ION Tailgater IPA77 Review

Luckily I was able to test the ION Tailgater IPA77 earlier this summer at a church gathering at the beach.  Although I didn’t get heavy use of this karaoke machine system and I feel I got enough to get a feel for this device.  I didn’t get to sing into the device but I did use it as a PA system and I was able to listen to a church musical group use it to perform.

Read on to get more info on the specs, features and how I feel about the ION tailgater IPA77.  The  results were somewhat surprising to me.

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Features

To learn more about the ION Tailgater IPA77and it’s features check out the embedded video below….

• Item Weight around 17 lbs
• Product dimensions 9.2 x 12.5 x 13 inches
• 50 watts of dynamic power
• Woofer and wide-dispersion tweeter deliver high-quality sound
• NFC technology so you can use with your phone with a simple tap
•  Bluetooth connection with 100 ft range
• Built-in rechargeable battery provides up to 50 hours of continuous use
• AM/FM radio
• USB powerbank so you can recharge your smartphone, tablet, etc
• 1/8-inch (3.5mm) aux input for non-Bluetooth devices
• Microphone included
• Rugged design with reinforced corners to withstand heavy use

Audio Quality

From my time using the ION Tailgater I was surprised by the quality of sound produced when music was being played and when speaking into the microphone.  We were at the beach and in the earlier part of the day when there was less crowd you could hear the person on the microphone from a pretty good distance.  I was around 500 ft away and I could clearly understand what they were saying.

When I used the microphone there was very little feedback or white noise when I spoke into the microphone.  I spoke towards the evening when the ocean breeze usually starts and when with the wind the sound was pretty clear.  Like I mentioned earlier I didn’t get a chance to actually sing into this machine but I did hear a few church groups and to me it sounded pretty good.

The downside for me was that the bass wasn’t that impressive.  This is expected with a unit at this price range and I do like deep bass so take that for what it’s worth to you.  So if you listen primarily to music with heavy bass you might want to consider a higher end system that has a large sub woofer.

What Consumers Say

The popular consensus among consumers is the speaker on the ION Tailgater IPA77 produces nice loud sound.  Consumers loved the sound and versatility of this machine.  Most like the bluetooth, AM/FM, AUX capabilities that this unit has especially since the unit is not overly expensive.  A lot of consumers have used the ION Tailgater for PA systems, Weddings, gatherings, outdoor sporting events to great success.  Very little white noise or static even in windy conditions and with the volume turned up high.

The main thing consumers had issues with was the battery for the ION Tailgater IPA77.  They stated the battery was either DOA on arrival or just didn’t last too long.  Some thought this machine was a little too bulky and needed wheels while others complained about the usual stuff such as missing items in the box or receiving damaged product.

The majority of consumers did give positive feedback and loved the quality of sound this unit produced.

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PROS

• Clean crisp loud sound from music and microphone
• Price
• Sound travels well outdoors
• Portability
• Rechargeable battery so you don’t need a power source to use

CONS

• AM/FM Stereo doesn’t get very good reception
• Bass is not very deep
• Slow charging battery
• Microphone not the best quality

Overall Impression

The ION Tailgater IPA77 in my opinion would make a good home or small area Karaoke machine system.  It has good loud, clear, crisp sound when playing music and when speaking into the microphone.  When I checked out the settings the volume was turned almost to max and there was very little if any static coming from this machine.  The only time I heard some static was when the music playing had heavy bass.  Once one of the people in the group adjusted the equalizer lowering the bass the static then disappeared when playing the volume at a high level.  So the thing I didn’t like the most about the ION Tailgater was the lack of deep sounding bass.  I do love bass so you can take this with a grain of salt if you don’t listen to music with a lot of bass.  Otherwise to me this unit sounded pretty good for it’s size and surrounding environment.

There are no handles or wheels on the ION Tailgater IPA77 so transporting can be an issue for some.  The unit is small enough to easily fit in almost all cars with ease.  For small events or parties I think this machine would be a good affordable product.  Many consumers have even stated the ION Tailgater performed great at weddings, parties, outdoor and indoor sporting events, and a lot more venues.  Keep in mind though although sound travels well through this unit for large outdoor events you could have some hearing issues as should be expected for a karaoke machine at this price point.

Final Words

I don’t personally own this machine so I am going by what others have said but one big thing to be wary of is the battery.  Some have said if the battery is idle for a long time it could die.  Some also have said battery was DOA when product was received.  Also another prominent complaint was the reception on the AM/FM radio.  A few consumers complained it was very hard to get any signal.  With that said I don’t know if the battery issues are a product defect or a warehousing issue hard to say.  As for the AM/FM radio not many people use this feature anymore but if you think you might then maybe consider another product.  I just know from what I experienced and have researched their is a lot more good then bad with the ION Tailgater IPA77

Sincerely Jiro and Emiko