harman/kardon Go+Play

Harman/Kardon doesn't make many multimedia products, but when it does, they always manage to break the mould. The Go+Play iPod dock is no exception to that, as this portable speaker system is certainly original.

Design & handling: industrial, but well-made

This kind of 'industrial'-style design can sometimes be dubious. The excessive use of steel or casually leaving parts of the internal structure on show can sometimes be an attempt to hide dodgy manufacturing and sub-standard materials. Thankfully, that's not the case with the Go+Play iPod dock. It has a stylishly oversized arc-shaped handle made from brushed aluminium, which is actually very practical. The plastics used are good quality and the speaker grilles seem sturdy. It does, however, look a bit like Johnny Five.

It's a shame the design and build quality hasn't been extended to the actual dock section of the product, which simply relies on a series of small rubber pads to keep your iPod in place. This system isn't practical or stylish and definitely isn't reliable. Plus, if you have an iPod classic or nano, you won't be able to access the control wheel fully. Another weak point (common to many iPod docks) is the remote control. This particular remote has already cropped up in some other Harman Kardon devices, and it's neither attractive nor particularly practical, which is a shame for a supposedly high-end product.

It's worth noting that the remote uses radio waves rather than infrared to communicate with the system. This means it'll work at larger distances from the main unit, and without necessarily being aimed directly at the sensor.

For the rest, functions are fairly thin on the ground. Apart from the video output and the USB connection, Harman/Kardon seems to have made no effort at all, as there's no radio, no LCD screen, no clock etc. To be honest, we've seen much better.

Audio quality: more bass than a 2.1 JBL speaker set

It's no secret that JBL, AKG and Harman/Kardon are all owned by the same parent company, Harman International. It's therefore not too surprising to find the Go+Play kitted out with the same speakers we've already seen in JBL's PC speaker kit. It is, however, interesting to note that the Go+Play has two 'Atlas' woofers, whereas the PC speaker kit only had one.

We've already seen exactly what the Atlas woofer can do when it comes to blasting out the bass, and so two of them has got to be even better. The Go+Play covers low frequencies effectively, with clarity and with plenty of power. Unfortunately, the wide-band speakers that cover medium and high frequencies have trouble keeping up. The sound is still clean on the whole, but there's an audible gap between the two speakers.

This is mainly a problem due to the fact that Harman/Kardon hasn't included any audio settings (apart from the volume) so you can't fiddle around with an equaliser to rebalance things.

Although this updated Go+Play has corrected many of the faults found in the original model, there's definitely still room for improvement. It's not the most portable system on the market, but then it's not really designed to be left at home either. It's not a total disaster, but then it's not a show-stopper either. All in all, this iPod dock seems to be stuck in the middle of the road.