George

Expert Opinion: You should be able to set the thing up, plug it in, and go—–and not have to read the manual until later on, when you want to dig in and find out more. But that wasn’t the case with this; I needed some time to learn. In the end I give it a thumbs-up for having a ton of features (like an AM/FM radio and alarm clock) and a remote control that mimics the visual navigation of the iPod.

Expert Opinion: You should be able to set the thing up, plug it in, and go—–and not have to read the manual until later on, when you want to dig in and find out more. But that wasn’t the case with this; I needed some time to learn. In the end I give it a thumbs-up for having a ton of features (like an AM/FM radio and alarm clock) and a remote control that mimics the visual navigation of the iPod.

What We Think: If you spend a lot of time at home listening to your iPod while wandering around from room to room taking calls with a Bluetooth headset, the George, with its ultra-functional remote, is the best call. Although it’s bulkier than the iPod itself, the George’s remote frees us from ever having to get up to flip the record over.

What We Think: If you spend a lot of time at home listening to your iPod while wandering around from room to room taking calls with a Bluetooth headset, the George, with its ultra-functional remote, is the best call. Although it’s bulkier than the iPod itself, the George’s remote frees us from ever having to get up to flip the record over.

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2X

Expert Opinion: I like this one the best because it’s wood—–although it’s probably just wood veneer—–and it doesn’t pop out in my environment like “Hey! There’s my iPod player.” It seems like they really thought about the features, or lack of features, of some of the other players and made those fixes on this. The sound on this isn’t as strong as some of the others, but it isn’t as hyped (with a lot of high and low end) either. It’s a great unit for a bedroom or office—–because it has a mute button for when your boss calls.

What We Think: While most iPod accessories play catch-up with Apple, in this case we eagerly anticipate our matching cherry-wood-veneered iPod. The Vers takes that overused modernist credo “Less is more” and once again proves it right. With curves that would do Naoto Fukasawa proud, the Vers is our natural pick.

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SoundDock

Expert Opinion: The Bose sounds exactly like Bose, which is pretty dependable. It’s like they set the bar for what these things are supposed to sound like, and their sound is consistent. Their dock is extremely simple, and the remote has limited functionality, but overall I think they did a pretty good job.

Expert Opinion: The Bose sounds exactly like Bose, which is pretty dependable. It’s like they set the bar for what these things are supposed to sound like, and their sound is consistent. Their dock is extremely simple, and the remote has limited functionality, but overall I think they did a pretty good job.

What We Think: Chances are, when you think iPod dock you think Bose (as confirmed by its starring role in Wes Anderson's short film Hotel Chevalier). As with the Wave radio before it, Bose does an astounding job of creating a full range of sound from a machine with a relatively tiny footprint. If you need to rock a late-night hotel party (or woo back an old flame, as in the aforementioned short), the Bose steps up to the plate.

What We Think: Chances are, when you think iPod dock you think Bose (as confirmed by its starring role in Wes Anderson's short film Hotel Chevalier). As with the Wave radio before it, Bose does an astounding job of creating a full range of sound from a machine with a relatively tiny footprint. If you need to rock a late-night hotel party (or woo back an old flame, as in the aforementioned short), the Bose steps up to the plate.

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RoomGroove

Expert Opinion: I respect the classic speakers Klipsch has made over the decades, but it seems a little like they took their integrity and slapped it on some bogus gear. Their fine history has been denied—–it’s sort of like an A student who got caught cheating on the SAT. This system has a lot of high and low end, and none of the midrange you hear on vinyl.

Expert Opinion: I respect the classic speakers Klipsch has made over the decades, but it seems a little like they took their integrity and slapped it on some bogus gear. Their fine history has been denied—–it’s sort of like an A student who got caught cheating on the SAT. This system has a lot of high and low end, and none of the midrange you hear on vinyl.

What We Think: We had some trouble getting the docking tray on the RoomGroove to open, which got our review off to a rough start. Once we had our iPod in place, though, we ran through a few playlists and found the sound quality crisp and clear, although lacking that subtle midrange. It might never live up to vinyl, but we think the Klipsch is a pretty great deal.

What We Think: We had some trouble getting the docking tray on the RoomGroove to open, which got our review off to a rough start. Once we had our iPod in place, though, we ran through a few playlists and found the sound quality crisp and clear, although lacking that subtle midrange. It might never live up to vinyl, but we think the Klipsch is a pretty great deal.

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Model L

Expert Opinion: The one thing that this one does that the others don’t is it plays CDs. It has great fidelity, and you can adjust the bass and treble from the remote, which is nice. My issue here is that it feels like it wants some satellite speakers—–it’s just too loud and big for a single thing. Plus, because it loads from the top, you can’t really put it on a shelf, so it just kind of sits there like a microwave. That said, it might look great in an all white, ultra-1980s house with white leather furniture and Nagel prints.

Expert Opinion: The one thing that this one does that the others don’t is it plays CDs. It has great fidelity, and you can adjust the bass and treble from the remote, which is nice. My issue here is that it feels like it wants some satellite speakers—–it’s just too loud and big for a single thing. Plus, because it loads from the top, you can’t really put it on a shelf, so it just kind of sits there like a microwave. That said, it might look great in an all white, ultra-1980s house with white leather furniture and Nagel prints.

What We Think: In many ways the Geneva blew away the competition, but it’s a little like comparing a Hummer to a Tercel. This large system looks good and the sound is top-notch, but we agree with Andrews on the functionality issues. Bonus points for the old-school LED readout

What We Think: In many ways the Geneva blew away the competition, but it’s a little like comparing a Hummer to a Tercel. This large system looks good and the sound is top-notch, but we agree with Andrews on the functionality issues. Bonus points for the old-school LED readout

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