Q: Can you recommend speakers to go with an iPod? I am looking for a compact, transportable set and possibly something a bit bigger for my home.
ELAINE DAVIS
St. Cloud, Minn.
A: An especially good buy in a compact design is the Polk Audio miDock Portfolio. It charges your iPod, includes a remote control and sounds quite good for its small size. It can be used with most iPods via adapter plates and works on AC power (adapter included) or 4 AA batteries.
The miDock Portfolio lists for $119.99, but can be found for as little as $68.95 if you shop around.
If you are looking for one of the best possible home solutions for your iPod or have your eye on one of those great-sounding, expensive premium table radios such as the Bose Wave Radio, today is your lucky day!
I regularly receive e-mails asking, "What is that radio I have seen you recommend in the column, the one that sounds better than the Bose but costs less?"
The radio in question is the critically acclaimed SoundWorks Radio from Cambridge SoundWorks. Typically the AM-FM radio/CD player/alarm clock version sold for $349 and was a wonderful deal at that, given its great sound and robust construction. The integrated powered subwoofer delivers tight, strong bass, and the radio produces rich and satisfying sound quality with everything from rock to classical.
The top-of-the-line version is the SoundWorks i765 iPod/DVD Entertainment System. It combines the great-sounding AM-FM radio/alarm clock with a CD/DVD player and an integrated iPod docking station with charging capability.
You can connect the i765 to a TV to watch DVDs and iPod videos. I saw a demonstration and later tried it in my own home, and was extremely impressed by both the sound and the great job it does displaying iPod videos on a TV.
If you like to download television shows and movies from iTunes, it's a great way to enjoy them on a regular TV screen. Providing great sound from discs, radio stations and your iPod, all while adding video functionality and controlled by a single remote -- it's just great.
At its original price of $499 the i765 offered a lot for the money, and at the new price of $299 it's simply flabbergasting.
Lots of readers were thrilled with their $349 SoundWorks CD radios; now you can get a much more advanced, more capable model for $50 less! When I received the news release announcing the price reduction, I had to double-check it to make sure I was reading it correctly. See it and get an early start on your holiday shopping at www.cambridgesound works.com.
If you want an iPod audio-only solution, the $199 SoundWorks Radio 735i is the same radio chassis but deletes the CD/DVD player and iPod video functionality, and the dock is a separate unit. The original Radio with CD player, the SoundWorks Radio CD 745i, is now $249. Spend the extra $50 and get the i765 so you don't have buyer's remorse later.
I commend Cambridge SoundWorks not only for making a great product, but also for really putting itself out there by making a bold, consumer-friendly move in tough economic times.
First Published: August 10, 2008, 4:00 a.m.
