The Rundown

The P1 is an iPod/iPhone dock. You put in your iPod, it'll back it up with speakers (2x 4" honeycomb woofers and 2x 1" silk dome tweeters, to be exact). Plus there's a Bongiovi Acoustics Digital Power Station (a glowing B button) that promises to be the "first 100% active digital signal processor on a consumer electronic product." Huh. OK then.

The Performance

How does it all sound? I'm torn. Sometimes I'm impressed (like by some respectable mids and occasionally tight/brilliant lows), and others I'm completely underwhelmed (like by perpetually thin drums and an over-emphasis on re-verb that oft-creates an artificial echo.)
And as for that glowing B button, my opinion changed by the song—but I'm guessing that's more because it artificially tweaked the balance than did anything spectacular to the audio quality. Standard pop music sometimes projects better from the speakers, but Sgt Pepper, for instance, becomes a murky mess when you hit that tempting blue button.

Overall the iP1 sounds fine—like a $300 iPod dock—though I wouldn't fist pump the purchase on sound quality alone, unless I was also smitten with the P1's design-forward, smoked acrylic frame. If you like how the iP1 looks and desire an iPod dock, then by all means, go for it. But, and I don't claim to have listened to every competitor's current-gen systems, I trust that manufacturers like JBL, Logitech and Altec Lansing can more than compete in this price range. Because their last gen models certainly did.
My bigger point is that in 2009 (a phrase we will inevitably laugh at in 2010 and beyond, I know), I'm looking for late bloomers like iHome to work a little harder for my love and loyalty (and oh yeah, MONEY).

The Bitching

So why can't the P1...

• Mic/Amplify/Work In Any Way With speakerphone calls?
• Connect to the iPhone through a custom app (EQ display, etc)?
• Dial a number through its oversized remote?
• Output video through HDMI instead of component?
• Support A2DP audio streams (no dock needed)?
• Floor me with sound quality?

The iP1 is just one of countless premium iPod docks, so it's a bit unfair to single it out...but why doesn't it do more? Even the $100-cheaper iHome iP47 supports a third of the stuff on the list above.

I don't want 1000 functions that I don't need, and I'm not asking it to decode the human genome. I want practical, invisible, attainable utility that I can appreciate on a daily basis.

You know, for $300, in grand old 2009.


Unique design

Respectable sound quality

Bongiovi DPS is nothing particularly special

Barebones functionality—cheaper iHome products have more features

iHome's iHMP5Us are pretty typical closed-cup headphones, save for the fact that you can balance them on the table, fold the earpieces out, hit a magnetic amplifier switch and share your music with the whole room.

Powered by 2 AAA batteries, we immediately assumed that the idea couldn't produce sound that's all that loud. But then we remembered pretty much every trip we've ever taken on public transportation and the tinny ambient music leaking from some past-prime sorority girl's non-ironically electropop-laden playlist (and her crappy earbuds).

Still, while the iHMP5Us will almost certainly produce a respectable volume, they may or may not be of a quality you'd actually enjoy listening to. [iHome]

There are different two versions of the keyboard built for Windows and Macs, and although they both contain two USB ports, the Mac's version has extra keys that allow you to quickly access applications such as iCal, iChat, Mail, Safari and Front Row. For $150, you can purchase the iConnect sometime this summer. [Lifeworks via CNet via iPodNN via Technabob]

Just slip your computer into the anodized aluminum rails, and you're good to go. Almost. You see, the iStand Notebook Media Bundle does a whole lot more than just holding your laptop.

It can hold your iPod, too.

Holy fuck.

While we know it's difficult to believe, those speakers in front aren't just speakers. They're part of an iPod/iPhone dock. You plug them in, load your iPod and they'll play back music while charging the device. You know, just like a laptop, but with an ever-so-refined mediocrity that only the most tone-deaf music aficionado will appreciate. Still, iHome isn't done yet.

Oh no, they're throwing in a wireless keyboard and mouse as well for the mere $300 asking price. I know what you're thinking, "I could buy a pretty sweet netbook for that much." Well stop contemplating such practical thoughts and hand iHome your money. They've clearly earned it. [iHome Lifeworks via Crave]

Tony Bongiovi, producer of lots of great rock albums and founder of the legendary Power Station recording studio here in NYC and second cousin to Jon Bon helped iHome develop said processing profile, called DPS. Basically, it's like the "loudness" switch on your dad's stereo—it boosts high- and low-end frequency, but the claim to newness here is that the software actively evaluates the frequency profile of whatever MP3s you feed into it and provides boost where it's needed. Dubious? Maybe. And does it sound more amazing than any iPod dock ever? Of course not.

I heard it next to some Yamaha NS-10 studio monitors (playing 160kbps Apple Store MP3s) and yeah, the monitors sounded better. Of course. But the iHome doesn't sound bad.

Keep in mind you can get a great (and probably superior, soundwise) 2.1 setup for half the cost of the $300 iP1, but if you need an actual dock input, love the speakers-through-lucite look and have $300 to burn, sure, why not.

One trend that seems to be taking place in the land of iPod docks is that companies seem less concerned with the high end, hi-fi iPod docks. Instead, they're gravitating towards smaller, lighter docks that sound nice, but are intended more for casual listening. Both Logitech and Klipsch are putting most of their weight behind these smaller docks. In our testing, we checked out:

• Altec Lansing InMotion Max

• Bose SoundDock II

• iHome iP71

• iLuv i398

• JBL OnStage 400p

• Klipsch iGroove SXT (NOTE: Updated product specs for refreshed iGroove SXT not on Klipsch site yet)

• Logitech Pure-Fi Anywhere 2

• Sony SRSGUI0iP

That said, we still went looking for the iPod dock that sounded really good while sticking as close to the $200 mark. Some were much cheaper, or much more expensive, but most of them all had something interesting to offer. Ultimately, overall audio quality had the most weight in helping to pick our winner, but price, design, and the usefulness of smaller features were also taken into consideration:

The Winner:

JBL On Stage 400p: At $250, the On Stage 400p is a bit more expensive than some of the other docks, but it sounds so nice, it was impossible to give top honors to anyone else. It uses a 30w sub to push out the low end, while delivering another 30w of power to the tweeters for the highs and mids. And though it might not wow anyone with its design, it's nice enough that you don't have to hide it in your living room. Just might want to wait till it goes on sale later on.

The Runners Up:

Bose SoundDock II: It's no huge surprise why the SoundDock II out performs the rest of the field: at $300 , Bose's accessory is outfitted with better hardware. But is the sound quality worth $100 than the rest of the docks? And what's the chance you'll ever find it on sale?

Altec Lansing InMotion Max: What the InMotion Max lacks in booming low end, it makes up for in precision audio tuning and a light, slim design. Two 2-inch drivers are bolstered by two, 2-inch passive radiators which sit directly above. The result are nice mids and highs that offer much better sound than the 14w power rating would suggest. Other nice little touches include song info that appears in the backlit display, capacitive touch buttons (which include <</>> controls), battery power that lasts 3.5 hours, and a spring loaded ipod dock connector that slides out. Well done.

Honorable Mentions:

Klipsch iGroove SXT: The new, revamped iGroove SXT (hitting stores this july) packs a lot of punch into a compact bundle. Enhanced acoustics and a dedicated amplifier for each driver give the SXT a nice, deep sound, but sometimes the high-end clarity suffers. Still it's hard not to like this one, and Klipsch is phasing out its bigger iGroove, so this is it if you love Klipsch.

Logitech Pure-Fi Anywhere 2: Coming in at a lower price point and smaller size than most the other docks here, it's hard to compare it sonically because most the other docks are bigger and more expensive . But the Pure-Fi Anywhere 2 does manage to improve over the original Pure-Fi Anywhere in the sound department and does what few other docks can do: Travel around easily with a 10 hour battery life. Besides, the larger Pure-Fi Dream system may sound better, but its clock-radio interface leaves too much to be desired.

Listening Test: It's music tech week at Gizmodo.

The Price: $200

The Verdict: Good, but not fantastic—and a bit pricey. For all the functions it has, each one has a small flaw that prevents the whole from being spectacular.

The main point of the iP47 is the speakerphone functionality, which connects to your iPhone via Bluetooth (not via dock connector). The speakers for speakerphoning sound fantastic, but the microphone is definitely less impressive. Everyone we called said we sounded like we were on speakerphone and had varying degrees of difficulty understanding us once we moved too far away from the base. But, it was a joy for us to use it, no matter what the other people said. Their voices came through quite nicely, and it can be loud.

Other bits like iPod music playback and AM/FM radio were alright, but not great. The speakers are slightly tinny for the size, and in general the sound reproduction can be described as top-heavy. For playing back music as an alarm clock in the mornings, it's definitely more than adequate, but it's no substitute for a decent speaker system.

We didn't get a chance to test the A2DP stereo Bluetooth playback, but other features like alarm clock, radio, and the remote all worked fine.

The biggest function is the speakerphone, which, like we said, works just fine on our end. You can charge your iPhone at the same time you're talking (iPhone 3G compatible) and even leave your phone in another room and still be able to converse. The price is fairly steep at $199, but for users who NEED a better speakerphone than the one built in, we'd recommend it. [iHome]

The Price: $79

The Verdict: It works pretty much as expected. We went through loads and loads of iPod Docks in our iPod Dock Battlemodo last year and like the iHome iH52 speaker dock, we found this iH12 to be fairly bass heavy. That's not really a huge deal if you're using this as an alarm clock to wake up to, but if you're just relaxing in bed, you'll have to make some EQ adjustments to find the right bass setting you're comfortable with.

The alarm features are fine, even if the controls are slightly less intuitive than we'd like. The remote is useful for fiddling with it from across the room, and the unit even has a battery backup in case your power goes out. For $79.99, it's a pretty great all-in-one iPod speaker and alarm clock combination that should work well in most bedrooms. If you want great sound quality in a set that you're going to use to listen to music more often, we'd recommend you get a separate unit to go with this. [iHome]

Most notably that some cellphones, including the iPhone, don't transmit music over Bluetooth and you will be forced to hardwire your phone. However, even if you're "lucky" enough to have a phone that connects to the iHC5 you'll still have to keep it a good distance away from it unless you enjoy listening to TDMA interference. Although to end on a positive note, the review does say that it is a very capable speaker phone, one that even works with the iPhone, complete with caller ID and a pop out dial-pad. The iHC5 is retailing for $150 and should be available by the end of the month. [iLounge]

For testing we listened to Emiliana Torrini's Sunny Road, light acoustic rock that builds into deeper instrumentation.

iHome iH52
All the ranges are well represented, with plenty of bass available. The guitar sounds pleasant, and the voice is OK, but not stellar. Nothing here will completely blow you away as no particular range really shines, but there's nothing blatantly broken, either.

XtremeMac Tango
In the quiet opening, there is a noticeable buzz. It's a high and faint, an almost digital-sounding overtone. And once you hear that, it sours the whole package. The lows seem to keep up with the iHome's, though sounds sometimes become murky from lower ranges to the mids—it's lacking control in its resonance. But the vocal track is actually surprisingly quite strong.

Eton Sound 100 iPod
The Sound 100 surprised me, nearly keeping up with its competitors in its overall frequency range. But overall, the experience is a little thinner than offerings from either the iHome or Tango. Still...

WINNER: Eton Sound 100 iPod
Admittedly, the Eton comes in third place regarding sound. The iHome takes that category. But this is the second round, and I refuse to put through a computer speaker system with a dock attachment and a big iHome slapped on the front.

iPod docks are superfluous tech, meant to have a level of sexiness that's superior to our existing computer or surround sound system (and besides, could you imagine if Logitech and Altec Lansing entered their computer systems in the competition). Meanwhile, the Tango just doesn't sound as good as its footprint would suggest. The bottom line: if we were choosing one dock of the three for our home, it would be the Eton. And even if we bitched a little about the sound, at least we wouldn't have to look at another ugly pile of cords.

Attach the separate RC unit to your handlebars and the speaker to the bit below your crossbar and off you go. The speaker uses Reson8 technology and it even comes with an AC lead so that you can charge your iPod up through it.

*Does anyone have time for the shouty little brat?

Product Page [iHome via Mobile Whack]

The iHome Studio ($179.99) and the iLive iH52 ($200, a price increase for the second "i") battle it out after the jump for your iLove.

And the iHome wins. So don't bet against it in the next few seconds before you hit the jump.

Design

iLive
The iLive has a retractable docking system. You push a button and it ejects á la CD tray. It's neat, until you realize that the tray is flimsy to the touch. We dig the piano black finish, which classes up the unit while promising to become every bit as dusty as our PS3. And the remote is large, which is both overkill and refreshing in a world of Front Row wannabes.

iHome
I'm not going to bullshit you—the iHome is not an iPod speaker system. It's a computer speaker system with a hefty iPod dock attached. However, real speaker wires attach to the sub, which means that if you are willing to hide some cords (and dismiss the GIANT iHOME GRAPHIC), the system offers some level of flexibility. Our other impression: too many buttons with inefficient mapping. Tools like EQ require two button presses where one could do.

Functionality
Both units feature video out, including S-video. Sure, they've also got AM/FM, will sync with your computer, wake you up, and...uhh...amplify your iPod.

iLive
The iLive is one of the only docks we've tested that allows full iPod navigation from the remote, which beats most setups that limit you to playlist support only. The Studio is also very good at leaving rubber smudges on your kitchen table that can't be cleaned entirely.

iHome
The display shows the artist and song if you opt not to know the time. It's big enough to see, too, but we wish we could crank the contrast a bit higher.

Sound
We listened to Beck's Clap Hands. And then we danced around like Beck because no one was watching/grading us.

iLive
The iLive really has some kick to it. The system can thump—but there's a caveat. The thumping simply isn't very good. It sounds a bit synthetic and significantly garbled. And the rest of the sound isn't much different. While the mids and highs certainly fair better than the bass, there aren't any moments in particular where any range shines.

iHome
If the iLive has "some kick," then the iHome is Jackie Chan. Because the iHome puts out so much bass between its EQ and extra tweaks on the stand-alone sub that you will need to consciously crank down the lows to find balance.

The real issue with the iHome—which by all accounts sounds good—is that the mids and highs don't sparkle. I kept thinking, "more cowbell," literally. The system is solid, but it left me craving something even better. Because the woofer delivers in ways the speakers don't.

Winner: iHome iH52

The iHome iH52 wins by cheating—it ignores the rules of simplicity of setup and navigation. But in doing so, the iH52 follows a successful model already pioneered by computer audio enthusiasts.

The iHome fills an odd niche that I'm not sure actually exists (do I want computer-style speakers in my living room, or iPod speakers on my computer?), but it sounds a lot better than its competitor. So the iH52 moves on!

– Mark Wilson

iHome

iHome iH4 Single-Alarm Clock System for iPod [iLounge]