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When the Polk Audio I-Sonic was released in the fall of 2006, it offered a then-unbeatable combination of features for a product in the tony "executive stereo system" genre: AM/FM radio with HD Radio compatibility; CD and DVD playback; and XM satellite radio support. Yes, the I-Sonic suffered from less-than-intuitive controls and a sky-high $600 price tag, but it did have the distinction of offering some of the best sound quality we've ever heard from a tabletop audio system. Flash forward to 2008, and Polk Audio is back with the sequel. The I-Sonic Entertainment System 2 (ES2) combines the same basic quad speaker design of its predecessor, but adds an improved control layout and varies the feature set. Gone are the disc player and satellite radio of the original I-Sonic. But in their place, the ES2 gets a built-in iPod dock and the first-of-its-kind iTunes Tagging.
At first glance, the I-Sonic ES2's curved black, silver, and gray housing could be mistaken for the first-gen model. There are a few key improvements, however. The front-panel LCD screen is far more readable: it's larger, the contrast is better, and it's angled back a bit, thus making it easier to read when adjusting the top-mounted controls. And those controls are a notable step up over the original I-Sonic as well. Fifteen buttons are arranged directly above the display, with the most commonly used--power, volume, source, and snooze/mute--appropriately oversized for easy access (though snooze could stand to be larger). The smaller buttons include time, alarm, and radio preset keys that are likely to be used with far less regularity. Alternately, you can use the included credit card remote to access the main functions as well.
The oblong box has a flattened oval footprint that's roughly 14.5 inches wide and 10 inches deep. Directly behind the button cluster is the iPod dock and headphone jack, which can be covered by a flip-down door when not in use. The rear panel includes the standard connectivity jacks: analog stereo input (for external audio sources) and output (for connection to larger stereo systems), and S-Video and composite video outs for compatible video iPods. Jacks for AM and FM antenna hookups are also provided (you can use the included ones, or string up your own). A USB port is present, too, but it's strictly for service upgrades--you can't use it to pull music from a flash drive.
Unlike the smorgasbord of options on the original I-Sonic, your listening choices on the ES2 are quite limited: either the iPod or the radio. (The third choice is any audio source you'd prefer to hook up to the auxiliary input.) The ES2 offers basic compatibility with pretty much any dockable iPod, but for the advanced features (remote control, video output), you'll need a newer model. (For a complete compatibility matrix, see this tip.) As for the radio, it delivers the standard (analog) and digital (HD Radio) flavors of AM and FM, any of which can be captured as one of 30 presets.
