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Portable Media<br />
MP3 Speakers<br />
Offering subwoofers, full-featured remotes, and<br />
even large color screens, the latest MP3 speakers<br />
are more than just megaphones for your iPod or<br />
other audio device. —S.C.<br />
Altec Lansing inMotion<br />
iMV712<br />
$350 • alteclansing.com<br />
Where other speakers pay lip service to the iPod’s<br />
video capabilities by sticking in a few output jacks<br />
for TV, the iMV712 has an 8.5-inch screen built right<br />
in. But even with obscene-bitrate source files, video<br />
appeared blocky on the lo-res LCD, and colors were<br />
a little washed out. Audio quality was also subpar,<br />
further flattening MP3s into midrange oblivion.<br />
WIRED Loud. Bright screen with wide viewing angle.<br />
Composite video input for connecting a DVD player.<br />
TIRED Microwave-sized footprint. More computergeek<br />
than bachelor-pad chic. Displays corny Altec<br />
Lansing screensaver instead of album art. Accepts<br />
neither headphones nor batteries.<br />
EDITORS’<br />
PICK<br />
Cambridge SoundWorks<br />
PlayDock i<br />
$200 • cambridgesoundworks.com<br />
This deceptively bland black-and-white panel looks like<br />
it belongs in a spare bedroom or below the medicine<br />
cabinet. Those homes are fine, as long as you realize<br />
that the PlayDock is ideally used on the go: Its reasonable<br />
size and weight (5.2 pounds), plus the scoop<br />
handle along the top, make for <strong>sm</strong>ooth slinging from<br />
car to picnic table. An integrated subwoofer produced<br />
impressive bass for a unit this size, but at aggressive<br />
volumes, mids and highs grew muddy and distorted.<br />
WIRED Pack and go (runs 12 hours on eight C cells).<br />
Separate bass-control knob.<br />
TIRED Wide Stereo button adds weird reverb effect.<br />
Mushy, tinny sound when volume is cranked.<br />
Harman/Kardon<br />
Go+Play<br />
$350 • harmankardon.com<br />
The Go+Play is total Ear+Candy.<br />
Harman/Kardon is known for its<br />
kick-ass home theater receivers, so<br />
it’s no surprise it can make an iPod<br />
roar. Sure, this unit is pricey, but<br />
the extra dough gains you more<br />
speakers—two on either side, four<br />
in all—along with extra power. The<br />
system achieves ribcage-rattling<br />
volume without the distortion or<br />
the bass or treble bloat that mar<br />
its competitors.<br />
WIRED Huge, round, powerful<br />
bass. Amazing sonic detail. Speakers<br />
on curved panels radiate music<br />
in all directions. Spring-loaded hatch<br />
stores RF remote. Battery-powered<br />
(about 12 hours on eight D cells).<br />
TIRED Confusing remote. Lowarching<br />
handle hinders view of<br />
docked iPod’s screen and access<br />
to its controls.<br />
Chestnut Hill George<br />
$499 • chillsound.com<br />
Most speaker docks require you to peel your butt<br />
off the sofa to queue up a different playlist, even<br />
if there’s a remote. George lets you truly DJ from<br />
a distance. The unit’s removable front control module<br />
doubles as a wireless remote and includes a 2.3-inch<br />
screen that displays the contents of your iPod using<br />
a similar menu scheme. Unfortunately, sound quality<br />
was a bit underwhelming, especially for the price.<br />
WIRED RF remote works through walls. Alarm<br />
lets you set multiple wake times and offers a snooze<br />
function. FM radio has 24 presets.<br />
TIRED Noticeable bass and treble distortion, even<br />
at moderate volume. Expensive for what amounts<br />
to a couch potato’s clock radio.
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