Logitech's Wireless Music System (WMS) is composed of two main pieces: an AC-powered base receiver and battery-powered transmitter.  Multiple receiver units can be added to extend its capabilities.

The rear of the WMS receiver has a mini-plug as well as the usual Left/Right RCA outputs.  This enables the receiver to easily connect to most powered speakers and stereo systems.  The volume and song selection are controlled directly via the iPod.  Thus, by design, most of the controls on the WMS (front IR, top buttons) are not active when used with the iPod.

The WMS transmitter is shaped for the full size iPod, but it will work just fine with ANY iPod.  In fact, it will work when plugged into the standard mini headphone jack of any sound source (MP3 player, Walkman, portable DVD player, etc...).

There are very few controls to this entire system.  The transmitter's power button and indicator LED are on the upper left.  The battery charger connector and LED are on the side.  No configuration was needed to set up the unit to work with the iPod.

The mini-plug on the transmitter can slide from the center to the side to accommodate different versions of the full size iPod.

The WMS receiver and transmitter each have their own specific AC adapter.  The receiver does not have an internal battery so it must be plugged in at all times.  The transmitter has an internal rechargeable battery and will last for over 10 hours on a charge.

When the transmitter unit is charging, the LED will glow.  Once the unit has been fully charged, the LED will turn off.  The charging connector has a non-standard plug.  We would have preferred if Logitech had used a standard socket such as the mini-USB.  It would have meant one less charger to keep track of :-)

Connecting the the WMS receiver was straight forward... WMS receiver's output to the stereo's AUX input.  Some stereo system may have a CD/Tape or some other similarly labeled input.  If you are not hearing what you should be hearing just remember to check that you have select the appropriate signal source on the home stereo!

If there is no detected signal from the transmitter, the LED on the WMS receiver will be red.  Just press the "Connect" button on the receiver and the unit will search for a signal.

The LEDs on both the transmitter and the receiver will turn blue when a connection has been established.  Simple! 

One thing we had a little trouble with was the small button on the transmitter.  This button can be a bit hard to press.  Since it does not click or give any tactile feedback on whether it has BEEN pressed, if the LED does not come on, just hold it for a few seconds.  It took us a few tries before we were able to turn it on.  Once we got used to it, we were able to turn it on and off pretty easily.

We listened to the quality of the sound transmitted by the Logitech WMS using a set high end Sony stereo headphones.  The music from the iPod was crystal clear...no hiss, hum, or any static was introduced by the WMS.  We were able to select songs, change volume, pause/play all wirelessly using the iPod. 

If you are looking for a simple to use, well thought out, wireless way to play the music on your iPod using your home stereo system, we think the Logitech WMS should be on the top of your list.

There are many ways to get music from the iPod into a home stereo system.  The simplest being to buy a $7 mini-jack plug with L/R RCA ends, and connect the mini plug to the iPod's headphone jack and the RCA ends to the stereo system's AUX input.

The problem with this approach is that the iPod has to remain next to the stereo unit.  This is fine if you have long playlist set up for a party and don't need to fuss with song selections.  For everyday use though, this setup is not really optimal.

A while back we reviewed a system from StarTech which can wirelessly send music from any MP3 player to a stereo system.  The StarTech AirLink is AC powered, which means that the user cannot move around with the MP3 player, but the player can be placed anywhere within a certain distance from the receiver and it will work fine.

Logitech has introduced a more elegant and much more convenient solution called the Wireless Music System.

The principle is still the same as the StarTech AirLink, but Logitech has added a few features which makes the whole approach far superior.

Review Summary:

Initial Impression- Small, portable

Usability- Simple setup, expandable

Durability- Test in progress

Price- $150

Related Reviews:

1. JBL Sound Sticks 2

2. StarTech AirLink