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The folks at SDI also listened to complaints that the iH5 was missing a preset (favorites) option for radio stations. This model has four presets for AM and eight total for FM (because there are two FM bands, FM1 and FM2). To change stations manually, you have to turn one of the faux iPod scroll wheels on top of the unit--the other is for adjusting the volume--and make sure you don't go past the station you want. We have mixed feelings about the slippery dials, but it now helps that the iH7 ships with a remote. Using that remote allows you to toggle through radio presets, autoscan for radio stations, skip forward and backward through your songs, adjust base and treble levels (yes, there's a EQ in this model), and hit the snooze/dimmer button remotely. Even with the remote, you'll still have to use the controls on your docked iPod to navigate through menus and playlists. As with all dock-based iPod accessories, using the scroll wheel when the device is docked is a bit awkward, but at least the remote gives you some rudimentary control if you want turn the iH7 into a mini home-stereo system.
Without the expansion speaker connected, the iH7 sounds about the same as the iH5--which is to say, not bad. Attach the speaker and you get a slightly richer sound, largely due to the better stereo separation (powering on the extra speaker actually turns off one of the unit's internal speakers, so the sound isn't truly augmented). However, that doesn't mean the iH7 is on par with more expensive clock radio/mini stereo systems such as the Bose Wave Music System or Boston Acoustics' MicroSystem CD, nor is it in the same league as higher-end iPod docks such as the Logitech AudioStaiton or even SDI's own mini separates system, the iHome iH52. We also should note that the expansion speaker looks a bit weird and cheap sitting off on its own, with its low profile and shiny plastic housing. And it would have been nice if they had added another snooze bar to the top of it, so the alarm could be silenced from the other side of a large bed (which is where you'd expect the speaker to be located). Moreover, the iH7's main unit doesn't exactly look like an expensive piece of gear either, but the silver speaker grilles and attractive button design give it just enough of an edge that it wouldn't seem out of place in a Sharper Image catalog.
The system actually sounds best when you're sitting or lying just a few feet away from it, but it can fill a small room or office with sound. Not surprisingly, the iH7 shows its audio chops on light-listening favorites such as Mike Buble's sentimental ballad, "Home." However, as with most tiny speaker systems, the iH7 doesn't deliver much in the way of bass, so anything more demanding, such as rock or hip-hop, and the clock radio starts to sound less like a boom box and more like a clock radio. But as long as you don't crank the volume too high, tunes hold together well, and the sound compares favorably to other entry-level iPod speaker systems.
In the final analysis, SDI has done a good job of updating its iPod clock radio and correcting most of the flaws in the iH5. The extra speaker helps a bit from a sound standpoint and the addition of presets for radio stations is obviously a key addition. Do all those improvements mean the iH7 should cost $50 more than the iH5? No, but hopefully the price will come down closer to the $100 mark (or at least $120) as retailers realize there's only so much consumers are willing to pay for an iPod clock radio.
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