Sunday, September 4, 2011

Boston Acoustics Duo-I Plus iPhone/iPod Dock AM/FM Stereo Radio and Clock Functions (Gloss White) Review

Boston Acoustics Duo-I Plus iPhone/iPod Dock AM/FM Stereo Radio and Clock Functions (Gloss White)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I bought the Duo-i because I needed something for my bedroom that served three purposes: a radio for general listening, a quality iPod player, and a set of good-sounding, external speakers for my 19" TV.
Positives:
The radio produces surprisingly booming lows for its size, and exceptionally detailed high end. The clarity of the speakers is stunning. The radio can easily fill a room with sound. Besides an iPod dock on the top, the radio offers two auxiliary inputs for flexibility. I use the rear aux RCA inputs for my bedroom TV, and the front aux 1/8" input will come in handy if I ever want to run my other MP3 players through the radio. The automatically-dimming display is a novel touch, too.
The BIIIIIG negative:
The radio has booming lows and very clear high end, but there's not enough in between. Apparently, Boston Acoustics tried too hard to give this radio a big sound, and, in the process, forgot that a radio this size should still have a good midrange presence. The radio seems to lack terribly in the 600Hz-3kHz range. Not only does this "reshape" the music, but it renders the AM radio worthless -- talk shows sound boomy and unintelligible, even with the bass all the way down and the treble all the way up. This wouldn't have been a problem, except Boston Acoustics did not provide a midrange EQ level control, and this radio needs one in the worst way.
In fact, in order to get acceptable sound when running my TV's audio through the Duo-i, I have to leave my TV's cheesy, little, internal speakers turned on. They compensate by providing some of the desired mid frequencies that the Duo-i lacks.
Because the low end is too loud relative to the rest of the frequencies, I experimented by loosely plugging the rear bass ports with my fingers. The bass response suddenly tightened up and became more natural-sounding. So my radio's bass ports are now loosely corked. (I even wrote to Boston Acoustics and suggested they begin shipping their radios with a couple different sets of "port corks" for discerning listeners.)
Summary:
If you typically listen to your stereo with a smiley-faced graphic EQ, you'll love this radio. But, if you prefer a flatter frequency response and/or listen to AM radio, the Duo-i is not the radio for you.
Please note that I am a recording engineer by trade, so I am going to be more critical of audio quality than most.

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The Duo-I Plus is an iPhone/iPod Dock with AM/FM Stereo Radio and Clock Functions.Option 1: listen to your favorite music and playlists while you charge your iPhone/iPod. Option 2: enjoy noise-free reception of even distant radio stations.The versatile Duo-i plus offers big-system sound that fits virtually anywhere - your family room, kitchen, office, or all of these and more. With dual alarms and Boston's 360˚ S-n-o-o-o-o-o-z-e Bar, Duo-i plus also makes a great bedside radio - and you can be sure of waking up to the music that gets you going.The unique shape of Duo-i plus is one key to its exceptional performance.Left and right full-range speakers are isolated from each other in separate acoustic chambers for rich, distinct stereo sound.Another key is proprietary BassTrac audio processing for clean bass at all listening levels.The two technologies work together to deliver stunningly realistic reproduction of your favorite music - in any genre, anywhere.

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