Donka's Mobile Rambles

Monitor Audio are a name well known to many audio enthusiasts due to their commitment to excellence in acoustic design within the speaker market. So when they decided they wanted a slice of the iPod pie and enter the dedicated speaker market for Apple’s mass seller with their i-deck range, you feel compelled to show an interest. So how does a consumer level compact speaker system measure up from a company better known for their reference standard of speaker solutions? Read on as we give the i-deck compact a good listen too.
The compact is a popular design for iPod lovers having a single unit that includes an iPod dock sandwiched between two speakers making it relatively compact and easy to move between rooms as required. The compact, while relatively portable is not as small as many competing products but this perhaps helps to give i-deck an acoustic edge.
The feature set on the compact is very good for a speaker system covering all the main areas you will require; this will charge any dock enabled iPod, uses a remote control, and includes a 3.5mm line in for the Shuffle or other audio source and also has some excellent output connections. A standard iPod dock port on the rear allows you to connect this up to a computer which will allow you to update the ipod while housed in the speaker system. Video output is also incorporated allowing you to hook this system up to a large screen using the composite or s-video connection.
Included in the box along with the user guide and power supply are various dock inserts to fit older iPods but the compact supports Apple universal dock inserts which means the one that ships with your new iPod will work just fine for recent models.
The remote control that ships is Infrared but works very well with a straight line of sight for about eight metres, certainly enough to cover the distance of a medium sized room. The remote in comparison to the rest of the system seems a little cheap however the functions included are excellent; it will control power on/off, volume, play/pause and skip/seek and the iPod menu system is fully supported. It is great to be able to use the remote to cue up music, change settings and navigate other areas of the iPod menus without the need to fiddle with the click wheel while the iPod is docked. There are also dedicated buttons for shuffle and repeat which makes this a great remote for interacting with your iPod in an effortless fashion.
I was expecting good things from an audio stand point with the i-deck and I’m happy to report I was not disappointed. This speaker system will easily fill a medium sized room and doesn’t exhibit any obvious signs of distortion at comfortably high levels of music. Bass response was also very impressive, not so much in the level of bass but in the way it was delivered. While other systems may provide more bass, the compact presents this to you in a tight and well structured manner that lets you hear the thump of the beat clearly as opposed to a less distinctive rumble that others systems portray. This system seems to shine across all genres and suits the majority of musical styles however particular mention has to be made to classical and vocal tracks. The i-deck provided a hauntingly accurate rendition of a high bit rate version of the a cappella in Alanis Morissette’s alternate album version of ‘You Oughta Know’. Vocals and midrange in general are excellent and highs are almost as well realised but perhaps not as accurate as the mids. Bass, as mentioned earlier, is very good although very well controlled and never seems to sound overbearing.
Volume controls are present on the system next to the iPod and a standby button is embedded within the logo on the lower right side. A pin point blue light shines from between the volume buttons on the front giving a touch of class to the power state.

The i-deck is very well constructed and feels rock solid and weighty which helps to deliver its impressive sound. Aesthetics are good, even though it won’t win any awards for cutting edge design but its simple lines and non offensive appearance makes it at home almost anywhere. For those looking for a relatively compact but very impressive sounding speaker system that can be controlled via remote and will also charge their iPod, the i-deck compact should be very high on your list. This is a great addition to households with an iPod or two and the quality of audio on offer is truly excellent for this modest package. Throw in video output, computer connectivity and remote menu navigation and the i-deck compact comes close to perfection.
Available in black or white, more details on the compact can be found at the i-deck website.