions.

[Brad]

When I was reading up on the cradle for the clix 2 I noticed it said "a perfect fit for both the 2GB and 4GB". Does that mean it definately won't fit the 8GB version? your help would be very much appreciated, cheers

[Jenn]

Hi Brad. Do you remember where you read that? It was probably just written before the 8GB was officially announced. The 8GB has the same dimensions as the 2GB and 4GB, so it will fit into the cradle with no problem.

[gautam]

Out of curiousity.. if the clix2 is placed onto the mini-usb port on the cradle... does that mean you can still use the headphone out port on the cradle (i.e. connect external speakers to it)? So can you charge the clix2 AND listen to music at the same time?

[Antonio Melo]

Is there any cross-fading feature between the songs with this device? Anyone knows? Can't find this information anywhere. Tks