Logic3 i-Station Rotate iPod dock

The Logic3 i-Station Rotate iPod dock pumps out plenty of volume and lets you rotate your iPod when you want to watch videos

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The Logic3 i-Station Rotate is a portable iPod dock that has a video out port and speakers. You can rotate a docked iPod or iPhone 90 degrees to get the most out of videos.

Pros

  • Rotatable iPod dock, good treble audio, portable

Cons

  • Can't handle deep bass, occasionally lacks mid-range frequency distinction, remote control doesn't have full menu control when iPod is rotated

Bottom Line

The Logic3 i-Station Rotate is a useful iPod dock built with video playback and portability in mind. Although bass and mid-range aren't up to scratch, it pumps out plenty of sound for such a small portable speaker system.

Would you buy this?

  • Price

    $ 179.00 (AUD)

Rather than have a small fixed port as found in other iPod docks, the Logic3 i-Station Rotate's dock connector rotates anti-clockwise 90 degrees. A rubber stopper sits in the lower-left corner of the docking section, but thinner iPods like the Apple iPod Touch are able to move about too much. This could lead to the connector being damaged if the iPod is bumped too often.

Although movies are playable when an iPod is rotated, the iPod's menu isn't controllable from the remote in this mode. The remote has full control of compatible iPods when in a vertical position. A composite video port sits on the back of the Logic3 i-Station Rotate, so you can play the videos on your television or monitor. The lack of composite audio ports means that all sound will be played through the iPod dock's speakers.

The Logic3 i-Station Rotate iPod dock's other main selling point is its portability. Four AA sized batteries can be plugged into the back, while Logic3 bundles a padded carry-case in the sales package. The two feet that hold the unit upright can be flipped into the main body.

The speakers deliver decent treble and mid-range, but the dock suffers from a lack of bass, as indicated by the frequency response of 200Hz-20KHz. Our attempts to play the track "Addicted to Bass" by Josh Abrahams resulted in weak lower-end notes and a lack of richness.

Treble is much better — as heard in our test track of Carmen's Habanera as sung by Opera Australia — thanks to the two 22mm tweeters. The high notes were clear and there was no distortion until the volume was set to its highest level. Even then, we were impressed by the Logic3 i-Station Rotate iPod dock's relatively clear sound at full volume.

The mid-range performance is mixed, with the Logic3 i-Station Rotate iPod dock occasionally blending the lower and mid-range frequencies. This means that in some tracks, like "Ice Cream" by New Young Pony Club, the individual notes were less separated than they should've been.

The Logic3 i-Station Rotate is a portable iPod dock that is easily transportable, produces loud audio with little distortion and can dock iPods in the best position to play videos. Although we think the sound quality should be better at this price, if you're looking for a video-friendly iPod dock to use on the move, this is a worthwhile choice.

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