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Reviews related to : iPod docking stations
Apple did more than create the most popular media players in the world when they launched the iPod range, they created a whole industry producing accessories to allow people to get the most from their latest gadget. Docking stations were an obvious and early addition to this range of products. The iPod was great at storing your entire music collection and letting you take it with you on the move, but many people also wanted the freedom to use that same music collection indoors and from a decent speaker system. Why compromise on sound quality?
We've review many such products here at GadgetSpeak including those from Logic3, Intempo, Kensington, Gear4, Logitech and Altec Lansing. The products range from the low-end ultra portable to high-end systems that would rival the quality of the best component hi-fi systems of only a few years back.
Little speakers do not always have a small sound
Published in Entertainment
by paul_smart
on Mar 11, 2012
First something ideal for iPod or iPhone users it requires no power source and gives a good sound the Travel Speaker System from Griffin. Second the JBL on Tour Micro a single speaker that connects using a standard 3.5mm lead.
This is ideal when you do not want to use earbuds or headphones as the sound is amplified to give a decent sound level but it takes power from your iPod or iPhone so you do not need any mains or computer source nearby. It is 18x10x3cm and is slightly convex, your iPod or iPhone fits in the centre 6.5cm part and the amount it protrudes above the top depends on which model of iPod you are using.
Looking like an old fashioned alarm clock – the sort with bells on the top – this is a digital clock with FM radio. However you can place an iPod in the dock in front and play content out of some quite good quality speakers.
The clock itself looks like the clockwork alarm clock I grew up with just after the war. It is 13x13x7cm, However the face is digital (no hands) and at the back where you would have the winder you have the DC power input and below this a semi circle of five items four buttons and a 3.5mm Auxiliary input. There is no external FM aerial. So plug in your clock and let the fun begin, I say fun because the manual only describes what these four buttons Mode, Set, Down and Up do.
This is probably the largest DAB radio I have reviewed, but to be fair it is also FM, Internet, Media Player, Wi-Fi and has an iPod and iPhone dock. However as yet it has stubbornly refused to do the washing up or the ironing.
Moving this around is something you think about before you do it, not simply because its not light but also because it has no handle and so unless you are a skilled waiter you will need two hands as there are no grip points. Recently –around four weeks ago - I reviewed the more normal size Pure One Flow that does much the same as the Contour. However the larger size means that of course you have larger speakers and of course a fuller sound.
While there are hundreds of iPod/iPhone docks around few products are currently coming to market that are in the hi-fi category. This product currently available in Aldi stores has CD and FM radio as well as the iPod iPhone capability.
The main unit is 26x16x24cm the last figure the depth is with mains and speaker cables inserted. The speakers are slightly bigger at 31x18x23cm. Both the main and speaker units have the same matt black colour. The speaker faces have two wire (effect) grills and the rear has a small indent and the speaker wires are hard wired. The only change from the matt black are two small silver grey areas between the speaker grills that match with a circular knob just above the central area of the main unit.
If you are looking for inspiration for selecting Christmas gifts, either for your own wish list or for giving to friends and family, then Altec Lansing and Plantronics have provided me with details of some products you might like to consider.
With the popularity of the Apple iPod / iPad family of products, it is not surprising that kits supporting these devices are well represented. The Altec Lansing Octiv™ 450 lets you dock, charge and play music from your iPad / iPAD 2 / iPhone / iPod unit. The Octiv 450 product uses Altec Lansing's Audio Alignment technology to deliver superior sound quality for playing HD video and music.
Looking for a present that is both useful and slightly different then you might be interested in a new offering from iLuv.
In the past I have had the opportunity to look at a number of products that have been specifically designed to increase the volume level delivered from your personal portable music player so that more listeners can hear the music. I have also checked out a variety of products that offer to make it easier and possibly safer when carrying your iPod or other similar device. Now it is the turn of a product that combines both these types of feature within a single unit.
Wow seems a good starting point, I unpacked it and plugged it in found my iPod and switched on, as I have said once WOW, my iPod has never sounded better of course I also tested the speaker unit with other music sources.
The Altec Lansing Octiv 650 is 31x20x18cm with power adapter lead inserted in the rear, when in use you see a single blue LED showing through at the top left of the black fabric covering the pair of front facing speakers. Up to four other blue LED’s show when making adjustments using the control buttons on top of the unit. The sound is not just the two speakers but a rather nice bottom mounted sub woofer and you can experiment with this by what surface you place the unit onto.
An iPod or iPhone dock with a battery backup for the alarm clock – should you have a power cut – the ability to use it as MP3 or other auxiliary sources amplifier and FM radio all in one curved rather swish looking black unit.
The i-Station 26 from Logic3 measures a maximum of 28cm long 12.5cm tall and thickness has a maximum of 16cm with the retractable iPod out and power adapter lead inserted. This is not just a basic stereo system as it has two speakers front facing and a sub woofer rear facing to give decent sound. The top has a total of nine bar buttons to control the unit and there is also a fourteen button remote control that duplicates the controls. There is a 5x1.
To me this name makes it sound ‘large’ and it certainly isn’t, in fact I am fairly sure it’s the smallest DAB, FM and iPod dock unit that I have seen, it is of course a tower shape but only very little, however the sound it gives is not small.
The maximum height of the Magicbox Tower is only 16.5cm tall (1.5cm less at the front) 8cm wide and 6.5cm deep, these figures do not include any iPod or iPhone that gets inserted 2cm below the top. The unit I reviewed was metallic red apart from the front and top that was black. I see that purple, blue and all black are also available. The front edge of the top has volume – and + buttons with a snooze control between them.
I certainly remember a radio that had this retro look many years ago; of course it was not DAB. In fact the View Quest Retro DAB radio has most modern controls, easily implemented and of course it has an iPod/iPhone dock but it just has the retro look.
The maximum dimensions for the View Quest Retro DAB radio are 29x17x9cm this assumes you have the unit powered by mains as this adds 3cm to the depth. My unit was red with a leather like fabric covering all but the front and the back with the carry handle in the same finish. All the controls and connections are on the back and front. The back has the battery bay, the 66cm seven piece rod aerial, on/off slider, Auxiliary in and DC in sockets. The front has a two line 6.1.
It can prove extremely useful if you can switch the orientation of certain Apple devices when they are attached to a speaker enhancing product.
According to a popular expression, “Love makes the world go around.” Now it might appear that music, or perhaps entertainment, would be a more appropriate suggestion, for attempting to take over this planet-revolving task with the arrival of a circular device from iLuv. This device, designed specifically for providing docking and speaker enhancement features for various members of the iPod family, has a circular shape.
This on the face of it looks like a rather posh iPod dock, it has rather nice speakers and good sound. Pick it up and you will probably wish you hadn’t as it is heavy. So what other features make this Audyssey dock stand out?
It is a maximum of 9cm wide in the centre and 5cm at the front while the back is only just over 3cm, it is 23cm tall and 28cm deep. As far as most iPod docks go they are light this one certainly isn’t down to its speakers. It has no obvious controls when off, just a sleek slate grey object. Plug in the 1.8metre mains lead (yes mains lead not power adapter) and a volume indicator shows in small while lights up the front while a play pause touch control is on the front top edge.
The box says it’s a CD Receiver System, I call it an audio unit or dare I use the words ‘Hi-Fi’ unit. Apart from playing CDs it has DAB and FM Radio and of course an iPod dock, there is also another feature to read on.
A rectangular black box that easily sits on a shelf, it is 34x21.5x10cm however the iPod flap lifts from the top so you need to perhaps double the last figure the height. My 9cm tall Nano actually requires an extra 8cm so measure your own iPod and then take a cm off the height to see the required clearance as it tilts back slightly. The front of the unit has two buttons to the left and one large button to the right of the 12x1.5cm two line display.
Having first seen an early example of this product at a Panasonic hosted event in Munich, early last year, it has taken until now for me to get my hands on a sample for reviewing. I have to say the wait was worth it.
What was often referred to as “that box in the corner” or the “goggle box” has now become the dominant and central feature of numerous living rooms. At the same time televisions has shrunk considerable in depth but increased in width with many families feeling they could not manage with anything less that a 40-inch display for their viewing pleasure. However not everybody has the space to accommodate one of these wide screen offerings.
Prestigio Speaker Alarm Clock for iPod PIS4
Published in Entertainment
by paul_smart
on Jan 24, 2011
A little different to the normal iPod dock in that the clock – which can be battery operated – is in the dock and does not rely on the iPod in fact the dock can support Auxiliary input (MP3 player) and it has inbuilt FM radio.
“I wake up slow” is a song written and performed by Dory Previn. I was reminded of this recording when setting up a new device from Logic 3.
How do you wake up in the morning? Are you the type that prefers to do it naturally without any outside interference? Maybe you opt for some form of assistance such as sometimes happens in my case when my cat decides it is time for me to perform the important task of providing him with food. For many the preferred method is to rely on an alarm clock. Joining the range of possible alarm clock models available is the i-Station TimeCube from Logic3.
While most will say another iPod dock with radio but the Pioneer NAV1 is more than that. Us older people who still prefer our music on CD are satisfied as it also has a slot loading CD on the top and there are more features so read on.
The Pioneer NAV1 measures 37x21x18cm the second figure the depth is only 10cm for most as only the iPod dock centre front and power lead centre back increase it to the full width, 4cm could protrude over whatever you sit it on as that is the dock width. Mine was white and black but they also do all black. It weighs 3.5kilos. Before some get bored I will add the CD player can also play DVD’s so with the aid of leads and a TV you also have a DVD player.
The days of a household having a single iPod are no more so not only do you need the ability to charge more than one the ability to play the sounds from more than one through speakers is here with this double dock offering from Altec Lansing.
In simple terms the Altec Lansing Octiv 202 is two docks mounted side by side on top of a pair of speakers. However the ability merge playlists is something new and with a downloadable utility you can select what comes from which of the units. The shape is like a quarter of a round cake. It is 27cm across at the front and 3cm at the back. It is 8.5cm tall without whatever iPods inserted in their docks on the top. From front to back it is 14cm.
Unlike the T3 and T12 (reviewed in 2008) this is far more than a speaker unit. It does have a speaker as an output but this is an Internet, DAB, FM radio, iPod dock as well as being able to be used as an Auxiliary unit to project sound.
The Orbitsound T4 is also a lot smaller than any such units I have reviewed previously at only 10.5x10.5x14cm, the unit is matt black. The front has a 6x3.5window that shows up to six lines of information, white on grey and it’s very readable even from a distance. Below this is the single speaker but as you would expect from Orbitsound its good quality. The top has the iPod dock and there are fifteen buttons, five along each side and the other five along the front.
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