The new i-Tallboy from Teac not only plays audio on your iPod, MP3 player, CD player, USB drive, or SD memory card, but it also comes with an FM tuner in case you get sick and tired listening to your music.
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If you do not have an iPod but want to use the tallboy for other external audio devices, then you can either connect them via the 3.5mm jack or the auxiliary input. It is also possible to listen to audio files using the USB and SD card slot. The ITB400 also has an FM tuner built-in and can save your favourite stations using the remote control.
We plugged in our notebook, iPod, and a couple of USB drives to test its audio performance. Dialogues in movies sounded clear and crisp, while explosions and gunfire in several action sequences had that punchy bass that sets the tone. Music played from our iPod was handled well by the tallboy: classical music sounded rich and separated, our drum and bass album was deep but wasn’t overwhelming, and pop music was warm all throughout our test.
The unit had a maximum volume of 50 and can only be increased or decreased in multiples of two. The treble and bass can be adjusted using the remote control, allowing users to customise how the tallboy sounds. The ITB400 can be pushed to get quite loud and we found that it had no distortions at high volume levels.
Available in black, the ITB400 can complement almost any room. The main control buttons (input selector, sleep, volume up and down, forward, rewind, play/pause, stop, previous, next, and power) are found on top of the unit, while the display and IR sensor are found in front.
The remote sports a simple layout and can control your iPod. The remote can also browse through all iPod functions and can switch the playlist instantly.
The Teac ITB400 may not be the best iPod docking station in the market, but for $329, this tallboy is well worth it.
