Speaker docks for iPods and iPhones rarely interest me. If you’ve seen one, you’ve probably seen them all. That’s until you gaze upon Edifier’s iF500 all-in-one audio system.
Attention-getting is an understatement when used to refer to this rig, which sports a huge bulbous speaker (think beach ball or exercise ball) right behind the docking area for your music player. It supports various models and iterations of both the iPod and the iPhone, apart from sporting an auxiliary connector so it can take audio from other portable players. They even threw in an FM radio, though there’s no DAB support.
Edifier claims that the five-driver speaker system “incorporates vibration and resonance control technologies, coupled with low-frequency porting and midrange-tuned cavities for smoother, cleaner audio.” They also call it an “elegant design”, though all I can really think about is how to make space for an iPod speaker dock (yes, not a component sound system – just a speaker dock) with such an irregular shape. The only place I can imagine is either the floor or at the center of the dining table, neither of which are ideal spots for listening to music.
Provided you’ve got an idea in your house to put it in, the Edifier iF500 should be one of the coolest-looking iPod speaker docks you can find around. It’s available now for $249.
Available at Edifier