Good for the price but you need to weigh against the cons
The iLive IT188B is a good concept that needs some work. It's a solid piece of equipment that has very good build quality, has a decent feature set, and has "fit anywhere" styling but the overall execution leaves a bit to be desired.
The Good:
1) iPod dock charges an iPod without the IT188B needing to be on.
2) Built in AM/FM radio is a nice extra but could have been left out to make the product cheaper.
3) Connections are quick and easy.
4) Works with Logitech Harmony (and presumably other) remotes.
5) Sound quality is very good (see The Bad) and can get quite loud without distortion. Good bass/treble ranges.
6) Mounting hardware is included and is a nice extra to have.
Two inputs plus iPod and radio provides enough source connections for an excellent price.
7) Cheap!
The Bad:
1) First unit produced a loud hum when volume is anything but 0. Tried in multiple outlets (to isolate from home theater components and any ground loops) but hum is always there. Overpowering during quiet passages and is really unacceptable. Unit also would not turn on one night and had no display. Unplugged it for an hour and plugged it back in and it worked normally after that. Contacted manufacturer for both issues and they quickly said to return it to the store or send it in for replacement (within 90-day warranty) as it's clearly defective. I opted to exchange it (to avoid shipping charges). Second unit has not failed but still exhibits a loud hum though lower than the first unit. Might be able to put up with it but it's still unacceptable and points to a design flaw. When source volume is loud enough to overpower the hum, it's great and works really well. Not "clearly defective" but rather a design flaw, I'd say, since it's exhibited on two random units so far.
2) Buttons on side of unit are convenient but tough to use as you have to get your head in the entertainment unit to see them. Will have to memorize their functions.
3) Tuning can only be done with on-unit buttons, not with remote.
4) Remote buttons not backlit and are pretty tiny though you really don't need to use them if you have the volume control mapped to a universal remote.
If the bar did not hum, it would be a 5-star product (maybe 4 due to the one night it failed to power on). Very solid construction, simple to use and set up, and excellent sound for the money.
If you can get one that does not hum, you'll likely be impressed at the value per dollar. It it hums, you'll probably want to return it.
Update 12/14/09:
Finally returned the unit to where I purchased it because the hum was just overwhelming. Since the unit was decent otherwise, I checked out another model that was on sale at a local electronics megastore and found that the new model, IT209B (3.1 channel), did NOT hum and sounded as good or better. Only major difference is that the IT209 is a whopping 37" wide and doesn't fit our entertainment unit so I had to devise a mounting method using some short length of 2x4 studs.
If you still consider the IT188B, make sure it does not hum. You won't like it!
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