Sony Ericsson MDS-70

The Sony Ericsson MDS-70 is a 2.1 speaker system designed for use with a range of Sony Ericsson mobile phones and any standard portable music player. It features excellent quality sound combined with the ability to adjust basic audio settings and play FM radio, but it comes at a price.

The most impressive feature of the MDS-70 is its sound quality. For a unit this size, it is excellent. The subwoofer provides quality bass without overpowering the unit's speakers. If you are after thumping bass, you'd best look elsewhere, but most people will find the balance of the MDS-70 quite pleasing for a wide variety of music styles.

The other registers were even more impressive, with exquisite highs and a smooth mid-range. There was a very impressive level of separation, with vocals in particular standing out. The MDS-70's detail levels were also good - much better than most systems this size. The sound isn't as energetic as some other iPod related products, but the clarity and crispness in the upper ranges was excellent.

The MDS-70 offers bass and treble adjustment via the included remote control. However there is no display or light to show what level each setting is at, so you'll have to rely on your ears to tell you. To compensate, Sony Ericsson has included an equaliser off button, which when pressed restores the default bass and treble settings. There is also a surround sound effect, which widens the soundstage, although we felt the unit sounded better with this turned off.

The MDS-70 is a two piece unit - with the subwoofer and AC power connection being one half and the dock and speakers the other. The subwoofer is quite large, measuring 218mm x 74mm x 131mm and weighing a fairly hefty 1.3kg. Finished in matte black, it isn't the most attractive part of the unit, and might be better hidden under a desk or on the floor. More aesthetically pleasing is the silver and chrome speaker unit, which measures just 206mm x 53mm x 88mm. It contains LED indicators for power, line-in and the surround sound setting and controls for function and volume.

Setup is simple; just plug the subwoofer into a power point, connect the DC-in cable to the speakers and dock your phone. Alternatively, the MDS-70 can play music from any portable audio player with a standard 3.5mm headphone jack. You'll need a line-in cable (included in the sales package) and this simply connects from your player to the rear of the speaker system.

If your Sony Ericsson phone has FM radio capabilities, you can also play this through the MDS-70. Sony Ericsson includes an FM lead antenna in the sales package which plugs into the rear of the speaker system. You then dock your phone, select the FM radio function and you're away. We had no issues with reception quality; there was no distortion, even inside our offices which are notorious for having poor signal strength. And you won't have to worry about battery life on your phone when using the MDS-70 either as it charges when docked.

Overall, the MDS-70 is an great sounding system that can be used with both a Sony Ericsson mobile phone and most portable media players. It has some excellent features, such as the ability to charge your handset and also play your phone's FM radio. However, when buying carefully consider the price.