iLuv iMM178DAB Vibe Plus review

The iLuv iMM178DAB Vibe Plus does a decent job and even has an extra speaker for under your pillow Tested at £70

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

Performs perfectly nicely, but there’s better out there for not much more money

Pros

  • +

    Clear and crisp for voice radio

Cons

  • -

    Lacks bass presence

  • -

    no iPod track-listing

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

The sticker on the box for the Vibe Plus claims it costs £99.97. A strange price to plump for, perhaps, but also an easy one to ignore. We’ve found it online at a number of reputable sources for less than £70. And, to give it a fair crack of the whip, that’s the price we’ll be testing it at.

Good vibrations
This is a dual alarm clock with FM, DAB, and an iPod dock. It also has an intriguing extra – the ‘bed shaker’. This proves to be a plug-in speaker that you can slide under your pillow for private listening, or for a vibrating wake-up without disturbing your partner.

DAB reception is strong enough and we didn’t have any problems setting things up.

Initial impressions of the sound are encouraging: for voice radio in particular, this is a pleasing listen, clear and crisp without being too strident.

It suffers a touch with music, though, in comparison with the five-star Pure Chronos II dock (available for around £30 more)..

It’s just a little tinny in comparison, and lacking in some bass presence. The same is true with iPod performance. It also lacks the auxiliary input and the iPod track-listing of the Chronos.

All in all, though, this is a perfectly decent product that does a perfectly decent job.

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What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.

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