Logitech Pure-Fi Dream

Pros: Great sound from FM or iPod: rich, full, can easily fill a large bedroom, but sounds equally good when it's on low volume.

Cons: Flaky. Every control has a hair-trigger that makes it really easy to get the wrong setting. Only plays wake to iPod in shuffle mode (usually within a given song list, though mine now only shuffles through all song lists). POORLY DESIGNED.

Summary: I chose this after trying a couple of other models that sounded great but didn't have the features I wanted.It seemed like a bargain, turned out not to be, and I would have sent it back except for the fact that it almost did what I wanted it to and I thought I could live with the shortcomings. I will soon junk it and get something new.

The Pure-Fi Dream is a truly eccentric product that regularly fails to do what you what you think you set it to do. That could be operator mistakes, but I've had it over a year and don't find it any easier to operate. If anything, it has deteriorated. As noted above, it used to shuffle only within a given playlist when using "wake to iPod" (and there is NO way to override it), but now it shuffles within all songs (and it can't be confined to one playlist).

It has familiar circle and button controls, much like the iPod's. But everything has such a hair trigger that it's easy, for example, to click on the button that sets the hour of your alarm and have it slip to an hour later or earlier. Or to shift from FM to AM, or preset 1 to preset 2. Another aspect that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't is waving your hand over the machine to activate the snooze function. Sometimes I have to wave my arm over it 3 or 4 times to activate it. Other times, I'm making the bed two feet away from it, and a little rush of air will activate the snooze. Go figure.

It does, as I've noted, sound terrific, and it's easy to adjust bass, treble to suit your liking. It sounds equally good playing softly or loudly. But really, you could spend less money and get an iPod dock with speakers in you want that. The Pue-Fi Dream has many great features, and most of them don't work well. My advice is not to waste money on this poorly designed product.