Product Reviews

In What's New, Shopper October 2005, we reviewed Bose's SoundDock. This similar product from Monitor Audio includes multiple bezels that let you dock an iPod or iPod mini. The iPod charges while connected, and you can skip and fast-forward tracks using a remote.

Unlike the SoundDock, the i-deck lets you synchronise a docked iPod with a computer using an iPod data cable, while a regular line-in socket enables you to hook up other audio sources.

The i-deck comes in three sections, so you can move the speakers to improve stereo separation. This gives it an advantage over the SoundDock, but we weren't as impressed with this product's sound. It's very loud, but the mid-range and high-end response seemed uneven. Some vocal frequencies sounded harsh and music wasn't generally as clear as we would expect.

The i-deck improves on Bose's product in some ways but is weaker in others, and both seem expensive.