Philips Fidelio DS3000 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
• Dig in to your favorite music on your iPhone or iPod while it charges and synchronizes with your PC via USB, and enjoy superb sound quality together with thoroughly unbeatable convenience; let the great tunes go on and on without ever running out of power
• Neodynium is the best material for producing a strong magnetic field for greater sensitivity in a voice coil, better bass response, and a pure, balanced sound quality
• Dynamic Bass Boost maximizes your music enjoyment by emphasizing the bass content of the music throughout the range of volume settings--from low to high--at the touch of a button

I am a bit of an audiophile, but I limit my budget when it comes to something as simple as a dock since I have a stereo. I looked at quite a few docks because I needed something to charge my phone at night and wake me up in the morning. I looked at reviews and this one has great reviews so I gave it a try. Comes with a very short length of keyboard)3.5mm adapter, wall charger, and sync cable. The size is small and the only problem that presents is when handling your device while it's in the dock. It's easy to knock it over or push it around so you have to support the dock at times. Overall I decided to keep it because of the price and great sound, but that's about all I can say about it.

Pros:

-Sounds fantastic for the size, but most importantly the price. It fills a 10x10 room easily. I listen to music at low volumes and noticed that at less than 40% volume on my iPhone 4 the dock lacks highs With no equalization). At above 50% the highs catch up with the mid and lows and it sounds well balanced. This is when playing a non equalized app such as Pandora. Obviously when playing stored music or music from the Phillips app it can be equalized and improved.

-Looks and feels great, nice modern design and color.

-Works perfectly with iPhone 4, no incompatibility messages as with a lot of docks.

-Syncing works but you have to power OFF the dock.

-No audio noise when receiving text/calls/data.

Cons:

My main complaint is no remote, I overlooked this when ordering and seeing how tricky it is to keep in place( depending on surface, slides on wood pretty easily, but sticks to glass well). I don't like interacting with the phone while it's in the dock since I need to hold the dock while I push buttons, mostly the home button on my iPhone 4. It would also just be a much better product with a remote for obvious reasons, listening to music and just want to change songs or volume.

) My 2nd is the 3.5mm input to the dock ONLY works IF there is NO device in the dock, wow.

-Low Functionality. The only controls on the dock are POWER and Vol +/, so you have to go in your device to make changes. I never leave my phone unlocked so this means unlocking finding the app and switching a song. I could have really used previous/next buttons.

Not so good as an alarm. I wanted to use it as an alarm clock so I wish the alarm function was integrated into the dock itself, not into your device.Instead you download a free Philips app that has the alarm function and it does a great job, BUT I've had apps crash and close on my phone before. Lets say someone calls/texts and the Philips app or your phone crashes, that can easily mean a missed alarm. You can also use your iPhone alarm and just play it through the speakers which would probably be the safer way to go.

The mesh in front of the dock isn't so good for durability. I've had that type of speaker cover before and they tear and get dirty with time especially when they are a light color as this one is.

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--UPDATE 12-02-2010--

It's still being used daily and works great.

There is one issue that we have encountered, loading the AA batteries is somewhat of a hassle. Reason being is that the springs are extremely flimsy and bend a lot making it hard to load batteries into the Fidelio DS3000 speaker/dock station.

Other then that issue it's still my favorite and best sounding compact iPod speaker/dock!

--UPDATE--

After listening to several different iPod/MP3 docking speakers I actually had very low expectations for the Fidelio DS3000. The other speakers were tinny, lacked any sort of mid bass, and were just plain awful. However that is definitely not the case with this baby!

Setup was dirt simple (much simpler then the folding "easy to store" speakers that are out there). I just pulled it out of the box, plugged in the AC adaptor (it also runs on batteries), set the 5th gen iPod Nano on it's base, hit play, and away I was! No spacers or other plastic bits to insert into/over the iPod connection to make the different iPods or iPhone to fit!

The built in lit volume control on the unit is a nice touch since several other units lack an external volume control.

A USB connection allows for connectivity to your computer so you can sync your iPod with your computer. While a separate input jack allows the use of any other MP3 or CD player.

The quality of audio that this beauty reproduces is actually quite amazing. It's not the least bit hollow or tinny. Mid bass and the lower frequencies are present. And the shape of the "system" does a great job at filling a moderately large room with clear audio.

A docking and charging station for your iPod or iPhone and a speaker system for your MP3 or other audio playing device. Sleek, stylish, and extremely functional!

Pros:

Small.

Amazing sound quality, very impressed.

Charged the iPod.

Fits practically all iPods and iPhones.

External volume control.

Stylish.

Accepts other audio devices through a stereo jack.

Priced very well, would actually expect to pay upwards of $200 of this quality.

Is practically idiot proof and easy to use.

Cons:

None thus far!

Read Best Reviews of Philips Fidelio DS3000 30-Pin iPod/iPhone Speaker Dock Here

Listening to just a few songs, it works great. But set it to shuffle and expect continual music? Nope. It plays about 10 songs, and then quits. Sometimes it plays for a few hours. Doesn't matter if I am using iPod Touch or iPod nano. Same thing happens with 3 different devices.

My other problem I just discovered is Batteries do NOT work as battery back up if the unit is also plugged in. I use this as my alarm clock and specifically wanted a speaker that had batteries as an option. Much to my surprise, power went out and unit would not turn on until I unplugged cord from the unit.

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I only do reviews here i if i think a product as earned it, or is just very bad. (the bad reviews never seem to make it it seems :>)..Any we have a house with iTouchs/ipods and iphones now. I never had one of these speaker docks before and wanted one for a Xmas gift. I decided on this one mostly because of the look, it seemed to have a bit of "apple" design to it which I liked.

I was not so sure about the Philips brand as in my mind I associated that name with old TV's and Stereos from the 60's right? Anyway...this thing is fantastic. It has great looks, seems built well, and most important of all SOUNDS great. Just really good. We use it all the time now. Mostly with the batteries so we can move it around easily. Have not plugged it in yet.

If you are looking for a some portable speakers to move around the house where you might want some sounds, I highly recommend this product. Great looks too.

By they way, I have some pricey Bose speakers for my PC, and honestly...these remind me a bit of those.

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My latest venture into iPod/iPhone speakers was a successful one! I was surprised when I plugged in my iPhone 4G to be prompted to download an app (the Fidelio app check it out) from the iTunes store to run while using these speakers. I thought I was in for some highly unnecessary, clunky user experience. Instead, what I got was a nicely designed app that gives way more functionality to these speakers than I anticipated! The app uses your iTunes catalog and allows you to play your playlists and has an equalizer. You can always just use iTunes if you want to view your collection in other manners, but this was fine for straightforward use. Best of all (to me at least), it has a clock feature with multiple alarms. You can set a picture you'd like to display and a song you'd like to play when the alarm goes off. If you put the iPhone/iPod on the clock screen (you can choose from analog or digital) it will remain displayed and serve as a bedside clock radio.

So the app features won me over because this clock solution is much less clunky than the iHome clock radio unit I have that has the iPhone stick into the top and where all the features are in the iHome unit instead of just using the iPhone as an alarm.

As for the speaker sound: this is not a big unit. This will not fill a large room with bass-pounding, dance all night volume. The sound is clear and pretty full for speakers this size and they are certainly loud enough for most normal circumstances (e.g., you can't host a dance party with these).

I don't anticipate using these near my computer to offer any feedback on the synching, but I can't imagine that would be an issue.

These speakers worked with my iPhone 4G and my iPhone 3G.