TTLG Hipsters: iPod docking station advice required

Ulukai on 20/1/2010 at 17:22

I'm after an iPod dock for our kitchen, and would be grateful for any first-hand good or bad feedback or suggestions for devices currently on the market.

Some pointers:

* It needs to be iPhone and iPod Touch compatible
* As it'll be in the kitchen audio quality isn't hugely important, but a wipe clean finish, compact size, and the ability to be heard over various kitchen appliances is
* A DAB/FM tuner would be a plus

I'm a sucker for the retro valve thing, at both (http://www.trustedreviews.com/mp3/review/2008/12/14/Logic3-Valve-80-iPod-Dock---Speakers/p1) reasonable and (http://audioaffair.co.uk/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=1164&md=98369e6c135d997413a4e43efcfa4d15) unreasonable prices, but don't want anything quite so extravagent in the presence of pitta bread dough. I'm thinking cheap(ish) and cheerful.

David on 20/1/2010 at 17:30

I didn't find any decent docks that didn't cost the earth when I was looking for mine, so I ended up with a (http://store.apple.com/uk/product/MB125G/C?mco=MTY3ODQ5OTY) Universal Dock from Apple and a set of (http://store.apple.com/uk/product/TB998B/A?mco=MTY3ODQ5OTY) JBL Duet II (which were cheaper in Dixons/Currys.) which totalled £70.

It's not exactly what you asked for (no radio, etc), but it's a damn chunk cheaper than a decent dedicated dock, so you could look around for a decent set of kitchen speakers, maybe.

Rug Burn Junky on 20/1/2010 at 17:57

For my bedroom alarm clock, I have the Cambridge Soundworks i745, and it works beautifully. Great sound (About the best in its class, much better than my ex's Bose which it replaced) and the iPod is pretty seamlessly controlled by the device (though it is an external dock).

If you can still find it, it's a great buy. Not exactly what you're looking for from a design perspective, and it doesn't have HD or satellite radio, but it does have an FM tuner and is relatively low profile for the amount of sound it puts out.

The new model, i765, integrated the dock physically and added DVD support, which add to the cost and may or may not not be worth paying for for your uses.

Ulukai on 25/1/2010 at 13:03

Thanks for the input. If I were buying one for my living room, then I'd definitely be considering sound quality and aesthetics a lot more.

I've gone for a (http://www.gear4store.com/product_details.php?&products_id=590) Gear 4 CRG-70W. No, I've never heard of them either.

However, it's very, very wipe clean, has a radio and a small footprint so it doesn't take up much of the work space in our kitchen. Got it for under 40 quid, too. Sorted.