Review: Bayan 7 iPod & iPhone dock [Gear] - Altsounds.com

Picture the scene: you’re an Imperial Stormtrooper on-board the almost finished Death Star. The Irish builders who’ve been hired to erect the thing are hammer and tongs to get it done. It’s your first day off in months and you’ve managed to persuade a hot Imperial guard to come round yours for a tumbler or two of Sith wine and to see a speeder racing holovideo. What better way to impress your tall-as-hell red-smocked guest than with an iPod dock which looks like a freakin’ Storm Trooper’s helmet?

[The wife has always been a trooper in the kitchen...]

“There is no other way” - as Damon Albarn once sang, is the answer to a question which is more obvious than Donald Trump’s hair weave. Leave aside the fact we are on planet earth and not a galaxy far, far, away… You can still dress up.

Bayan 7 iPod & iPhone dock looks out of this world. So it’s a bonus to learn that it makes a sound as clean and satisfying as a Light Sabre into butter; or a Squawking X-Wing, or the audible blurt of Solo’s blaster pistol.

The British-designed dock has a monster 120W of power. To put that in Layman’s terms; if you were to hold a slightly timid puppy in front of the thing, he would have 24-hour bass-packed nightmares, like a Goldie concept album, until he drew his final doggy breath. In other words it’s pretty neat.

The music delivery comes via a twin amplifier, five-way speaker set-up and is intended to deliver balanced and pure acoustics across a wide frequency spectrum. Superior definition and zero distortion are promised: even at high volume. In other words it does exactly what it says on the space age tin. After years of mainly listening to music through iPod earphones or reasonably good music systems; the Bayan 7 iPod & iPhone dock has simply made hearing tunes a cosmic experience.

On hip-hop tracks the 8in subwoofer gives the bass a properly round, smooth and exhilarating sound. For music with a lot more going on it’s possible to pick up the key changes and individual notes of each instrument, there’s none of your nasty bunching together you’ve come to expect from MP3 players. Truly remarkable and all apparently done via a nearly flat frequency range, whatever that means. Its makers say the spec of a Bayan 7 iPod & iPhone dock would usually be found in gear at the £500 price range and above. Which makes the B7 seem a bit of a snip at around £300.

[Bayan 7 iPod Doc in white]

On top of the awesome “dude-are-we-in-heaven?” sound there are two charging docks for iPods/iPhones, a USB connection for an iPad and a 3.5mm jack to link the device to other audio sources. This is an Apple certified product; in case you were asking. There is also a voice mode designed for listening to audiobooks and podcasts; and it’s controlled with an intuitive remote control. Having said all that; the remote control is perhaps the least appealing part of the package. If you’re playing an iPod with a lot of songs it can be a bit of a laborious clickathon to get to the tune you need. There’s no wheel thingy you get on Apple products.

Still, the Bayan 7 iPod & iPhone dock is built from a variety of sturdy materials; including a 12mm solid wood casing for strength and acoustic efficiency. It’s also available in sleek black; so a good suck-up present for Lord Vader; or for one of your cousins with the black wallpaper and Deicide tattoos.

Despite its high-tech, futuristic look; this iPod dock is extremely simple to use and will get any party rockin’ like it’s 9099. It makes an amazing addiction to any muso’s listening equipment and arguably costs much less than gear with a similar spec.

[Darth loves his Gangster Rap on his iPod]

SPEC:
A monster sound from both its volume output and quality of performance. You will literally feel the music! Bayan 7 covers it all, with 8" bass, 2" mid-range drivers and 1'' wide projection tweeters.

• Huge 120W power performance - Loud enough for any room, any party, or just you.
• Five way 2.1 channel stereo speaker configuration finely tuned for depth, detailed balance and a live sense of presence
• 12mm acoustic speaker casing manufactured from wood for strength and acoustic values
• 8" sub for pure bass - deep, defined and loud
• Charge and play at the same time or switch between one Apple device and another
• Connect your iPad, Tablet or Smartphone via the media port to increase your choice of music sources

Compatibility with Apple Devices

• Apple iPods
• Apple iPhones
• Apple iPads - via media port at the rear

Compatibility with other audio products

• All Smartphones via Aux port, 3.5mm Audio cable provided
• All other makes of MP3 / MP4 Players
• All media Tablets
• All Laptops, Notebooks, Ultra notebooks
• All portable CD and DVD players

NERD:

Technical Specification

Amplifier Power Output	60W (bass), 2 x 30W (mid and tweeter), Total 120W
Drive Units	1 x 210mm (8 ) bass, 2 x 50mm (2 ) full range, 2 x 25mm (1 ) tweeter
Frequency Range	30 Hz to 47 kHz
THD (total harmonic distortion)	< 1%
Power input voltage	100V - 240V ~ 50 / 60 Hz
Standby power consumption	1W
Inputs	2 x 30 pin iPod connector, 1 x 3.5mm jack analogue audio, IR remote
Outputs	USB A power output for charging iPAD
Dimensions	45cm x 30cm x 28cm
Net Weight	6.84Kg

TAX:

£299.99 inc VAT