Customer Reviews

Kensington 33164 Stereo Dock, Charger, and Transmitter for iPod, iPod Mini, iPod Nano, or iPod Photo

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I bought this three months ago to use in a BR where I have a small JVC component system. Set up is simple - you power up the dock using the provided power supply, connect the dock to the auxillary input on your stereo and away you go.

The one warning I have is to make sure you turn the "DOCK" volume all the way up using the supplied remote (the Kensington remote controls the dock and the ipod). After the volume of the DOCK (and Ipod) are all the way up, use the stereo remote to control your listening volume and for other stereo functions if desired. If you don't do this you may think you're not getting any volume/power from the stereo dock.

In short, it sounds great, looks good, and is perfect for my needs. Higly recommended.

This has good quality sound and works great for my color 60GB Ipod but it has seperate volume adjustment for the DOCK! At first I thought it was broken because I couldnt get any volume out of the dock port. I read the review left by a previous poster that said the supplied remote controls volume for both the dock AND the ipod volume, he said make sure both are up all the way and then control the volume with your stereo but he didnt say how to adjust the volume on the dock. If your Ipod is docked the remote only controls the ipod volume. So before you insert the ipod aim the supplied remote at the dock and push the volume + button on the remote. It may seam like nothing is happening but this is adjusting the dock volume. Then once youve done this for a while and you're certain the volume is up all the way (there's no way of telling what the volume setting is so just do it for a while) Then plug your ipod in and push the volume + button to turn your ipod volume up. The manual doesnt say anything about this so I'm not giving it 5 stars but other than this strange volume setting is figured out it works great and looks good.

I bought this item thinking it would work with my iPod, that's what the item discription says (iPod, iPod Mini, iPod Nano or iPod Photo). After receiving the item and hooking it up to my Onkyo receiver, the sound was terrible and the included remote did not work. I then further examined the instructions it stated that it was only compatible with: iPod Mini, 3rd generation iPod (15, 20, 40GB), 4th Generation iPod (20, 40GB), and iPod Photo 40GB.

My suggestion is if you have a 30GB or 60GB iPod, look elsewhere.

The Kensington stereo dock, a nicely styled and engineered iPod accessory, conveniently does the double duty of connecting your digital music library to your stereo system while at home,and simultaneously recharging the iPod battery for the next outing. With the audio transfer through the dock connector, the sound quality is uncompromisingly excellent. One notable downside that I discovered is that with the earlier, non-clickwheel iPods, functionality of the Kensington's Remote Control is limited to volume adjustment.

I got this for Christmas along with a Logitech Harmony 520 Universal Remote (5 STAR must have!!!). I had my iPod hooked up to my receiver with a simple y-cable (available anywhere) but if you do that a lot it becomes quite a pain to have to get up out of the chair to skip tracks, etc (I know lazy so-and-so!).

I was all set to return it as I couldn't hear it unless I plugged the cable directly into the iPod and bypassed the unit altogether which seemed like a waste! That is until I read the reviews here about adjusting the Kensington unit's volume by using the supplied remote controls volume up button without the iPod docked- WOW that did it!! Only comment is that you need to point the remote at the dock (with the iPod undocked) for about 30 seconds to ensure the volume is at max. Seems like a long time but works great when you then dock your iPod!! As mentioned in other reviews 4 out of 5 stars only because the only way you would figure this trick out is by reading the other customer reviews here!!

I love it! This is absolutely an essential accessory for the iPod! With this little gem one can hook up one's iPod and play it through any stereo via RCA connectors, taking advantage of the amplifier and speaker system. It is wonderful to create an iPod playlist and be able to play it through the stereo, for hours at a time. This little accessory essentially modernizes older stereos which lack built-in iPod docks (most of them!). Best of all, the iPod is charged while using the dock, so there is no duration limit for the use of the iPod.

The unit is beautifully built, like all Kensington products. The remote control works well (I do wish that the remote used AA rather than AAA batteries--the latter lack the staying power I like). This is a minor quibble, though. This attractive little unit approaches perfection, and almost all iPod owners will want one.

To echo the strong points of the product from other reviews - the Kensington dock is well built, and has an excellent price point for the functionality it provides.

The IR remote is the only downside, but not a deal breaker if you're using it at a reasonable distance from the dock. Another review noted that full functionality was not available from the remote control with older non-clickwheel iPods. I did not find this to be the case. My older 3G iPod works fine with all remote control functions when plugged in to the Kensington dock.

This unit is far superior to comparable Apple model. It's about half the price and includes a remote, which Apple's doesn't. It seems to be well constructed, and it's also very attractive, with a tiny little lighted Kensington logo on front of dock. Does just what it's advertised to do. Great way to use an iPod at home as well as away.

Thought I wanted an Apple docking station till I read the reviews on Kensington, so I purchased the better of the two.

First off the base is lit so your able to dock your IPOD in the dark allowing you to place it sight unseen.

Next the remote,great idea but a little short commings by not going RF, but that didn't bother me, I just placed the RF sender from my Home Theather Remote control on it and now I can control it from my deck outside.

I had it hooked up in minutes even with the rf sender unit attached.

Check it out before you make you decision.

One last important item... Kensington is cheaper!!

I bought my dock after doing a lot of research on different docks and ways to connect my iPod to a set of speakers. I am deployed in the military and needed a way to listen to my iPod without headphones. I looked at the various all in one units such as the Bose, iHome and Klipsch units. I ended up using a separate set of speakers and small integrated amp, but needed a better way of connecting it to the iPod than the headphone jack. Enter the various docks. After much research I ended up with the Kensington unit because of the small and stylish size and decent remote. It works great. The IR remote is the only thing that stops this from getting 5 stars. Even in a small barracks room, you still have to be careful in aiming it. Sound, well the sound is great for what it is. MP3 is only so good, no matter the bit rate and yada yada. If you have $10k of equipment you probably won't be using your iPod with it. I like it, it looks good, works well and sounds better than the headphone jack even with lower grade equipment. Good piece.