Removing the PlayDock MP3 from its box is a bit of a disconcerting experience. Its heft suggests quality and power, while its appearance from the bottom up is handsome... until you see that thing that sits on top of the PlayDock MP3, resembling an alien blob that feeds on speaker cones. That thing turns out to be the holder for your MP3 player. The manual you read later will tell you it's fused from silicone, but the pungent odor tells your nose that already.

Cambridge SoundWorks PlayDock MP3

Sitting atop of any table, a fresh PlayDock MP3—smell and all—is a curious attraction that resembles a product design experiment gone wrong. In its effort to maximize compatibility with MP3 players (which basically amounts to designing a system compatible the line of MP3 players from its parent company, Creative, without alienating the iPod market), designers seemingly settled on the cheapest and easiest solution with minimal consideration for fit or finish.

Opting not to include an iPod dock connector on the PlayDock MP3 is the most obvious sign that Cambridge SoundWorks had Creative's MP3 players in mind when creating the product, as if the PlayDock MP3 might be reason enough to invest in a Creative player instead of an iPod (not). Naturally, charging your iPod is more or less out of the question with the PlayDock MP3 (if you happen to have an iPod dock accessory with a mini USB port on it, like Griffin's iTrip Dock Connector, and invest in a longer USB cable than what the PlayDock MP3 ships with, then it is possible to charge the iPod).

PlayDock MP3 from above

While the PlayDock MP3 is designed to stay plugged in most of the time, its biggest strength lies in its unwired capabilities. A beefy NiCad battery, responsible for a good bit of the speaker's weight, provides power for about eight hours when the battery is fully charged, a process that takes about 24 hours. If the PlayDock MP3 is usually used plugged in, this translates into an easy boom box alternative for when the time or need arises. On this point, Cambridge SoundWorks deserves applause for going with a more expensive rechargeable solution instead of relying on the user to bring a backpack full of D cells with them.

Side view, panel removed; user replaceable battery

Of course, portability means nothing if the system doesn't also deliver the sound quality to back it up. Here, the PlayDock MP3 fell short of our expectations, even for a setup designed for mobile use. At $200, the PlayDock MP3 isn't cheap but its speakers lacked the vigor one might expect to be buying. At low-to-moderate volumes sound quality is very good, with two speakers handling the mids and highs while a 15 watt 4-inch subwoofer balances the bass nicely. But at volumes beyond 50 percent, the treble flagrantly overwhelms the bass. It's difficult to discern whether it's due to being treble-happy or simple distortion, but the PlayDock MP3 sounds simply awful at high volumes.

If your goal is to bring music to a decent sized room, a backyard patio, or a campfire, the PlayDock MP3 can handle the load. But unless you only want background music, the PlayDock MP3 can't deliver good sound to very large areas, even in "Wide" mode, which is designed for outdoor use and increases the perception of how far apart the speakers are.

PlayDock MP3 from behind

Speaking of Wide mode, three other buttons accompany it on top of the PlayDock MP3: Play/Mute, Volume Up, and Volume Down. In continuing with the poor design that is the top of the PlayDock, the buttons have a flimsy, cheap plastic feel to them. This may seem like nit-picking to some, but when you're spending $200 buttons should at least feel nice and solid to the touch.

Bottom Line

The PlayDock MP3 is a good solution if your needs are such that portability and, more importantly, battery playback will be frequently utilized. Otherwise, for iPod owners in particular, better solutions exist that at least will charge your iPod while in use and at most deliver better sound in a nicer looking package.