mStation 2.1 Tower Speaker System w/ iPod Dock

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mStation 2.1 Stereo Tower

Anyone who has tried to wade through the multitude of iPod speakers on the market knows that the options are seemingly infinite, and that many of them are very difficult to distinguish from one another. So it's pretty refreshing when a company like mStation comes along and tries to offer something a bit different, first with the colorfully bulbous Stereo Orb and now with the lanky 2.1 Stereo Tower. Unfortunately, this tall speaker comes with a high-end price tag ($299), but without the excellent build quality. Still, for those looking for more oomph than the Bose SoundDock can offer, the Stereo Tower is a good alternative.

If nothing else, mStation knows how to put out a speaker dock with an unusual design. The 2.1 Stereo Tower is unlike any other iPod speaker we've come across, if only because it is about the size of a 6-year-old child (3.5 feet tall). A circular base (measuring about 12 inches across) supports two "legs," which, in turn hold, up the large, cylindrical subwoofer unit. At the top of each leg are the two speaker connections, and this is where the questionable construction becomes apparent. The speakers, which are shipped completely detached from the base, are meant to be rotatable. MStation allows for this with grooves in the bottom of each of the speaker cylinders and protruding screws on the top of each support leg. Unfortunately, this makes it difficult to get a completely straight and flush fit between the speakers and the legs. It's not a deal-breaker, but with a $300 speaker unit, we expect better implementation. On the plus side, the entire Stereo Tower is made out of high-quality extruded aluminum, so it has a nice, weighty feel to it.