Sony RDPX500iP Dock for iPod, iPhone and iPad

• Powerful and crisp sound for iPod/iPhone/iPad1
• Built in sub & passive radiators deliver explosive bass
• Groundbreaking damperless speakers offer incredible sound

I first saw the Sony RDPX500 iP Dock at a big box store and thought it sounded great. It vibrated a lot but the sound was as good, if not better than the Bose Sound Dock II. This Sony unit puts out some serious base sounds. My issue with this sound system is that is not backward compatible with certain iPods. I ordered this Sony unit from Amazon and did not see any compatibility tables on the website, nor did I give it much thought to be honest. It said "iPod" so I took the statement at its word. Amazon was fast and efficient as usual and I received the item 3 days after ordering using free ground shipping. When my iPod did not work I went back to the big box store and tried my iPod on the exact Sony display model. It didn't work at the store either. My iPod did however work on EVERY other docking station in the store. Not an iPod problem. I went home and called Sony. Their customer support said there are some issues with certain generations of the iPod and those generations will not work with this Sony dock. I have a 5th generataion according to the serial number on the back of my iPod. The Sony customer service rep looked it up the generation status for me. Sony said you should contact them at esupport.sony.com to check compatibility. Better to be safe and check before you buy. I never saw mention of a compatibility chart anywhere before buying but the Sony customer service rep was knowledgable about it and knew exactly what I was talking about when I told her I had an older iPod and it did not work on this new Sony dock model. Amazon was great and arranged for the return and credit in minutes. Hope this helps.

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I was looking for a piece of equipment for my bedroom to replace my defunct mini-stereo which I had for close to 10 years. I decided to do away with the CD player, the radio, and just go 100% digital with my iPhone. I carefully read the reviews of many systems, among them Bose, Phillips, and Altec-Lansing.

I stopped by the Sony store and after looking at the workmanship, sound, and specifications of this compact system I decided to take the chance. I picked this over the following systems:

Bose SoundDock Portable Digital Music System

Bose SoundDock Series II Digital Music System for iPod

Altec Lansing M650 Speaker System

Soundfreaq SFQ-1

Philips Fidelio DS9000 Primo Speaker Dock for iPod/iPhone/iPad

The runner-up system was the Altec Lansing M650 Speaker System, so far I have no regrets.

I am no audiophile, so I can't give you a precise description of the sound other than to say that I am very satisfied with the compact footprint and the sound quality. It has no difficulty filling my large bedroom and most of my apartment with no detectable distortion. It comes with a free-app that you can use to control the bass, treble, and the equalizer settings. The app could use a little work, as it does not give you a perfectly designed alarm clock (you need to re-activate it daily). This is the primary reason for my giving it 4-stars.

You should have no difficulty docking your iPhone or iPod with most protective cases, as the docking clamp protrudes sufficiently and has abundant space to accomodate all but the bulkiest cases. It supports the iPad --which I currently don't have.

Finally, I can say that I don't miss my old stereo system. This occupies less than half the space, provides radio via TuneIn Radio App (purchased separately) and unlimited music via MP3 and Pandora App (subscription service).

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The Sony RDP-X500iP is pretty much as perfect a complete sound/docking system for Apple devices as you could expect, and I recommend it very highly. I have very few complaints, and those I have are really minor. As you can see from the product dimensions listed by Amazon, the stereo is fairly compact. However, take note that the listed depth of 6.4 inches is actually the depth when the dock is inserted into the stereo. The actual docking part comes in and out of the stereo; when it's out the device is 7.5 inches from front to back.

If you don't want to read my big long review, look at the bottom for the condensed version!

Long Review

Setup is really easy: just plug the device into an outlet, pull the little plastic insulation cover out of the remote, put your device in, turn the stereo on, and you're good to go. The actual docking part of this is universal and does not require you to fiddle around with different-sized inserts depending on what device you're docking into it. It should work fine with cases as well; my iPod Classic fits just fine with or without my case. In addition to Apple devices that fit into the actual docking mechanism, if you have something else like a non-Apple device then you can use the Audio In jack to plug that in and still use the stereo to play what you want to play. Two buttons on top of the stereo distinguish between iPod and Audio In.

The stereo does have to be on to work, however. Unlike some others that are always on and that you can just plug right into and start playing, this one has to actually be turned on first. This is not a huge deal; there's a power button on top of the stereo and on the "remote commander" (don't call it a remote control!). One annoying thing is that when first turning the stereo on or docking your device, the music fades in. Instead of just playing right away it'll fade in and you'll miss the first few seconds of whatever you're listening to, and I don't understand why it does that. This can be a real annoyance if you're changing tracks manually on your device, as the stereo is actually REALLY sensitive to movement. If you move your device just a small fraction it'll shut off the sound, and then it'll fade back in again when you fix it and press play.

That being said, sound quality is excellent. I find that all ranges are well-represented, with the bass being particularly powerful in the right songs but thankfully not overbearing. The stereo will actually shake a little bit if it's a bass-heavy song. Music is crisp, clear, and sounds great. If you're listening to older recordings or something like classical music then you may have to turn the volume up a lot to make it loud, but if you're listening to modern recordings that tend to be mixed loudly anyway then you shouldn't have a problem making a lot of noise really easily. This is where this device really shines, as well. Obviously as recording equipment has improved then sound quality overall will improve, but this device sounds *really good* when playing well-recorded music. I find that I'm listening to music a little louder than I normally would just because this sounds so good.

The included remote is very compact (approximately 3.5 x 1.5 x 0.25 inches) and is a great addition. Along with having the regular power, play/pause, forward, backward, and volume buttons, it also has buttons to switch between iPod (the dock) and Audio In, as well as buttons to navigate your device remotely. It has buttons for menu, enter, and an up and down arrow so that, if you want, you can change all your music remotely rather than having to manually change it on the device. When you use the remote there's a little indicator in the top right of the front face of the stereo that'll flash white in acknowledgement. However, I have noticed that you kind of have to be pointing the remote in more or less a straight line for it to register. Some stereos will let you point the remote off in some wild direction and as long as you're in the same room it'll work; this one kind of has to be pointed straight-on at the stereo or it's REALLY unreliable to actually register the remote.

To address a couple things that another reviewer claimed, you do not need to download an app to make this work, and it does charge your device. If you have a device that lets you use apps, like an iPod Touch, iPhone, or iPad, then sure, go ahead and download the app. I don't know what it does because I have an iPod Classic and have an Android phone and Android tablet, so I can't use whatever iOS app it is. And my stereo works just fine. From the sound of it it just lets you manipulate the equalizer and stuff like that. And yeah, this definitely charges your device, so I don't know why that other person didn't think it does.

Finally, my unit smells a bit like fish. I'm guessing this is just the typical "new product" smell that some things have for the first couple days or so, but normally that's like a plastic or rubber smell and in this case mine smells like fish. It's a little disconcerting when I get up close!

Short Review

Setup is very easy and this fits all supported Apple devices without having to change out the little different-sized inserts, and it should work fine whether or not you have a case on your device. If you don't have an Apple device you can still use this with the Audio In jack in the back of the stereo! The stereo does have to actually be turned on to be used, and the first time you turn it on or dock your device for some reason it'll fade the music in instead of just playing it, so be aware of that if the first thing you play has an explosive opening or anything. Sound quality is excellent, with crisp sound and all ranges well-represented, particularly the powerful but not overly-powerful bass. The remote will allow you to perform all the regular remote functions but you can also navigate through your device with it to change music remotely using the menu, enter, and arrow keys; just make sure the remote is pointed straight-on at the unit. The extra Sony app is not at all required to use the stereo, and the stereo definitely does charge your device.

Thanks for reading! :-)

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I am very impressed with the sound from this. It reminds me of a Bose wave radio. The controls are minimal and simplistic and which I like. It gets plenty loud with great even base and a clear high end. I never heard any distortion or over modulation from turning it up loud.

The problem I had was that I couldn't get sound out of my 5th generation iPod. The only way I could get sound was through the auxiliary cable that I had (it didn't come in the box). I liked the sound out of this so much that it pains me to give it 3 stars, but it's being sold as an iPod dock. That's a real problem if it's not going to work with my iPod.

Pro: Great Bass

Pro: Clear mid and high end

Pro: Nice looking metal finish

Pro: iPod dock drawer can be closed when no iPod is in it

Pro: simple controls

Pro: Has auxiliary input jack

Con: doesn't work with iPod classic 5th Generation

Con: doesn't come with cable for auxiliary jack

My phone has to be out of it's case (otter box) to plug in. Description claimed that docking station was compatible with all phone cases. When phone is docked, system is slow to respond to being able to play music. Don't appreciate the power cord system with it's large transformer. On the bright side, the sound quality is nice. Would have been more disappointed if I had paid more than $199.00.