Measuring 500 x 200 x 180mm (WxHxD) the iLuv i399 is by no means a shrinking violet. Despite it's size and indeed weight (around 6Kg) the manufacturer has decided to provide battery power as an option. I'm not entirely sure why you'd want to be lugging this around or using it away from mains power, however should you wish to so do you'll have to acquire eight 'D' sized batteries.

In the past I have made my feelings clear regarding the over-whelming number of audio devices that have been developed to support the various types of iPod units without giving much thought to the many users of MP3 players.  Being a fan of MP3 music format myself, I am always on the look out for products that treat both formats on a more or less equal basis.  It has to be admitted that this is often a thankless tasks that generally ends in disappointment.

The Intempo IDS-01 is available in black, silver and pink - I have the silver version here to test. The unit measures 240 x 120 x 90mm (WxHxD) and weighs a light 600g. Taking a traditional layout, the iDS-01 positions the iPod dock between the pair of stereo speakers. It's compatible with all the standard docking iPods, only excluding the Shuffle.

Despite keeping the circular design and 3xAAA power source the new Orbit - the Altec Lansing iMT237 has had a significant make over from . For a start it's bigger. The diameter of the unit is about the same however an additional 15mm has been added to the height and the tapered cone like appearance is replaced with a squat cylinder. My main criticism of the original orbit was the lack of feedback to know that the unit was powered up - there was none.

I am no style guru but it certainly looks stylish to me and most people who have seen it have commented on it. 44cm across a maximum of 18cm wide and 25cm tall to the top of the large chromed handle that sweeps in a semi circle from one side to the other. It is a maximum of 7cm above the unit in the centre. The sides are only 3cm across and I suppose it is like half a large rugby ball. It weights 4.5kilos.

Mains powered and measuring approximately 225 x 165 x 100mm (WxHxD) and sporting a black grill with brushed aluminum trim the HouseParty 4 is a general purpose sound-system for iPod. The product is packaged with five iPod adaptors covering most iPods right up to the latest iPod Nano, Touch and the 3G iPhone. Also in the box is a short 3.5mm jack lead for connecting to other audio source, a small remote control, manual and power supply.

The Blackbox Micro is an audio system consisting of a single speaker that lives up o its name in most respects. For a start it is box-shaped and is almost completely black in colour. Admittedly one face of the box does feature a reddish orange pad but as that is on the side which rests of whatever surface is being used, it does not spoil the illusion. I was going to say that you do not really notice it but, in fact, you do – more on that aspect a little later.

It is 44x35x28cm mine was black but they also do white and red. It weights just over 17 kilos. Like it’s smaller brother it is a rather good iPod playing device, that just for good measure can play CD’s – of various types – has an FM radio and an ‘Aux’ input to play anything that can connect via a 3.5mm jack plug. Unlike the ‘M’ it has a built in iPod dock and this does have four buttons but they are to control any item attached to the 3.

I recently had the pleasure of reviewing the excellent . The JBL Spyro is built on the same technology to deliver a powerful rich sound system for a variety of uses. The Spyro comprises a central 'bass' unit (the sub-woofer) that provides 24W output using JBL's 'Atlas' transducer. Higher frequencies, and hence the stereo effect, are generated from two rather attractive 6W satellite speakers that look very much like four-petal flowers.

 In fact Teufel is a German company which started life as a single Berlin store back in 1979.  Since then the company has developed into Europe’s leading direct seller of loudspeaker systems.  Now Teufel is bring its direct selling approach of combining quality products with a more aggressive pricing attitude to the UK via the Internet.

The JBL Radial does not follow the more common brick formula to iPod speaker systems, instead effectively being a vertically mounted donnut with the iPod nestling securely in the middle. The first things that strikes you as you take the JBL out of the box is just how striking it looks - you don't need to hide this unit away in a corner. You're more likely to want to have it in clear view as a focal point to a room in it's own right.

The is 10x6x2cm black in colour with silvered sides is weights around 115grams. 8 watts may not sound a huge amount of power but it is designed for personal or small group use. It works just as well with an MP3 player as it does with an iPod. Going round the controls and connections, the face has the main speaker with small ones on either side. The top has anchor point for neck/wrist strap. The base has a 3.5mm jack plug for connection of MP3 or iPod.

Well - now the answer is neither. Gear4 have produced the 'Duo' - the idea is that this one product provides you with rich sound when home and still have light-weight slim portable unit for when you're our and about. The solution is a little Russian doll like - heres how it works! In it's home configuration you have a largish unit measuring around 14 x 23 x 15cm (HxWxD) weighing a little under 2Kg. The bulk of this size is a 20W sub-woofer.

What you get are a pair of sound sticks each with four speakers and a sub woofer. The first difference is that both the sound sticks and the sub woofer are see through. They look like glass but are plastic. Each sound stick is 25cm tall around 5cm across and at points 5cm deep. The sub woofer has the advantage that it is not as heavy as it looks and can be placed on the floor out of the way but of course being unusual you will want it on display. It is 20cm round and 25cm tall.

The Motorokr EQ5 definitely fits into the portable category measuring 115x65x15mm (WxHxD) - almost identical to the iPod Touch. Very easy to slip into a pocket or bag. Build and design quality are both very good with a black fascia and silver trim and this is matched by a pretty good, although bass-light sound. A small but surprisingly stable wire stand folds out from the rear.

Altec Lansing Orbit This is a single battery operated circular speaker for anything that has either a 3.5mm or 2.5mm output jack. It is described as a 360 degree speaker and that the battery life is stated to be 24 hours so is ideal for a small group to listen round. While it is likely the 'group' would be young people, I found that in a normal room environment this speaker gave plenty of volume from an MP3 player.

It is 53x13x10cm with leads inserted. The only thing I have not included is the height of your iPod above the top of the unit, simply because this will vary according to the model you use. The Orbitsound product produces 'airSOUND' from a single speaker giving not only an ordinary stereo effect but also a wide stereo. The nearest thing I have heard previously to this is a product devolped by Yamaha a few years ago but this was huge in comparison and was solely to give a decent output from a TV.

They are a pair of cone shaped speakers that need power but not necessarily any connection as they can operate by Bluetooth. However they can be connected conventionally. They are 15cm long, 13cm across and stand 16cm high. Each has it's own power supply and lead so they do not even need to be in the same room. The signal is transmitted from one to the other so if setup in a stereo configuration that is what you hear. Each speaker weights around 1100grams.

The first unusual thing about this 'box' is that it had no controls on it at all. Everything is done via the remote control. It is 37x26x19cm with leads plugged into the rear. Mine was white with a white grill on the front, at the top right of this- behind the grill - is a six character red LED display that displays what, where and how. The top has the name Geneva on the front edge and in the centre a slot loading CD.

click to enlarge The influence of the iPod phenomena continues to spread.  The latest example of this trend to come my way is the Pure-Fi Anywhere product.  Developed by Logitech, this product is a one-piece, portable speaker set with a centrally positioned docking station for the ubiquitous iPod.