Works with
iPods with dock connector
iPhone
iPhone 3G
The Good
High-quality sound for a good price
Remote can control iPod menus
Small footprint
The Bad
No option for battery power
The Price
US$149.95
If you’re looking for a small, high-quality iPod speaker dock that can you serve you well throughout the house, JBL may have just the thing for you in its On Stage 200iD speakers. While the audio quality might not satisfy the most demanding audiophiles, the On Stage 200iD’s combination of good sound, affordable price, and full-featured remote control make it a potential winner.
The On Stage 200iD won’t blow you away with its feature set – it’s a fairly standard iPod speaker dock – but the quality of the overall package is high. The speakers connect to any iPod with a dock connector, including the iPhone, can be controlled by volume buttons on the speakers or by remote, and offer a AUX jack and included stereo patch cable for use with non-Apple MP3 players. The one thing I would have liked to see from the hardware might have been an option to power the speakers by battery (they have to be plugged into the wall), but that’s not a major complaint.
The most pleasantly surprising aspect of the speakers’ hardware is its remote. A lot of iPod speakers come with remotes, but few are as full-featured as this one, which allows you to control all aspects of the iPod – from raising and lowering volume to navigating all iPods menus – from the remote. Many speaker docks support going backward and forward within playlists, but this one controls the iPod completely. Very useful.
The sound produced by the On Stage 200iD is also pleasing. Though the speakers are a small package – just 14 inches long and a little over 2 inches tall – the sound they produce is much bigger. At low and medium volumes, music is clear and crisp, leading to a pleasant listening experience. For such a small package, the speakers pack tremendous punch and can get very loud. At loud volumes, music starts to sound sharp, but still isn’t terribly offensive to the ear.
At its small size, the JBL On Stage 200iD can blend into most any space or room easily, making it a versatile home audio option. So, if you’re looking for an iPod speaker for your home, and want one that delivers very good sound quality for a fair price, you’d do well to consider the JBL On Stage 200iD.
