In a world full of iPod accessories, the Unison i-X5 strikes a nice little balance between price and performance. Manufactured by Australian company Cygnett, the i-X5 speaker system can be purchased here in the states with an MSRP of $249, which is a pretty good deal for what you’re getting.
Features and Specs
The i-X5 system features an iPod dock for charging and syncing, two audio inputs, a built-in 70-watt amp, and each speaker has a 5-inch woofer and 1-inch tweeter. There’s a little credit card-sized remote control and the iPod dock comes with A/V cables to not only feed into the speaker system, but into your TV as well, allowing you to watch videos.
Cable clutter is kept to a minimum as everything hooks into one speaker (see photo), and the system itself is powered using a standard computer cord. The speakers are both shielded, so you can put them next to your big, radioactive TV and you still won’t experience any interference.
Pros
Setup was a breeze, and the included dock breathed new life into my iPod Touch. The dock charges the iPod and hooks up to your computer via USB so you can sync your music and videos when its connected — a nice touch. The speakers themselves look really nice, too, with a slick, shiny piano black finish.
The sound quality is excellent as well, which is probably the most important part. Lows were warm without being muddy, thanks to the two 5-inch woofers, and highs were crisp without being distorted, thanks to the two 1-inch tweeters. Mids were nice, too, but I’ve run out of adjectives like “crisp” and “muddy” so you’ll have to use your imagination.
The system also comes with a bunch of cables and dock adapters for various generations of iPods, which helped everything to get up and running quickly.
Cons
The remote control, unfortunately, leaves a bit to be desired.
It’s one of those tiny, Bose-like credit card remotes that seem to be so popular with speaker systems like this.
I found myself having to really point the remote squarely at the dock and then deliberately press each button pretty solidly to get things to go my way. It’s not a deal breaker by any means, but a more solid-feeling remote with a longer, more forgiving range would have been nice.
It’s not the end of the world, though.
Conclusion
I’d highly recommend this speaker system to anyone looking to get more out of their iPod, especially if you want a solution for audio, video, charging, and syncing all in one. It’s a great system for the money — you won’t be disappointed.
Unison i-X5 iPod Speaker System [Cygnett.com]
P.S. — I found the speakers at Frys.com for $229 if you’re interested.