Soniq iM600K iPod dock

Soniq's iM600K iPod dock impressed us with its sound quality and low $129 price tag.

It looks somewhat like a fancy futuristic toaster, but the Soniq iM600K is actually rather easy on the eye. The iM600K has a black satin finish that looks nice, though it cops fingerprints like a crime scene so it’s probably a good idea to give it a wipe down every now and then. A brushed aluminium border around the bottom of the unit gives the otherwise very minimalist design some pizzazz.

Soniq has motorised the dock for the iPod so that it rises up from inside the device (slowly). A window with a mirrored finish sits in unit's centre and lets you to see your iPod or iPhone. You can navigate through music with the bundled remote control.

The iM600K might seem surprisingly big considering its lack of features; an alarm clock and an FM radio tuner, as well as the dock itself, are all that's on offer. The reason for the bulk is the integrated subwoofer and two very impressive speakers.

Audio quality was surprisingly pleasing; treble, bass and mid tones all have a good level of clarity and are able to expose fine detail in our test music. There is minimal distortion when volume is high, and when the bass booster is switched on it doesn’t muffle the audio (unlike the Philips DC350).

The unit will connect with any iPod that has dock connector; the iPhone is not officially supported but it worked perfectly during our tests. An auxiliary input at the back of the Soniq iM600K allows you to plug in any other MP3 player. (You won't be able to use the motorised dock, but you could always employ it as some kind of motorised wallet holder.)

We were thoroughly impressed with the Soniq iM600K. The motorised iPod cradle is somewhat gimmicky, but the iM600K is great for anyone with a digital music library who wants to keep their iPod charged. If you're in the market for an iPod dock then you should definitely check it out.

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