Philips DC185 Sound Machine with iPod Dock (Black)

• Compatibility: iPod mini; iPod nano 1G, 2G, 3G; iPod classic 4G, 5G, 5.5G, 6G; iPod touch 1G
• Play and charge your iPod and enjoy MP3/WMA music playback directly from USB devices
• Docking system has two built-in speakers, LCD, sleep timer, FM stereo tuner, 20 programable playback tracks
• Superb performance in a compact design with dynamic Bass Boost for deep and dramatic sound using 2x2W RMS total output power
• Auxiliary input for external audio devices

I say medium because this thing is a little bit bigger than some iPod docking stations I've seen, but it has so much to offer. Great sound quality as far as my ears can tell once you turn DBB on. Comes with a radio which is a bonus for me because I wasn't really looking for one with a radio, but I have used it, and the quality is great and I pick up every station I pick up in my car. Also allows you to have up to six preset stations which is nice if you do use the radio a lot.

It works great with my iPod (80GB Classic), and I'm sure it works fine with any other iPod. One of the things I like is that if you turn the player off, for whatever reason, the next time you turn it on, it takes about 1-2 seconds to load up and starts up exactly where you left off. Heck, it takes me longer to resume my song with the iPod manually than it takes this thing to resume. Also, the buttons on the stereo work great with iPod. Very easy to navigate the menu's with it, though if you have alot of songs it might take a while to get from A to Z, though you can still use your wheel if you need to get that far. Also has buttons that you can use to turn shuffle on/off, as well as turning repeat on/off for the current song, or the current playlist.

Let's see...the volume on this thing can actually get very loud too. I keep it on about 10 when I'm listening to it, and if I put it on 15-20 I can hear it fine in another room...and it goes all the way up to 32, which I haven't even tried yet. I can't imagine how loud it would be. It also has DBB which, to be honest, without it the audio is terrible, but turn it on and it's like a miracle, though it's like that with any stereo with DBB really. Comes with different covers for the dock so you can use it with a Nano, Classic, Touch, or other popular iPod's. Also comes with an auxiliary cable so you can plug in another MP3 player if you don't have an iPod.

Now, one of my favorite features...a USB port. Simply plug in any USB flash drive with music on it and listen away. I have used four different USB flash drives on it so far, one 1GB drive, two 4GB drives, and an 8GB drive. All of them work seamlessly and takes less than a second to load up and play...even if it is filled up with songs. Had 5GB's+ of music on my 8GB drive, and all I did was change the source to USB and the player started playing in less than a second...it's that fast. Using USB also has the ability to turn shuffle on/off, or turn repeat on/off, again for the current playlist (which in this case would be every song on the drive) or for the song currently playing. The auxiliary option obviously doesn't provide these options as you're simply transferring the audio to play out of the speakers, but you can still turn repeat/shuffle on via your device.

All in all, this is a great stereo, with great features. Sound is perfect and loud, and also create's a nice home for my iPod to keep it when I'm not using it, and charge it at the same time. And it's nice to have because before I was having to plug my iPod into my PC and listen to music off my iPod through my computer (using SharePod), and it was getting kind of annoying, so this thing is great for me. Also accepts C batteries so you can carry it with you and listen to your tunes with ease wherever you go. Would make a great portable player if you want to go outside by the pool, go to the park, or something similar...even has a nice handle.

It's true, what the other reviewer said, the plastic probably isn't the best in the world, but as long as you aren't throwing it off balconies it really shouldn't break. Really, I think any stereo that you drop is probably going to be a bad thing...not just this one. And I've actually knocked it over twice now, with my iPod inside, and it kept playing and wasn't damaged at all...and it kept the cover closed with my iPod secured inside, so I'm glad about that.

Also plan on taking some pictures and adding them later so check for those.

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PROS

The sound is great for one of the lower priced stereo docks out there (volume level 10 is perfect for general listening).

Radio tuner worked well for my local station preferences. They all came in clear and were able to be preset easily.

Price is decent. As much as I try not to shop there, found this on clearance at Walmart for $49. The current price on Amazon ($66) is not too bad either but certainly happy to find it cheaper.

Charged my iTouch 2g. I had previously purchased two alarm clock docking stereos -HMDXthat claimed to charge all iPods but wouldn't with the new iTouch)

Portability and USB/aux port

Sleep timer. Haven't used this yet but a pleasantly suprising feature

CONS

No remote!!! Of course, not necessary, but it would have been useful.

Size. Its not huge but its not made for the average nightstand (as I'd hoped) unless this is the only thing on it.

No place to store AC cord. I guess they assume if you're using this on the go, you'll leave the cord behind since it would be powered by the C batteries. However, if I happen to be near an outlet on the go, I'd much rather use that than burn the batteries.

I'd been looking for an docking stereo for a while and but I'm very happy with this one.

Read Best Reviews of Philips DC185 Sound Machine with iPod Dock (Black) Here

I was shopping for a small iPod dock with radio, and after doing a lot of research, I settled for the Philips DC185, and I couldn't be happier.

If you need a nice looking and simple solution to listen to the radio and your iPod, this is a great choice, and for $62, its a bargain.

Pros

The sound quality is very good (but not great)

It has FM radio

USB port to read mp3s from a pen drive

It can be carried around the house with ease

Comes with several adapters for older and newer iPods and iPhones

Cons

No remote control (not a big deal for me)

There are other options that have more powerful speakers, and sound better, like Bose

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I just got this stereo for my 4th generation nano. I was worried it wouldn't work with it, but it does, and charges it as well. I like how portable it is, and that it has a radio. Overall I really like it. The only negative I can see so far is that it doesn't look as cool with the nano docked as it does with a larger unit. Since the nano is so skinny, it doesn't fill up the whole front panel and theres some open space, but other than that, it's just what I was looking for.

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I've been looking at this item at the local Target store and decided to look on Amazon.com. The price at target is $69.99 so when I found it here for half prize I didn't hesitate to order it. I purchased it over the weekend and it arrived on Thursday. What a great purchase. The sound is great and the price can't be beat. I am extremely satisfied with this purchase and I highly recommend it. I plugged in my iPod Touch 2nd Generation and my wife's iPod Nano 4th Generation and they both worked as expected. The only con is that it doesn't come with a remote control, but for the price and quality I can overlook that small detail since it's not something I need.