Review: Philips Docking System DC390

The Philips Docking System is the perfect companion to the iPhone, iPad or iPod. In addition to speakers, the docking station also charges devices and has an alarm function.

The docking system has shiny brushed aluminium surfaces, giving it an elegant and very modern feel. It is bulkier than most docking systems, but the result is great sound. The device has a rectangular design, with rounded corners. Rubberised feet on the bottom of the device also ensure that the system sits firmly on most surfaces.

The front of the system has a digital clock and users are able to set the brightness of the display, which means they needn't be subjected to a luminous time display in a darkened room. Control buttons are well labelled, and these are positioned at the top of the machine. Finally, the power cable, radio antennae and audio input are placed neatly at the back.

The system lets users dock an iPad and iPhone simultaneously, which is great because it lets users charge both devices at the same time. Unfortunately, iPads can only be docked in the upright position. This means users cannot play video in landscape mode while the iPad is connected to the docking system. Because I don't find the iPad ideal for video, this oversight did not bother me too much.

Overall, while I'm not a fan of shiny metallic features, I found the design practical, yet elegant. In any case, I liked the system so much, I was happy to place it on my bedside table. This worked well because of the built-in alarm and the charging function the device offers.

The Phillips Docking System is a plug and play device. I simply connected it to a power supply, docked the iPad and played my music. Once docked, volume is controlled on the actual system. Users can also skip, pause and repeat songs using the controls on the docking system.

The system has a digital clock that syncs with the time on the docked device, so there is never a need to set the time on the actual system. The system also has an alarm clock, and users can set it to wake them up with music from the docked device. Of course, while there is an audio input for MP3 players, the system will only sync with Apple devices that are docked.

I must admit, I did have trouble setting the alarm clock, because there are no dedicated buttons to set the alarm time. I found I had to keep pressing the alarm button until the time started flashing, and then I could adjust the time with the volume control. However, possibly due to an unresponsive button, the number of times I pressed the button before the time started flashing was completely random.

Users can also set alarm times to repeat on weekdays, which is great given how finicky it is to set the alarm in the first place. Of course, users can always set an alarm on their device instead.

The Phillips Docking System provides fantastic sound that is crisp and distortion-free. The bass was clear and the system never produced shrill sounds. Users can also adjust the bass settings using the DBB button on the system's remote.

I found the speakers picked up even subtle sounds, and provided great audio for a variety of genres. The system also has preconfigured settings that are optimised for different genres of music, including jazz, rock and classical.

The system produces fantastic volume, without distortion. I found that on full volume, the system provided fantastic sound throughout a three bedroom house.

The Philips dock is a definite winner for me. Having recently revisited my initial decision to give tablets the cold shoulder, I am pacing my iPad accessory purchases, but the Philips

Docking System is a definite contender for if (no make that when) I get a docking system.

At R1 400, the docking system is not cheap, but its performance far outweighs the cheaper options I have come across. I would also argue that high quality sound is worth the extra expense.