Logic3 i-Station Combo review

Logic3’s i-Station Combo looks like something from the ’80s. It’s a garish gloss black and red affair that consists of two speakers and a main control unit, all of which can be wall-mounted. The main unit houses both an iPod dock and a CD player, as well as FM and AM radio tuners and a 3.5mm auxiliary input. The ability to wall-mount it is useful: position it near the door to your sitting room, and pop your iPod in to charge and play as you come in.

Although the i-Station Combo has all kinds of features, not all of them are implemented very well. The built in clock is the most obnoxious of its features – it looks and works like a cheap digital alarm clock, is difficult to set and loses all its settings if it’s unplugged. Even on an inexpensive clock-radio, a battery to retain the time shouldn’t be too much to ask.

The remote control is small and easy to lose and although there’s a video output in case you want to watch movies from your iPod, the Combo has no headphone or line output. Finally, although the speakers’ high and mid-range sound is clear, clean and precise, bass is non-existent. The system as a whole produces a decent amount of volume, though.

The i-Station Combo could be useful if you need both a hi-fi CD player and an iPod dock, but its lack of bass and awkward configuration make it too much of a compromise.