Macworld | iPod Product Guide: JBL Radial

JBL Radial

Basic Information

Price as Reviewed:	$300
Company:	JBL
Rating:

Review

(The following summary refers to Altec Lansing's M602, JBL's Radial, Klipsch's iGroove HG, and Sonic Impact's T24 Made for iPod Shelf System.)

All four of these systems offer more functionality than Bose's top-selling SoundDock, including one or several additional features -- for example, computer syncing, video output, and support for non-dockable iPods and other audio sources. And Klipsch's iGroove HG and JBL's Radial offer better sound quality -- in the case of the Radial, significantly better. And the SoundDock finally has some serious competition in terms of performance for the price: All of these systems except the Radial are available for significantly less money than the SoundDock, and the two lowest-priced systems, Sonic Impact's T24 and Altec Lansing's M602, provide sound quality that's likely to satisfy many people -- and include more features -- for $100 less. This may not be the best news for Bose, but it's good news for iPod owners, who have a growing list of quality choices for compact speaker systems.

--Dan Frakes

Full Review

Specs

Ipod Models Supported	3G (4 Horizontal Buttons)4G (Click Wheel or iPod Photo)5G (Video)Mini4G (Click Wheel or iPod Photo)1G 1G Nano (Chrome Back) (Chrome Back)2G Nano (Aluminum Body)1G Nano (Chrome Back)
Size	12" wide by 10" high
Speaker type	Desktop (carryable, AC-powered)
Channels	Left/Right with subwoofer
Connection type	MinijackUniversal dock