Customer Reviews

Cambridge Soundworks Playdock i Speaker System for iPod (White)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I've been a fan of Cambridge SoundWorks for several years now and I use their products for my home theater. I was pleased to find that they now offer a solution for my wife's iPod. I use a Creative Zen player myself, but that is a whole other story. The cool thing is that this system will also work with other MP3 players. It's not just for the iPod.

If you want great sound with excellent bass, the Playdock i is for you. I'm not sure what the first reviewer is talking about when they mention tinny sound. This is the best sounding iPod dock that I've heard and I've checked out all of the major brands. I bought this because it's got a powered sub built in with it's own level control. You won't get that in the cheap docking speakers.

Positives:

- Fantastic sound

- Holds the iPod very securely and charges it as well. Includes holders for several iPod models.

- Very useful wireless remote for dock and iPod controls.

- Connects to your TV with the included A/V cable.

- Included line in cable lets you connect other MP3 players for extra usage if you have multiple players in your home.

Negatives:

- Yes, the unit comes with a convenient handle and runs on batteries which is great, but it takes 8 C batteries which is a lot. I guess it needs so many to output the sound, but replacing batteries will get pricey quick. Luckily unless you need to use it on the go, you can just plug it into a wall outlet and you are good to go.

Well, I recently purchased this product based on prior experiences with Cambridge SoundWorks that were very positive. And I have to say, the PlayDock i didn't disappoint! It looks great and sounds even better.

PROS:

- iPod fits very securely in one of six dock adapters (unlike other docking systems where the iPod sits on top and seems to wobble back and forth.)

- Connects to your TV with the included A/V cable.

- Wireless remote controls key features of the dock AND the iPod.

- Charges your iPod (when the dock is plugged into an AC outlet.)

- Included line in cable lets you connect other MP3 players, such as Creative Zen or Microsoft Zune.

- Stereo separation function does a very nice job of opening up the sound of compressed music.

CONS:

- Lack of real portability. Yes, it runs on batteries, but the unit gets a little heavy when you toss in 8 'C' batteries. I wouldn't want to carry it around for very long. ;)

- Strange FM/MP3 button on the remote doesn't seem to do anything (neither the PlayDock i nor the iPod has an FM tuner.)

OVERALL:

I am very happy with the performance of the PlayDock i and I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for docking speakers for their iPod.

I purchased the Cambridge Soundworks Playdock for use with my two iPods in my office. I considered the similar Bose unit as well as other iPod speaker systems. I settled on Cambridge based on good experience with their products: all of my living room speakers, plus a desktop radio -- and the price. This unit was $100 less than Bose with a couple additional features.

Set-up is virtually nill: First you have to select the correct holder for your iPod model from among a half dozen that come with it. These are not labeled (that I could see), so you try them until you find one that works. Fortunately for me, the same one that fits my older iPod also works for my iPod video in its rubber sleeve -- the video iPod is thinner, but the case bulks it up. Since this purchase I've acquired an iPhone, but have not dared slot it in to the unit because the unit is not iPhone certified and the power needs could be different.

Once the iPod is in place, turn the unit on and you're done.

The unit has an auxiliary input and comes with a cord with mini-headphone jack. I plugged this into my FM3 Buddah Machine and turned my office into a meditation room. Whether playing the FM3 tracks, or Jimmy Buffett or Mozart from my iPods, the sound quality is delightful. Since it's in my office, I mostly keep the volume rather low. Even so, the tones are even and clear. When I occasionally crank it up to demonstrate to visitors it holds clear right up to an intolerable volume.

Using the separate controller, I keep the sub-woofer around mid-range so as not to thump out my office mates. The unit also comes with a video output to send video from the iPod to a TV. I have not tried this. Also, I have only operated the unit on AC power, although it can run on a bunch of C batteries. Although this features seems useful, I find that when I'm in a place where I want to blast music I have a car or boat stereo available (and ways to get music from an iPod or computer into those systems). However, should you decide to use it as a portable, you can be assured that the iPod is relatively secure in the unit.

The remote control is handy if not totally effective. It's great to turn the unit on and off and adjust the volume from across the room. Although it has controls for the iPod, I can't see the iPod display from my desk, so I usually have to roll over to it to see the music selection.

Finally, it's great to know that when I leave the office at the end of the day I can grab a fully charged iPod from the unit (but don't tell my co-workers that I often leave it there unguarded!).

I am very happy with my Playdock. I am a Massage Therapist and to my surprise, many of my clients not only noticed that I had a new system, but also commented on the improved sound quality. For my use, I have a pretty low volume, so I haven't really tested it for louder use.

I tried all the Ipod speakers around the Apple Store table, from the ridiculously priced Zeppelin, to JBLs, Sony, iHomes, etc. I am pretty familiar with the Bose docks which I have been longing to own for so long but just can't justify the price. I own a Cambridge 5.1 system that I use on my PC upstairs. It has gorgeous sound and I considered an overkill even for playing games. I never turned it loud enough cause it is actually more than capable of disturbing our townhouse neighbor.

This guy is soooooo underrated. Beautiful, fantastic sound quality. The 24 watt subwoofer makes such a big difference too. Low volume or high volume, it just blows me away. I can't believe it was offered for 54$ at Amazon lightning round.

Using an AV cable for ipod, I hooked up the dock via AV out to my 42" LCD TV. Connecting only the video cable and using the dock's speakers, that's how I watch all the video podcasts I collected while doing treadmill.

Added feature is the ability to use it as a speaker while you play a slideshow of your Ipod pictures on your TV.

Pros:
- FANTASTIC Sound quality
- Subwoofer. Most Ipod speakers system does not have one. Subwoofer has its own separate loudness control.
- It can play any Ipods or any MP3 player. (It includes several Ipod adapters and a line in)
- Wall outlet or batteries
- Shielded
- Remote control
- Simple design and nice look
- Rubberized handle
- Pricepoint

Cons:
- Although the power adapter is small, it still a brick. It would also be much better if it is one piece instead of a two-piece cord set.
- Requires 8 C batteries

OK. Amazon had a REALLY great deal on this unit in white, so I bought one, thinking, good Christmas gift for my daughter. Just a week prior to this, I had purchased a Klipsch iGroove HG for myself, and was feeling pretty good about that. Well, today the Cambridge Soundworks Playdock arrives, so I thought, hey great time to do a side-by-side test.

So, I set up each of my ipods on each unit. Located the same song (Joe Bonamassa -- if you love blues, you gotta hear this guy!), and started up the Klipsch. OK. Then started up the Cambridge. Disappointed at first -- sounded a bit tinny. Located the bass dial on the back of the unit, and magic happened!!! Went back and forth between the two units, just wishing I would like my Klipsch better. Didn't happen.

Quickly ran to the computer to snag another great deal on this item -- well, the price is almost triple what I paid.

Pros. Super simple to set up. Remote. All kinds of adapters for all kinds of iPods. - My classic works great in it! Separate bass control.

Cons. I don't get to keep it!

If the black model ever falls below $100, I'm scooping up 2 of them!

My husband and I had been looking at various playdocks for our IPODs for months and were just not truly happy with what we had seen so far. The cheap ones lived up to their value. They were cheap for a reason, but we just couldn't bring ourselves to purchasing the BOSE playdock. It was just too expensive for us. I found the Cambridge Soundworks Playdock in the GoldBox and decided to give it a try to see if it lived up to all the positive reviews. Let me just say that it is one of the best purchases I have ever made. I only wished I purchased a second one.

If you are looking for a playdock for your IPOD then this is really worth the money! My husband and I were both very pleasantly surprised at the great sound quality, user friendliness, and all the great features.

I'm not sure why the first reviewer's experience was so bad, as we found this to be a wonderful product and lived up to everything the other reviewers had mentioned.

I got this when it was on sale as a Gold Box offer, so I paid about half the regular Amazon (not suggested) price. For that price, this rocks. The sound is great, but it's no Bose. But then, Bose isn't cheap. It was a gift, and for that person's needs, it is perfect. It actually has a much better sound quality than the average iPod box on the market, even at higher retail than what I paid.

I am impressed at the great sound this unit puts out. I purchased a much lower quality unit prior to this one, but I still wasn't willing to pay too much and found this to be reasonably priced for all its features.

This thing sounds great. Really great. It has lots of volume range, great bass with a dial on the back to control the level. Very handy. The claim of "full function remote" for speaker docks is not what you may expect from a new HD TV, but I was able to get through all my iPod menus with it. Hey, it's a remote control for a portable speaker system. If you're trading up from that boom box you got when you graduated high school in 1986, this is an amazing feature. Even if you're not, the remote is decent and has good range.

The 1/8-in video output provides a clean, crisp video signal even over the included tiny video cable included. I have a premium cable that improved the signal to my television, but only marginally.

So, if you want a unit that plays music from all of the iPods mentioned in the "features" section PLUS the 4th Generation (4G) iPod Nano Fatty (the short, fat iPod - sorry, no offense, I didn't make it up), this one does the job brilliantly.

HOWEVER (dot, dot, dot)

The power supply would have been better placed within the unit. I found it tedious managing the power cable AND the power supply which plugs into the back of the Playdock. The cable from teh power supply to the unit is too short for a window sill or a table, so it just hangs or it has to be placed on the table, window sill, or whatever is more than 30-in high. So... not a big negative, but one that I wish I had thought about.

Middle of the road stuff:

I read the item description a little too quickly and missed the list of iPods this unit was made for. I only tested this with a 3G iPod classic (30GB) and iPod Nano 4G. In the iPod Classic, everything is freaking awesome, really. But in the iPod Nano 4G, only the audio works. The Apple T connector may have changed pinout designation with the update. Apple likes to keep their aftermarket accessorizing companies on their toes. But, in fairness, this is not a negative since Cambridge does not claim the iPod Nano 4G in their list of supported iPods. In fact, I'd have to condider it a plus for the unit as it should not be expected if you read and understand the item description and features - unlike me.

The Playdock comes with inserts that fit into the slot for your iPod to prevent damaging the Apple T connector in the unit or on your iPod. I found this to be both a blessing and a bother. If you have only one iPod, this will probably not be an issue for you, but if you use more than one iPod in your Playdock, chainging them out may be a little annoying; that is IF you can find your inserts.

Got this as their Deal of the Day. Sound quality is fantastic, bass is deep, plus its portable. The remote works great as well. Can get very loud with no distortion at all. Highly recommend it at twice the price I paid.