A new range of speakers is here to lure music lovers.Riding on the popularity of Apple's iPod, manufacturers like Logitech, Harmon Kardon, Bose and JBL are promoting a number of external speakers for the music player. Logitech, for instance, has launched the Audiostation exclusively for iPod users. This is a premium desktop speaker system and just as with most speakers in this class, the Audiostation offers bigger (and better) sound than most portable iPod speaker systems.Logitech's Audiostation gets off to a great start. Just like Apple's iPod Hi-Fi speakers, all controls on the front of the Audiostation are touch-sensitive. It also sports its own bass and treble controls. The external FM antenna does a commendable job of receiving broadcasts, and the Audiostation's display will also tell you the signal strength. It is better than other top-ranked options in its price range on sound quality, or with features such as a clock and FM/AM radio offering a fully user-adjustable sound.The AudioStation can also output your iPod's video to a TV set while the speakers are working, or allow you to connect a computer to the system to share the speakers with your iPod and the radios. Logitech has priced it at Rs 20,995.Apple's Hi-Fi, on the other hand, is a large, oblong box and despite the classic iPod white the design does not really induce the same "must-have" desire that Apple's products usually do. There is some sense in this boxiness though "" the power supply is completely built in. It is a costly option with a tag of Rs 13,000, but Apple followers seldom look at price tags. The sound that Apple Hi-Fi lends is very full and deep with plenty of presence and expression.JBL OnStage iPod speakers dent Bose's play area, which it has pretty much ruled till now. JBL speakers are not only smaller than the ones by Bose, (it has circular donut speaker arrangement) but also manage a decent music delivery. They are truly portable at 375 grams but the playback is limited to 16 hours. The supplied AC power adaptor gets you around the battery life limitation if you are away for a long weekend. JBL's On Stage device also has an automatic sleep mode which gets activated when there is no input signal to save battery life, and the system awakes again at the previous volume level with a single touch.Available at around Rs 4,800, it is essentially for on-the-move audiophiles. Besides being compatible with most iPods, including the Nano, the device also has a 3.5mm stereo mini-jack connection so you can plug in most devices with an audio out function and enjoy the sound through the delicious little speakers with the big sound.
