GEAR4 HouseParty 4 Speaker Dock with FM Radio for iPod

 

 

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I bought this Gear4 HouseParty 4 after much searching and comparison of similarly priced iPod Speaker Docks. Whilst eventually I would like to purchase a Bose Sounddock, at the moment I just need something to replace my CD player which has had it after many, many years. The criteria for my purchase was the best sound quality possible, whilst costing around £50 - £60. Which I felt was a reasonable price for a decent Speaker Dock.

I ordered this based on the number of high reviews here on Amazon, although I was a bit dubious about the speakers capabilities having never owned a speaker dock before and not having the ability to test one before buying. I took the plunge anyway and when the unit arrived I was amazed!

It's smaller than I was expecting, very simple clean design, will easily fit anywhere in a room and has a very slim credit card style remote control. Took me a few minutes to setup and even though the instruction manual was a few pages long, you don't really need to read it, this unit is really simple to use. I'm using this with an iPhone 3G and all I had to do was dock the iPhone, it'll ask if I want to turn on Airplane Mode so as to reduce interference from the phone and that's it away you go. If a song is already playing on your iPod/iPhone it'll keep playing when you insert it into the dock. If like me you're using an iPhone, as soon as you remove it from the Speaker Dock it'll automatically turn off Airplane Mode which is a nice touch, saves you keep going into the settings on the phone.

The sound quality of this unit is really quite good, better than I was expecting, bearing in mind that this is replacing my main CD unit. Initially there was some trepidation when I first played something through the speakers, it was obviously something I wasn't expecting when comparing to my CD player speakers. After playing various different types of music through the speakers, it became apparent that this unit will just take anything thrown at it! Low volume, high volume, anywhere in between and I get zero distortion. The sound produced is almost as good as my CD player speakers, good bass without being overly bassy. I was a bit worried about the quality of the sound, but my fears have been in vain it seems.

The unit comes with a built in FM radio which comes in handy. You also get a credit card style remote control which is very handy and seems to work quite well. It cycles through all the menus on my iPhone without problems, allows you to select songs easily enough. You can also shuffle and repeat songs, etc from the remote. The one thing that I didn't see the point of was the 7 EQ options. Turning any of these on and you'll wonder what's happened, to me they're a bit pointless and most users will probably use the unit with the EQ settings off. A minor quibble, but maybe something that needs work for the next model.

Overall, if you're on a budget and looking for a good quality iPod Speaker dock that gives good sound, easy to use, looks the part and works well with both the iPod and iPhone, then I can highly recommend this unit. Ultimately, if you can go in store somewhere and test one then I'd always advise before buying as different people prefer different units and everyone has a different ear when it comes to sound. I can't fault this unit for it's price and am very pleased with it, 5 stars!

I researched before buying read amazon customer reviews and they were all right. It is a great little piece of kit for playback. This is great for the bedroom too. Nice vol control for listening to favourites as you drift off. It is asthetically pleasing too- photos dont do it justice. If you are looking for a docking station for ipod then go for this one. Decent price on Amazon more expensive elsewhere. I have ipod nano 5th generation works fine.

I brought this system to go in the kitchen with my ipod.I looked around for a bit and yes bose probably are the best but for far more money.I got it for 60quid and ive been really pleased with it.The sound is very good and clear and the bass excellent.It is quite suprising when you turn it right up the amount of noise that comes out such a small system.It also has a built in radio and a neat little remote that both work well.To get all this for 60quid or less is a bargain.Definately purchase if your looking for a good all round system without paying silly money.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning Value
I must admit I didn't expect too much from this. I bought it as a cheap iPod dock for a holiday home, already having a Bose dock which I think is excellent. Well! Read more

Published 5 days ago by P. Marshall

1.0 out of 5 stars too good to be true
I have just received it, plug it in, turn it on and SURPRISE SURPRISE, DOES NOT WORK.
Absolutley and utterly guttered, I bought it for my iphone and I just find out is not... Read more

Published 10 days ago by lyn

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
I love everything about my gear4 house party 4 speaker dock fm radio for ipod, it fits nicely in the kitchen and I don't need a seperate radio.

Published 11 days ago by Birdo

2.0 out of 5 stars Distorts all the time!
The sound quality is amazing even at loud volumes. But after a while of playing it begins to very heavily distort and I have to turn it off, turn the volume down to 1, wait for... Read more

Published 17 days ago by Georgina

2.0 out of 5 stars Gear4 Houseparty 4 Speaker Dock-not great.
I ordered this for my daughter, to use with her ipod touch (4th gen). I put what appeared to be the relevant dock adaptor in-the ipod fit into the adaptor perfectly, but I... Read more

Published 18 days ago by C. J. Pickard

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely brilliant!
Great sound quality until very top level but barely noticable. Easy and quick to set up. Excellent value for money!

Published 1 month ago by matt20

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Buyer Experience
Bought as a Christmas Present. Speedy delivery, & very well packaged so box wasn't damaged. Sound tested by recipient, and gives great sound when being played through most sound... Read more

Published 1 month ago by Ms. H. K. Fuller

2.0 out of 5 stars Only lasted 4 months
I bought this after reading all the reviews, most of which were very positive, and was initialy very impressed! Read more

Published 1 month ago by Starryrinlet

5.0 out of 5 stars very good product
Bought this for my self, i was very impressed with the sound quality and bass. good product, well worth buying

Published 2 months ago by Jon bray

1.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as i thought
I ordered one of these speakers after reading the reviews from fellow amazonians, and the speaker arrived in perfect condition. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Paul Barker

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