Philips has wound back the clock with its latest iPod dock, which harks back to the "golden age" of radio in the 1950s -- and not just with the style.
It's on sale now in five varieties with prices ranging from £150 to £190.
Design
Philips has been making radios since 1927, but didn't look quite
that far back for this reimagining. Style-wise it takes its queue
from Philips' classic 1955 Philetta 254 radio, and looks very
similar, with its faux Bakelite casing and pair of big, chunky nobs
on the front but with the channel buttons of the original replaced
by the slide-out iPod dock. Around the back there's a 3.5mm
analogue audio in jack, so you can plug in a non-Apple player, as
well as a plug to add an external aerial.
It's a chunky beast, mind. Line it up next to most modern iPod and it's a solid block of old-school cool measuring 25x29x25cm and weighing a hefty 4.48kg. That takes up quite a bit of space on a kitchen worktop or bookshelf. But this isn't a device that's intended to fade into the background, it's meant to be out and proud, flaunting its owner's retro cool credentials.
There are actually five different versions of the Original Radio doing the rounds: the ORD7300 (DAB+, FM, dock), the ORD7100C (FM and dock -- in cream, exclusive to Apple shops) and the ORD 7100R (FM and dock -- in red). There's also the OR7200 (DAB+, FM), the ORD7300 (DAB+, FM, dock) and the Philips Original Radio OR7000 which just has FM, LW and MW stations. None of them have a Wi-Fi or internet radio option, which seems like a trick missed.
Performance
The dock swooshes out by pushing the button with the Philips logo
at the bottom of the device. It won't accommodate the iPad, but it
can handle iPods and iPhones (with
30-pin connectors), even when they're in their cases, thanks to a
clever swivelling plug which adjusts to the angle and distance from
the device that you need.
The sound comes from a brace of 10-watt speakers and it uses a bass reflex system to boost the low end. Combined with that large, solid cabinet, it gives a surprisingly robust low end that doesn't distort even when you crank up the volume.
There's a clock on board with alarm capabilities and it will automatically sync the time with your iPod when you plug it in.
There's a free app available for your iPod too. HomeStudio offers more options for radio control, with enhanced alarm functions which allow you to set the volume, length of alarm and change the sound. The interface is also a bit easier to use than the basic LED display offering date, time and track info, which looks authentically retro, but is also just a bit too basic to be entirely comfortable to use. Fortunately, there's automatic tuning on board to help you find all the available stations quickly.
Conclusion
There's no doubt that the Original Radio is a thing of
beauty, but it's a shame the spec couldn't have been extended to
include a Wi-Fi connection and internet radio.
Specifications
No comments:
Post a Comment