iPod Speakers

Klipsch introduced its all-in-one iPod speaker system, the silver iGroove, in 2005. This past summer, the company took the wraps off the iGroove HG, an identical system sporting a high-gloss (hence the "HG") black finish. With the iGroove HG, Kilpsch took the iGroove's already attractive design and turned it up to sexy.

At quick glance, the iGroove's design best resembles that of the Bose SoundDock (US$399, $299), introduced more than a year before the first iGroove. Both compact systems feature a speaker grille across their entire front with a dock in the center for the iPod. Style and function iGroove's audio quality is exceptional, especially for such a compact system, with very clean highs and well-balanced lows. Most impressive of all is the iGroove's ability to truly fill a room with enjoyable sound. Unlike many compact speaker systems that sound terrific when they are positioned perfectly in front of you but degrade noticeably when you stand outside of that sweet spot, the iGroove wraps your ears with audio richness almost regardless of where you may be. In terms of features, the iGroove delivers what you would expect from a quality all-in-one speaker system, but little more. The uniquely-shaped remote control feels fantastic in your hand, but offers only the most basic controls: power on/off, play/pause, volume up/down, and track forward/back. The down side If audio quality and an all-in-one design are at the top of your list for an iPod speaker system, you can't do any better than the iGroove HG. The $249 system easily bests the more expensive SoundDock from Bose, matches the iPod Hi-Fi from Apple, and delivers a superior all-around listening experience compared to the iM7 from Altec Lansing and the AudioStation from Logitech