Logitech have chosen the MM28 as a suitable place to show off what NXT technology can achieve in portable speakers, NXT utilise the natural vibration of a panel to produce clear and yet powerful sound from very small or thin speakers. They have managed to produce some super slim units in the MM28 they measure just 25mm thick and are more akin to the thickness of the new iPod Nano than your common speaker system.

Logitech also manage to keep the whole package sleek and clutter free by managing the connecting cable within the case of the speakers, this can be extracted to connect via 3.5mm mini jack to the audio out of your player. There is very little set-up or control involved with the system, just a simple power button and volume control, your player is easily connected via the 3.5mm jack and the speaker system can be angled using it's case as a support.

Our review took place over a week using an iPod and also a Cowon MP3 player we had on test at the time, both were hooked up using the same method and we tried playing the same range of music from the Gorillaz to a bit of dinner jazz. Its important to have the right expectation of smaller more portable speaker systems, they on the whole do not fill rooms with music and do not provide enough volume for a party, that said the MM28 does impress. Unlike so many others we've tested around the £50 mark it only really started to distort at the top of the volume range and the audio is generally clear and not at all muffled. It would be fair to say that the bass is a bit weak and lacks the punch of the Logic3 system but it makes up for this in the clarity of midrange and vocals.

Our tests with both MP3 players proved that the small and well formed MM28 system certainly does a good job as a portable speaker system, sure its no competitor for the likes of Bose and JBL but it compares well with the Logic3 (although that has more bass) but its better than the IDS-01 from Intempo which gives up the ghost when the volume hits 50%. There is a lack of extraneous noises like whine and hiss which seem to be features of the cheaper systems and Logitech seem to have produced a well rounded system, especially when you consider the size of the speakers.

The MM28 is an active speaker system and as such places no extra drain on the MP3 player, however that means it needs its own set of 4 x AA batteries to run from. Plus the NXT technology allows them to run and run with us getting over 40 hours of replay from the set before they needed replacing, this is far in excess of almost all MP3 player batteries so it will easily outlast your ability to drive the them. We'd have liked some rechargeables but at this price point its optimistic to think that lithium Ion batteries would be included. Logitech have bundled a mains adaptor and even though it weights more than the MM28 unit its worth taking with you if you want to forget about batteries.

Prices at just under £50 and shipping with a 2 year warranty the Logitech MM28 portable speaker system seems to offer a quality, slim, stylish speaker set and the overall package is what we'd expect of the Logitech brand, reliability.

Published - 15/01/2006

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