Hands on: iWow-U review

iWow-U
iWow-U, an audio dongle for big bass and soaring highs

The SRS iWow has had a major overhaul in the just-announced iWow-U. The iWow-U aims to deliver "substantial bass enhancement" and enhance your audio experience - no matter what you're listening to - digitally. While we're not usually too fond of digitally altering our music, there's just no denying this thing's utility during movies.

Action movies especially benefit from the dongle, which makes for much more immersive audio, and you'll hear the difference as grass breaks, cars squeal to a stop, and guns are fired.

Unfortunately, a show floor might not be the best place to test the intricacies of an audio enhancer, so we'll continue testing in more audio-friendly environments and update as necessary.

iWow-U design

iWow U

Both the design and the connectivity has gotten a major overhaul in the iWow-U. Whereas previously the iWow connected through a 30pin dock connector and therefore was (obviously) limited to Apple products, the iWow-U uses a standard 3.5mm headphone jack which means pretty much everything with a headphone jack can benefit from what iWow is calling "HD-quality" sounds.

The iWow-U design is simple and much better designed than its cartoonish precursor (the equally embarrassingly named iWow 3D). If silver's not your thing, the iWow-U comes with five interchangeable faceplates that make the unit red, blue, pink, black, or silver.

There's a single button and light on the iWow-U. When the light's off, the unit's off. When you press the button once, the light turns blue and is optimized for headphone playback. Twice and the light's green, making it better for pumping out auxiliary audio systems (like a car).

iWow-U release date

iWow U

The iWow-U will be released in late May, where it will retail at $70 (about £43).

At $70, it's not cheap, but we received confirmation that the expected street price would be lower - possibly around the $30 range.

Online Editor

Nic is a former Online Editor at TechRadar in San Francisco. He started as a games journalist before becoming an editor at Mac|Life magazine. He holds a degree in English Literature and English Writing from Whitworth University.

Latest in Audio
JBL Charge 6
JBL's new Bluetooth speakers bring all the upgrades I most wanted to see, and they're coming soon
The Apple AirPods 4 on a blue background with text saying Lowest Price.
AirPods 4 are down to $99 again, but there's a better AirPods Pro 2 deal that I'd buy
Sonos speakers and soundbars on a green background
Huge Sonos sale live at Amazon – get up to $100 off top-rated speakers and soundbars
Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Premium Noise Canceling Overhead Headphones in black on orange background with price cut text
Save $100 on the Sony WH-1000XM4 - our best headphones for most people
Samsung Music Frame on a table beside some books and a vase
I spent six weeks listening to the Samsung Music Frame and it kept missing the beat
A close up of the limited edition vinyl turntable wrist watch from AndoAndoAndo
This limited-edition timepiece turns the iconic Technics SL-1200 turntable into a watch, and I want one
Latest in News
Google Gemini Robotics
Gemini just got physical and you should prepare for a robot revolution
Lilo & Stitch Official Trailer
Stitch crashes into earth and steals our hearts with the first trailer for the live-action Lilo & Stitch
GTA 5
GTA Online publisher Take-Two is gunning for a black market that’s basically heaven for cheaters
Y2K cast looking shocked
Y2K has a streaming release date on Max, so you can witness the technology uprising at home
The Discovery+ homepage
Discovery+ just got a big update to its streaming app that makes it more like Max – here are 5 great new features to try
Two Android phones on a green and blue background showing Google Messages
Struggling with slow Google Messages photo transfers? Google says new update will make 'noticeable difference'