Eos Wireless (EOS100T1RB)

The IntelliTouch EOS Wireless (EOS100T1RB) iPod dock provides 48KHz streaming audio for up to four satellite speakers. Although the system works quite well, the $449 price tag is a little high given the lack of features like a built-in clock or radio.

The EOS package comprises a single base station with a satellite speaker that can theoretically be placed up to 45m away. Extra satellite speakers can be purchased separately. The base station is fairly light and the glossy black plastic body is easy on the eyes. Two tweeters are found on the fascia, and there is a subwoofer on the base-plate of the iPod dock.

The base station has an antenna on its top, and an antenna is also found on the satellite unit next to the volume control knob and AC adapter (which can be detached). Two tweeters are installed on the satellite's fascia, with a subwoofer on the back. Up to four of the speakers can be wirelessly linked to a central base station using the 2.4GHz band.

The 2.4GHz spectrum is crowded with a wide range of wireless devices; cordless phones and 802.11b/g wireless routers use this frequency. To cope with this, the IntelliTouch EOS Wireless iPod dock continually alters its broadcast channel over the 2.4GHz bandwidth in tandem with its linked satellite speakers, in order to avoid interference from surrounding devices.

We tested the system in our North Sydney office building with dozens of wireless networks and countless cordless phones around. Despite the digital noise and the presence of several walls, our music came through very smoothly without much interference at distances of more than 20m.

There is a slight audio lag between the base station and the satellite speakers as the IntelliTouch EOS Wireless sends packet data to the satellite speakers, and this results in a slight echo. Turning on the "range extender" increases this delay and makes the lag and echo more obvious, so you'll need to position the satellite far enough from the controller unit to avoid this.

The audio quality is surprisingly good. Mid-range audio is clear and well-defined thanks to the two tweeter in the base station and the satellite. Cello and piano notes came out rich with detail, while vocals were accurately reproduced. Treble struggled at times and occasionally distorted at high volumes.

The main area we had issues with was the bass. Despite the base station and each of the satellites having a subwoofer, the driver simply did not have the size or strength required to convincingly hit the really deep electronic bass notes of "Get Low" by Lil Jon. Lighter bass notes, like the ones produced by double basses, sound much richer.

Conveniently, if you don't have an iPod then you can use the auxiliary connection to plug in any audio device that has a standard 3.5mm jack.

Although the IntelliTouch EOS Wireless iPod dock offers advanced wireless networking, it lacks the basics functions normally provided by this type of product. There is no clock or EQ control function, and the included remote control can't control the iPod's menu.

The remote is small and square, and features only six buttons. These control track skipping/fast forwarding, the volume and mute. The buttons are soft and often unresponsive, and the remote can only control the base station. At this price point we'd like to see the ability to control the device from any satellite speaker.

SRS surround sound is built into the base station, and it works relatively well to expand the soundstage. Unfortunately it sometimes gives an echoey quality to the audio (especially the bass) and there is no way to turn it off.

If you need a simple way to stream audio to several points of your home or workplace, the IntelliTouch EOS Wireless (EOS100T1RB) iPod dock doesn't suffer from interference and provides plenty of good quality sound. Just make sure that you're happy with the limited functionality and the price tag.