Etón Sound 100 iPod Dock, Black

by Eton

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000R2N2LK
• Item model number: Sound 100 iPod
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 2, 2001

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Do most iPod speaker systems look a little too modern (read: stale) for your decor? Turn to the Eton Sound 100 system, which pays tribute to the retro glamour of radios past with swooping, curved lines and a stylish front control panel. The radio is designed expressly for iPods, with an external docking station that holds and charges all iPods with 30-pin dock connectors, including the iPod 3G, iPod 4G, iPod photo, iPod video, iPod nano 1G and 2G, and iPod mini. Simply plop your iPod into the dock and you can enjoy all your favorite tunes and playlists within seconds--no additional connections required.

The retro-styled Sound 100 includes an external iPod docking station that plays and charges most iPods.

Eton is recognized internationally for the quality of its radios, which is why the company added a high-sensitivity digital Phased-Locked-Loop (PLL) AM/FM tuner to the Sound 100. The advanced circuitry not only searches instinctively for the strongest station, but also locks in the frequency once it finds the signal to guarantee superior clarity. As a result, the radio's reception is crystal clear whether you're listening to the ballgame, catching up on the news, or kicking back to some classic jazz. To make tuning quicker and easier, the radio also includes five AM and five FM station presets.

Audio-wise, the Sound 100 is equipped with a 3-inch, full-range, front-firing speaker that produces distortion-free, room-filling sound with a wide range of frequencies (80 Hz to 20 kHz). The 16-character, two-line LCD display, meanwhile, offers a viewing area of 2.4 by 0.98 inches (W x H), with a gentle blue backlight that won't keep you awake during the midnight hours. And despite the display's relatively small size, it still shows quite a bit of data, including the time, selected station, alarm status, sleep status, band, and preset information.

The system includes such rear jacks as a 3.5 mm auxiliary input, a 3.5 mm line out, a headphone port, and an FM antenna jack.

Unlike many iPod speaker systems, the Sound 100 also handily replaces your bedside clock radio, with alarm, sleep, and snooze controls. Among the options are 12- and 24-hour formats, an alarm that wakes to either the radio or a buzzer, a programmable sleep timer (between 15 and 90 minutes), and a 5-minute snooze duration. And even though the Sound 100 is designed for iPods, it also includes a 3.5 mm auxiliary input for connecting a separate MP3 player or personal CD player, along with a 3.5 mm auxiliary line out.

Additional features include an encoder volume control, a headphone jack for private listening, a battery backup function (requires two AA batteries), a remote control, a 360-degree pigtail FM antenna, a built-in external loop AM antenna, and rubber feet on the bottom to prevent scratching and movement. The Eton Sound 100 measures 8.27 by 4.53 by 5.1 inches (W x H x D), weighs 2.82 pounds, and carries a one-year warranty on parts and labor.

What's in the Box
Eton Sound 100 iPod system, external iPod docking station, pigtail FM antenna, infrared remote control, pigtail FM antenna, AC adapter, user's manual.

Product Description

Etón has updated the retro glamour of radios past with swooping, curved lines and today's in-demand colors. This little radio packs a wallop, making it ideal for home or office use. Go ahead¿pick your favorite color.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars For iPod Dock Features, Eton's Sound 100 iPod Is Worth A Look, May 5, 2008

By 

Mark "Technology, Music and Movies" (East Coast) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Etón Sound 100 iPod Dock, Black (Electronics)

The Sound 100 iPod Dock comes in black and white. The radio only version adds other colors including silver, blue and red. I've had the white one for a while and I've been pretty happy with it. This Black Etón Sound 100 iPod Dock is very similar, but loses points for the non-black speaker face. As a stand-alone radio this device is average. But the stellar iPod dock integration makes this unit a cut above and one you must consider.

Without the iPod dock the unit ranges from being $30 to $50 less than this model. I don't believe it's worth getting this unit without the iPod dock. Still, they have been having periodic sales for the stand-alone model in the $30 range, which is very hard to pass up.
Eton Sound 100 AM/FM Radio, Silver

There are many iPod radios and alarm clocks on the market which may be able to compete against the Sound 100 iPod on price. The competition does not come close on engineering.
The remote allows you to completely control your iPod! That means menu control and navigation in addition to the standard FF, RW, PLAY, STOP, and PAUSE functions. This is so simple, yet few devices have this ability. The Line-in and auxiliary jacks can connect other MP3 players (Creative, Zune) sans the menu control.

The speaker is monaural, but optimized to prevent distortion. At the highest volume the sound won't hiss. If you like modern design, the Eton is one of the best looking. It is sleek, COMPACT and light. Wish this guy was all-black, but I can live with the silver toned speaker.

Most of the shortcomings are from the radio aspect of this device. The internal AM antenna is below average. You can use an external one, and most users will need to.

The features could be better. There are only 10 programmable station presets. The RDS broadcast data is only 8 characters at a time. The screen is hard to read; you have to be right in front of it. There are no external RCA, speaker or subwoofer jacks, only line out. There is no EQ, treble or bass control and no way to adjust the backlight.

This radio came out in January 2007, well into the HD radio era. Only 10 presets? Why no speaker or subwoofer jacks? Why didn't they add Short Wave or HD capability?

If you only need an alarm clock radio, there are better options. This unit is above average on FM but below average on AM. Competing products by Sangean, BA and Sony have higher ratings at this price.
Sangean WR-2 Digital AM/FM Tabletop Radio, Black
Sangean WR-2 Digital AM/FM Tabletop Radio, White
Boston Acoustics Receptor Clock Radio (Platinum)
Sony XDR-S3HD HD Radio

At the present time, there is also a larger 2 speaker version which will be widely released within a month. Some may opt to get that one, but on sale this is still a great unit to own.



Pros
+ Remote control functions are very well integrated with the iPod!
+ Very nice iPod serial interface for digital sound quality
+ Line-in and auxiliary jacks for MP3 players and other devices
+ Good speaker sound with surprising bass
+ Shielding protects the radio from interference
+ Battery backup possible for power outages
+ Nice alarm clock function
+ Nice looking design in a small and LIGHT form factor

Cons
- Standard pricing means you should only be looking to get this on sale
- Many newer alternatives coming to market for those seeking the alarm clock feature
- Display light may be too bright for some when used as a bedroom alarm clock radio
- No equalizer; no treble or bass control
- Requires external antennae for good radio reception
- No RCA jacks or stereo connections for external speakers
- No Subwoofer connector - only standard stereo line out
- RDS only displays 8 characters at a time
- Backlight is not adjustable; you must be close to it to read it

If you are VERY picky about sound and want a nice compact iPod radio alarm clock, this unit is worth a look. Enjoy!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good if you value radio more than your iPod music, April 22, 2008

By 

Stephen - See all my reviews

This review is from: Etón Sound 100 iPod Dock, Black (Electronics)

Pros:
- Warm easy-listening sound, perfect for speech
- Good FM performance with RDS
- Compact, internal AM antenna (option to switch to external AM antenna if you have one)
- iPod integration

Cons:
- Mono speaker
- Sound lacks clarity
- Bright LCD backlight cannot be turned down/off
- Turning off the unit does not turn off iPod
- Big power brick
- Cost

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good radio with iPod dock, not very good clock radio, December 26, 2007

By 

C. O. S. (Kansas City USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Etón Sound 100 iPod Dock, Black (Electronics)

The sound quality is what I was looking for, with a radio and iPod dock. I like the remote, nice and lightweight and doesn't hit the floor very hard when it falls off the bed. Where this gadget falls short is on the clock radio features. I can't hardly read the clock from even a short distance away. If I take my glasses off, which I often do when I sleep, I literally have to stick my face within about 3 inches of the clock to read it. When the radio alarm goes off, the time display changes to the radio station, so you need to turn the alarm off or snooze it to see what time it is. If they could make this product with comparable features to a $20 alarm clock, it would be excellent. I'm currently in the market for a small digital clock that matches the radio so I have all the usable features I need.