1 review for Jam for iOS & Mac (new)

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Just Someone – January 23, 2012

   From Amazon.com

   If you are like me, my research for a guitar connection to my iPad left me with choosing between the iRiffport and the Jam. I recently purchased, and then returned, the iRiffport. I am very pleased that I purchased the Apogee Jam as a replacement. Here are the reasons why: 1) The connector on the iRiffport (the one that goes into the iPad) is not a strong connection at all; it feels as though it could disconnect at any time. I have a stand to put my iPad on when jamming such that the iPad is in landscape mode, so the cord feels as though it will come out of moved the wrong way. With the Apogee Jam, the connector is just like the iPad’s connector, except it ALSO has the “prongs” that come out of it, securing the connector into the iPad. To remove the connector from the iPad, you need to squeeze the buttons on the connector to make the “prongs” go in so it can be removed…very, very secure. I use the “Gumdrop” case on my iPad, which has a flap that goes over the charging port when not being used. This flap feels pretty tawt when it is open while the charging port is being used. IMPORTANT: if you have such an iPad case, like me, I certainly feel that the Jam will provide a much more secure connection to your iPad over the iRiffport. In fact, the structure of the iRiffport connector was so large, that I felt that it did not fit well through my case. On the other hand, the Jam’s connector is the same small size as the iPad’s original connector. This is also something to consider if you intend to use your iPad in portrait mode on a stand with the connector on the bottom of the iPad. 2) Probably the largest reason I prefer the Jam over the iRiffport: you can hear sound directly from the iPad. With the iRiffport, you MUST use headphones or attach external speakers. I tried headphones with the iRiffport and playing the guitar was very awkward. Nonetheless, with the Jam, I could attach headphones or external speakers to the iPad if I chose to do so. I wanted something that could make my iPad an amplifier for easy mobility around my house, without having to purchase another amplifier or external speakers. With the Jam, I have this. 3) The Jam has a gain meter (i.e., an LED) and a gain control. The iRiffport does not. When not being used to measure the level of the incoming audio, the LED lets you know if you are connected to the iPad, but not to any software (blue light), or if you are connected to the iPad AND to a software application (green light). There are no batteries needed for the Jam or the iRiffport. 4) I personally like that I can use my own guitar cord with the Jam. If the cord breaks, I simply replace the cord, not my iPad connection device. The iRiffport uses its own cord, and the connection to my guitar did not feel as strong as my “normal” guitar cable I used with the Jam. 5) Although a fairly minor point, it is nice to know that the Jam is advertised by Apple (look at their website and their Garageband video). And, since I have Garageband on my iPad, I was pleased to see that the advertising material on the Jam states specifically that it works with Garageband. So far, I’m very pleased with the Jam.