Massage Chair Reviews

HoMedics iCush Immersive Audio Sync Massage Seat

HoMedics makes a large range of massage equipment, with its newest offerings in the "iMassage" category, providing MP3 connectivity.

The iCush is one of these, and you can read more at the HoMedics corporate website. According to a product description:

The first portable cushion that synchronizes sound directly with massage to allow users to feel the beat of the music or movie. With built-in adjustable speakers...this massager allows you to "feel" all the action of your favorite video games with the Audio Sync function. Sit down, plug in, and massage away sore muscles as you listen to music or watch movies.

For gamers, this experience comes alive as turns, crashes, fights, and explosions vibrate muscles in sync with sound, enabling them to feel at one with the game....Just plug your iPod or MP3 player right into the iCush, or use the included adapter to connect the massager directly to your TV, Xbox, PlayStation, or similar gaming console.

...Games really come to life as the dual, adjustable aluminum cone speakers surround you with sound. Use it with your TV, and watching sports and movies will never be the same. iCush works great with music, too.

According to Macworld:

The iCush-100 has built-in massage functions, similar to other HoMedics chair cushion products. But rather than just giving you a basic back massage, you can also set the the iCush-100 to ‘Audio Sync’ mode, where it will vibrate in response to audio input, such as music, audio from movies or games. You can hook it up to an iPod or any other device that has a 3.5 mm headphone jack output, including the Mac.

iCush features adjustable intensity, speed, personalized body zone and volume control. It also features a built-in carry handle and storage pouches.

Gearlog wrote:

Imagine playing Halo, and feeling the sudden jolt of a bullet impact... or running downfield in Madden 07, and feeling your body rock as a linebacker plows into you... or playing Call of Duty, and experiencing the rumble of a nearby grenade explosion. HoMedics, maker of numerous massage products (cushions and mats, people!) claims the new iCush can make these experiences a reality.

The iCush is a portable massage cushion made to vibrate in sync with your video games, movies, or music. Just plug it into your gaming device and let it do its thing. The iCush features universal audio input and speakers on both sides of the headrest that play music or video game sounds, with or without the vibrating mechanism. Integrated hand-controls let you adjust intensity, speed, and location of the vibration as well as the heat of the pad.

Crunch Gear gave a mixed review:

The verdict is: Good for smaller bedrooms and the younger audience, bad for everyone else.

...Right when you take the chair out of its box you’ll realize that you’re in a world of trouble. For the chair to function properly, you must connect audio cables to your gaming console and an adapter to the wall. In short, I had a cord running in front of me connecting to my XBOX 360 and a cord running behind me connecting to the wall. This raises another problem: Chair positioning.

And The Gadgeteer wasn't impressed:

You can turn off the vibration and just listen to the audio coming from the speakers. I'm not sure how useful a cushion with speakers at the top is though... I mean, you can just wear earphones and get the same effect. You can also turn off the audio, disconnect all devices and just use this chair as a massage chair. But, I'd have to say that if that is your main intention, I'd just go with the [HoMedics] Quad-Roller [massager] instead. It has better massaging features. The iCush is an interesting idea, but I think it needs some redefining to make it a product that I would want to buy and use to make my games, music and movies more fun.

Good Gear Guide concluded:

In the end, the biggest selling point of the iCush is its versatility. It can be plugged into an MP3 player, computer, DVD player, gaming console or stereo system. When it isn't plugged in to an audio source, the massage function can be used on its own. Users looking for a specific gaming seat, massage chair or music player will be better served by other products, but for users after a more versatile all-in-one product, the iCush does a good job of mixing all three of those functions.

* Get the Latest Price on the HoMedics iCush Immersive Audio Sync Massage Seat.

November 22^nd, 2006
Updated: October 25th, 2007