OTHER TECH

The Short Form

Price $599 / polkaudio.com / 888-869-4375

Snapshot

The ultimate table radio, with more sources and more speakers than its competitors - but they come at a price.

Plus

•Great sound from a compact unit •Rich bass •XM Satellite- and HD Radio-ready •Plays DVDs and CDs

Minus

•Among the most expensive table radios •Somewhat cumbersome top-panel controls

Key Features

•Plays DVDs, CDs, MP3-encoded CDs, and photo discs •Receives AM, FM, XM Satellite, and HD Radio •Four-speaker All-Around sound field technology •30 radio presets, with any combination of XM, AM, or FM •PowerPort bass technology •(2) stereo audio inputs; S-/composite-video, stereo audio, headphone outputs •Dual alarm clock

Unlike XM Radio service, HD Radio is free, as long as your local AM or FM stations are simulcasting in HD. I live about 60 miles from the nearest metro market, and though the FM and AM reception on the I-Sonic was very good, I couldn't tune in any HD stations, even with the FM dipole antenna. So I schlepped the I-Sonic to a relative's home in a nearby city to check out how it handled HD Radio. (More on this in a bit.)

PERFORMANCE I tested the I-Sonic in several locations in my home, including my large (15 x 30 feet) living room. While not as robust, dynamic, and accurate as an excellent set of bookshelf speakers driven by a good amplifier, the I-Sonic filled the room with surprisingly good sound for a table radio, and the sheer volume output of its four 3-inch speakers was impressive. Polk's Power Port bass-loading technology yielded a deep, if somewhat boomy, low end. When I listened to Bluesiana Triangle - a favorite jazz recording by Dr. John, David "Fathead" Newman, and Art Blakey - Newman's sax sounded a little harsh and strained at moderately high volumes but for the most part was warm and realistic. And in the drum-heavy jam "Shoo Fly, Don't Bother Me," the percussion was surprisingly forceful, if not totally lifelike.

To check out Polk's "Stereo All-Around" sound-field feature, I also listened in my home office with the radio sitting on a coffee table in the middle of the room. Two of the I-Sonic's four speakers fire toward the back from its curved side panels, making it ideal for placement on something like a kitchen island. The approach works well enough; the sound quality stayed fairly consistent as I moved around. Joan Armatrading's What's Inside CD kicks off with a deep-bass throb on the opening track "In Your Eyes," and the I-Sonic created good low end throughout the room. I played the same Armatrading track with my 40-gig iPod connected to the rear aux-in jacks and experienced similar sound quality, and when I played a disc of MP3s, the track numbers came up on the I-Sonic's LCD display without a hitch (though you need to have a video monitor connected to get full metadata). XM sound was also superb.