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Release Date: August 05, 2009
Genre: Games
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Release Date: September 29, 2009
Genre: Rock
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  • Machine Gun Etiquette

    • 8 out of 10
    • The Damned
    • Punk rock is mostly associated with three chords and a bad attitude, but the Damned were one of the few bands of the era bent on bringing musicianship and a good sense of humor to the scene. And while
  • Chicago Transit Authority

    • 10 out of 10
    • Chicago
    • For those of you who don't know, Chicago didn't always suck, and everyone in the band didn't always play a keyboard. When the band started off they were pioneers of rock and jazz fusion, and guita

  • The Stooges

    • 8 out of 10
    • The Stooges
    • Another pillar of my musical foundations, The Stooges' first album is one those records whose influence far outweighed its popularity. Like The Velvet Underground & Nico, hordes of people wh

  • The Last 5 Years (2002 Off-Broadway Cast)

    • 10 out of 10
    • Jason Robert Brown
    • The soundtrack to this moving off-broadway musical is heart moving. The lyrics follow a couple in a relationship for five years, one point of view going forward in time, and the other tracing time fr
  • Zooropa

    • 10 out of 10
    • U2
    • This record is perhaps U2's finest hour, yet it has been forgotten as a strange by-product of the ZooTV tour's overload, and is generally regarded by most fans as a poor effort. It is this sentiment t

Reader Specials

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In-Depth Review

mStation 2.1 Stereo Orb

The mStation 2.1 Stereo Orb is a one-piece speaker and docking system for iPods (and other devices). While it looks more or less like a colored bowling ball, it is actually a decent compact stereo system available in seven spiffy colors:

Photo courtesy of mStation.

Technically, there are two 2-inch front-facing drivers, a 3-inch rear-facing subwoofer, and a 30 watt (RMS) power amplifier inside the Orb. Its only controls are a set of six buttons in front of the iPod dock. Those buttons are: on/off, volume down, volume up, next/fast forward, previous/rewind, and play/pause.

The included infrared remote control has that same set of buttons plus an additional set of controls for bass and treble.

Photo courtesy of mStation.

On the back of the Orb are line-in, mini-USB 2, FireWire, and DC power ports. The USB and FireWire ports allow you to use the Orb as a docking station to sync your iPod with your Mac or PC. The FireWire port is an especially nice touch because it lets the Orb support older iPod models, which many newer peripherals do not.

While there's little else to criticize, I wasn't completely happy with the sound quality. Don't get me wrong -- it doesn't suck and it may be that I'm somewhat spoiled by listening to higher-quality (and more expensive) speakers most of the time. But the Orb just didn't sound as good as I'd hoped given its 2.1 speaker setup and what should be more than adequate amplification. But I found the sound a tad coarse, with midranges sounding slightly harsh and highs and lows that weren't as clear and clean as I'd have liked. Furthermore, at higher volume levels I heard a small but noticeable amount of distortion. Fiddling with the bass and treble controls made things better but I never achieved the clear, clean, full-spectrum sound quality I was hoping for.

What You Get in the Box: Orb speaker, 10-button remote control, 6 iPod Dock cradle adapters, 1 Dock port dust cover, USB cable, stereo mini plug cable, power adapter and cord. About the only thing about this system that's not great is the sound quality.

The Bottom Line

Almost everything about the mStation Orb is first-rate. The fit and finish are excellent, the design is whimsical and unique, and it includes numerous niceties like bass and treble controls and the aforementioned FireWire port. The bottom line is that the Orb is good looking and provides a lot of features for your money. If it just sounded a little bit better I could recommend it without a moment's hesitation.

Just The Facts

mStation 2.1 Stereo Orb from mStation

MSRP US$129.95

Pros:FireWire and USB 2 connectors, choice of colors, dust cover for Dock port, remote control, bass and treble controls.

Cons:Sound quality decent but not great.

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