Boston Acoustics Duo-I Plus iPhone/iPod Dock AM/FM Stereo Radio and Clock Functions (Gloss White)

by Boston Acoustics

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 8 x 12.9 x 5.5 inches ; 7.2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 10 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B002FRTLHE
• Item model number: HDUOIPW
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)

Product Description

The Duo-I Plus is an iPhone/iPod Dock with AM/FM Stereo Radio and Clock Functions. Option 1: listen to your favorite music and playlists while you charge your iPhone/iPod. Option 2: enjoy noise-free reception of even distant radio stations. The versatile Duo-i plus offers big-system sound that fits virtually anywhere — your family room, kitchen, office, or all of these and more. With dual alarms and Boston’s 360˚ S-n-o-o-o-o-o-z-e Bar, Duo-i plus also makes a great bedside radio — and you can be sure of waking up to the music that gets you going. The unique shape of Duo-i plus is one key to its exceptional performance. Left and right full-range speakers are isolated from each other in separate acoustic chambers for rich, distinct stereo sound. Another key is proprietary BassTrac audio processing for clean bass at all listening levels. The two technologies work together to deliver stunningly realistic reproduction of your favorite music — in any genre, anywhere.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Sound is big, but lacking, May 7, 2010

By 

Tom B (Milwaukee, WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Boston Acoustics Duo-I Plus iPhone/iPod Dock AM/FM Stereo Radio and Clock Functions (Gloss White) (Electronics)

I bought the Duo-i because I needed something for my bedroom that served three purposes: a radio for general listening, a quality iPod player, and a set of good-sounding, external speakers for my 19" TV.

Positives:

The radio produces surprisingly booming lows for its size, and exceptionally detailed high end. The clarity of the speakers is stunning. The radio can easily fill a room with sound. Besides an iPod dock on the top, the radio offers two auxiliary inputs for flexibility. I use the rear aux RCA inputs for my bedroom TV, and the front aux 1/8" input will come in handy if I ever want to run my other MP3 players through the radio. The automatically-dimming display is a novel touch, too.

The BIIIIIG negative:

The radio has booming lows and very clear high end, but there's not enough in between. Apparently, Boston Acoustics tried too hard to give this radio a big sound, and, in the process, forgot that a radio this size should still have a good midrange presence. The radio seems to lack terribly in the 600Hz-3kHz range. Not only does this "reshape" the music, but it renders the AM radio worthless -- talk shows sound boomy and unintelligible, even with the bass all the way down and the treble all the way up. This wouldn't have been a problem, except Boston Acoustics did not provide a midrange EQ level control, and this radio needs one in the worst way.

In fact, in order to get acceptable sound when running my TV's audio through the Duo-i, I have to leave my TV's cheesy, little, internal speakers turned on. They compensate by providing some of the desired mid frequencies that the Duo-i lacks.

Because the low end is too loud relative to the rest of the frequencies, I experimented by loosely plugging the rear bass ports with my fingers. The bass response suddenly tightened up and became more natural-sounding. So my radio's bass ports are now loosely corked. (I even wrote to Boston Acoustics and suggested they begin shipping their radios with a couple different sets of "port corks" for discerning listeners.)

Summary:

If you typically listen to your stereo with a smiley-faced graphic EQ, you'll love this radio. But, if you prefer a flatter frequency response and/or listen to AM radio, the Duo-i is not the radio for you.

Please note that I am a recording engineer by trade, so I am going to be more critical of audio quality than most.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent product, January 18, 2010

By 

Brett R (Rome, GA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Boston Acoustics Duo-I Plus iPhone/iPod Dock AM/FM Stereo Radio and Clock Functions (Gloss White) (Electronics)

I recently purchased this product for use with my iPhone 3GS. The sound quality is superb, rivaling that of Bose systems. The alarm clock feature works brilliantly and the remote is the icing on the cake. I really enjoy the touch-sensor 360 Snooze Bar, an intuitive design that keeps you from smacking the dock when you want to snooze. There is even a plug-in slot on the back for a sub woofer upgrade, just in case the bass isn't enough for you. Oh, and did I mention? The display automatically dims according to the lighting in your room, and you can adjust the overall brightness to suit your liking in the dark. Genius! If you want a nice dock for your iPod/iPhone with second-to-none sound quality, the functionality of an alarm clock, and state-of-the-art features, then I strongly recommend this product!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Compromise, March 21, 2010

By 

Enigma (Kensington, MD USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Boston Acoustics Duo-I Plus iPhone/iPod Dock AM/FM Stereo Radio and Clock Functions (Gloss White) (Electronics)

I purchased this item for my wife. I was limited in that it needed to be white, charge and play the iPhone (not just the iPod), have FM radio, remote, and small enough to fit in a book shelf. There aren't too many similar items with all of these attributes with an acceptable to great sound.

We are using it in a 20' x 13' family room. The sound is excellent. It can liven the room without appreciable distortion. The remote covers all corners of the room. Whether we want to play the iPhone music or FM radio, this little guy's got it covered.