Philips Fidelio SBD7500 30-Pin iPod/iPhone Speaker Dock

• Compatible with all iPod products with a 30-pin connector (except iPod shuffle)--this includes the newest iPod nano and touch models; also compatible with iPhone, iPhone 3G and 3GS, and iPhone 4
• Plug and play to enjoy your music at home or on the go
• Deep, rich bass through the built in wOOx bass radiator and Dynamic Bass Boost technology
• Advance acoustics
• Scratch-resistant housing

You get the speaker dock, a very nice carrying case, an 18" long 3.5 mm cable if you want to hook it up to something other than an iPhone/iPod, and an AC adapter with a nice long cord. It can also use 4 AA batteries. The carrying case has a piggy-back case that you can use to hold the A/C adapter, or leave it off to travel light if you plan on just using the batteries; a nice touch. The battery compartment is a little awkward to use, but not too difficult. A tip-out stand holds it at a good angle.

I hooked it up to my PC via the 3.5 mm cable, and tried the bass boost feature, which worked nice. The unit has its own volume control so you can fine-tune the listening level easily. These controls and the on/off switch are recessed, giving a clean appearance, but making it a bit hard to operate the sliding switches. I compared the sound to some PC speakers, and what a difference! These were so much better; no tinniness, just nice rich sound. And the bass boost works well. The manufacturer claims 8 hours of playing using batteries. So far, looks like that is a good estimate. There is a small power light behind the speaker grille that glows when it is on, which is nice; it already reminded me once that I forgot to turn it off!

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Though this unit works well, it has a very bad design flaw that any buyer considering it should be aware of. When using it as a portable getting power from its internal AA batteries, even when you shut the unit OFF with its ON/OFF switch, the four batteries will self discharge to dead in about a week because the unit still draws current from the batteries even when shut OFF.

I considered my unit to be defective because of this problem but when I contacted Philips support to request a exchange unit under warranty, I was informed that this battery drain was normal and that I needed to remove one or more of the batteries when not using the unit to prevent the batteries from going dead. Dumb, dumb, triple dumb design flaw in my opinion!

Why even have an ON/OFF switch if you must remove a battery to really shut it OFF!

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This portable speaker system from Phillips certainly comes in handy. It is extremely easy to use--just plug it in and insert your iPod or iPhone in the very obvious jack, then press "play" and you're good to go. That it charges as you go is of course helpful. And it is small enough you could easily take it with you in a bag or suitcase, with no extra pieces to worry about losing or breaking. However, the sound quality is not that big of a step up from what comes out of my iPhone itself when I simply play it with the headphones detached. It sounds at best like a decent small radio or car radio. Considering that I recently purchased a 5-disc changer stereo system that ALSO interfaces with my iPhone for only less than $100 more, and which has large speakers and superb sound quality, I have to say this little system is somewhat overpriced. Honestly I could not see spending the money on it unless I traveled very frequently and needed a charger with speakers for that purpose.

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I wanted a small unit with decent sound that would be compatible with my 7th gen 160GB iPod classic while it was in its case. That seemed a tall order and I looked at dozens before finding this. Although some other docks might have worked fine with my iPod, it wasn't stated and I didn't want to take a chance. I also didn't want to have to remove the iPod from its Agent18 plastic case for docking. I found this dock on the Apple site and only wish I'd known Amazon carried it since they are traditionally faster and less hassle for me than buying elsewhere.

I was looking for a speaker dock that was a modest size so I could set it in a particular spot in my kitchen where my iPod would be handy either for listening or charging. Although the dock will run on batteries, I appreciate the ability to plug it in. I very much like the small size compared to many other docks and I find the sound quality much above average. I have Bose CD radios and have relatively high expectations, but was willing to settle for somewhat less if my other conditions were met. I am completely satisfied with the sound. I listen to a mix of music but almost none from today's popular recording artists so I can't speak to that, but for classical, opera, vintage things from the 60's through the 80's and jazz, I find the quality extremely good considering that some of the recordings themselves will limit the quality to some degree. I can turn up the volume fairly high and enjoy just as good sound as at a soft level. There is a button to boost the bass, but I don't use that as my music doesn't require it.

The iPod will charge with the dock turned off (as long as it is plugged in). Turn the unit on to play the music. A small light illuminates when it's on to alert you to that status.

There is no remote, but where I have it that is not an issue. What matters more to me is that I can use the iPod click wheel to make my selections and it feels very sturdy in the dock. The dock's back support 'leg' runs nearly the length of the dock so it doesn't feel like it will tip. Because the connector sits away from the dock by a small amount and is raised as opposed to being down in a cradle, I can connect my iPod while in its case, for which I'm very grateful.

All in all I am completely satisfied and recommend this to others with similar requirements, or who want a small portable unit with a case and good volume.

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One thing to keep in mind when you're buying this speaker system... it's a portable system. This should not be compared to something you would plug into a wall or leave sitting in one room all the time. To compare the two is like comparing a portable TV with a wall TV... yeah the wall TV is better for the price but there are some benefits of having something you can just bring with you wherever you go.

The number one benefit of this product has to be that music just sounds good with it. I've had other portable speakers which buzz when they're plugged in or just don't make enough sound and in this speaker's case I don't have that problem. Yeah, I can't DJ a loud party with it but honestly if you're going to go that route by plug in the wall speakers, for sure.

As mentioned by another reviewer (I wanted to confirm it wasn't just mine so I looked around) there is some weird issue with the battery life and this unit. I think most of the other reviewers probably gave the unit a full run down but didn't test it again in a week or so after use so maybe didn't see it? Either way it eats up batteries even when it's off. So you should definitely remove the batteries between uses to make sure you don't waste a ton when it's not plugged in. I'm not sure of the mechanics of how that all works out but I'm guessing something is still taking some of the charge out.

Either way it's definitely worth buying if you plan to be on the road a lot and don't want to integrate with your car for speakers or if you go camping and want to listen to music with friends. I wouldn't put too much faith in it for any heavy lifting but it's not really made for that use so you're barking up the wrong tree either way if you think that it's not comparable to some heavy duty plug in the wall thing.