Small Polks for your iPod

The iPod has redefined the realm of personal audio the way the Sony Walkman and Discman did in the not too distant past. Helping along the digital revolution and the changing of the guard was the discovery that you could actually compress songs using a (geek alert) lossy compression algorithm without losing too much noticeable song fidelity. What we now know as MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3) and its varieties have opened the imagination and fired up the production lines for many iterations of personal audio players.

None have cashed in on the status quo more than Apple — which was single-handedly saved from its sagging business by the mighty iPod. More than 150 million units of the digital audio player had been sold worldwide as of September 2007.

Quite naturally, other industry players have adopted the mentality “if you can’t beat ’em, make money off them.”

So here comes the queue of wannabes vying for your attention — third-party iPod cases, earphones, screen guards, skin, lanyards, etc. Then there is the ubiquitous and dizzyingly diverse selection of speakers that frees up the music so you can share with and delight (or assault) other people within earshot.

Polk Audio is among the bigger industry names that seek a slice of the veritable iPod aftermarket pie. Known for kick-butt car speakers, Polk Audio goes small with the miDock Portfolio. The moment you take it out of its box, the Portfolio — all six-by-seven inches of it — piques your curiosity as it comes in a snazzy black canvas bag with a Velcro fastener. And just like one of those novel calculator “robots,” you rotate the four-speaker assembly to prop it up — ready to accept whatever iPod you have and whatever music you have saved in there. Yes, it is compatible with all models, and comes equipped with adaptors you can install in a snap. And just like the competition, the Portfolio not only plays your tunes but charges the unit as well.

“Despite its compact size, the high-efficiency digital amplification technology makes the speakers sound much bigger than they actually are,” explains Manoj Budhrani who, along with brother Sanjay, exclusively distributes the Polk Audio line in the country.

You won’t be embarrassed to take the Portfolio with you to school, the office, the beach, the mall — any conceivable location or occasion where you want to listen to and share your music. Any audiophile worth his salt will surely stare at the proud Polk Audio logo on the left of the unit and wonder where in heck you got that speaker system.

Of course, you shouldn’t expect a boom box in the miDock Portfolio. But if that’s what you want, then the miDock Studio series should be more to your liking. The Studio can generate more robust bass, and Polk Audio asserts that it delivers wide, deep stereo audio not found in any other portable iPod docks. The tradeoff, of course, is that it’s bigger — five by 17 inches to be exact.

You have your choice to operate the miDock Portfolio and Studio on batteries or AC power (I think it’s very thoughtful that they include four plug adaptors). Also, both miDock models have a built-in USB port allowing you to connect it to your computer and listen to songs without having to remove the iPod from the port.

How much for this tasty duo? The compact miDock Portfolio goes for P5,990, while the Studio is priced at P11,990. Both are available nationwide where electronics are sold. Visit www.powertrip.com.ph for more information.