OTHER TECH

The FP-1 provides control options that other docks can only dream of. Beyond simple IR control, it offers RS-232 and Web control options. Simply type the FP-1's name or IP address into a Web browser, and you have full control of it as if you were looking at the onscreen interface! (Another ultra-cool option is the Philips Pronto TSU-9600 wireless remote control, reviewed in the June 2007 Sound & Vision, which allows you to walk freely around the house while selecting music from the Pronto's LCD screen.)

Aside from the lack of iPod photo and video access from the remote, my only other real complaint about the FP-1 was a slight "stuttering" it exhibited when playing music from the iPod when the FP-1 was in its Random mode. For example, after finishing a song from an album or playlist, it will frequently play perhaps a half-second or second of the next track from that album or playlist before it properly relocates to another random track. This was happening all the time, at first, even when the FP-1 was playing sequential tracks from a playlist or album - it would start the next song, then suddenly back up and start the song all over again. This turned out to be a result of firmware glitches in the early samples of the FP-1; users experiencing these kinds of problems should go into the Setup menu and "force" a software update from Escient's server to make sure that they've got the latest firmware upgrade, which should fix it. Fortunately, the effect is more subtle when experienced in Random mode and wasn't terribly bothersome unless the brief snippet of the next song started off with a loud, dynamic blast of music. But Escient says the lingering bit of this misbehavior is a function of how the iPod is engineered and interacts with the FP-1 and may ultimately require a firmware update on Apple's end to fully resolve.

BOTTOM LINE There's no shortage of options for adding an iPod to your audio system, ranging from a $5 minijack-to-RCA cable to myriad other solutions costing $150 or less. If you're simply looking to funnel sound from an iPod to your system by any means, the FP-1 is probably overkill.

But iPod owners who crave advanced control options - especially the ability to browse their music library via the Web - or who want the ability to stream music from Internet radio or networked computers will find the FP-1 the way to go. And if you already own an Escient system, the FP-1 is a slam dunk, offering seamless integration of your iPod while retaining the look and feel of the company's now-classic, easy-to-use interface. In the end, the Escient FP-1 iPod Music Manager makes a very little player go a long, long way.

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