ipod speaker dock systems...

[bazza_g]

well, just back from John Lewis in High Wycombe who have a great selection of iPod speaker docks to play with - nice to hear them in the flesh as it were

The Zeppelin looks the business but is far from portable (weighs a ton) - very solidly built but I wasn't overwhelmed with the sound quality and punch - then there's the small matter of £400 to consider...

Then there is the Bose sounddock (original at £200 and portable at £280) - no doubt they sound good and the portability factor is high, especially the battery powered one though that seems to have had a minor redesign using touch sensitive buttons that are a bit hit and miss.

I didn't realise they sold the Logic3 Jiveobox so was keen to hear how it performed - the answer was pretty spectacular! 90 watts RMS for a small cube of speakers gives it some seriously clear punch and although the design isn't to everyones taste (yes you can turn off the coloured light strip that runs round it!) it ticks the boxes. Its mains only like the B&W Zeppelin but much smaller/portable and it kicks out sound like the Bose could only dream of - the killer punch is that at only £130 is makes the other two look way overpriced.

This units main use is to have something for music in the chalet when we go skiing, else it will live in the kitchen - it makes more noise that I could possibly need for a party and the price means I won't get precious about it when travelling or when being used by drunken friends. If anyone is in the market for one, give it a try