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Philips DCM250 Docking Entertainment System Description:

Philips iPhone/iPod compatible docking entertainment sytem with built-in CD player. Stylishly designed with a cool metallic finish, the sleek system features smart functions and boasts 30W RMS power for truly dynamic sound

• Brand: Philips
• Model: DCM250/37
• Dimensions: 5.50″ h x 15.30″ w x 7.90″ l, 6.30 pounds

Features

• Play and charge your iPhone/iPod
• USB Direct for easy MP3 music playback
• AM/FM Digital Tuner with 40 station presets
• Dynamic Bass Boost
• Includes full function wireless remote

Customer Reviews:

Philips Docking System
I received my Philips DCM250 and have been nothing but impressed by this unit. Right out of the box, it’s a gorgeous piece. Very sleek and very modern. The scrunched up photograph on the page does it no favors whatsoever, so make sure you look at the larger image. It took me no more than a few minutes to get the unit set up in my bar room and it was off to the races with my iPod.

The sound quality immediately blew me away. This unit sounds fantastic. It’s got two large, ported speakers that produce the full spectrum really well. What I really noticed was how much punch the little unit could throw behind bass. It’s incredible. It doesn’t quit at high volumes either, it fills the largest room of my house with enough sound that it starts to resonate off the walls creating a pseudo-surround effect without any distortion whatsoever.

I chose to navigate to whatever album I wanted to listen to using my iPod wheel and just turning back to what I was doing. You can’t really read the iPod screen from far enough away to bother trying to control it’s playback with the remote. What the unit does do though that’s special is it has full video support. You can plug it directly into your TV via component cables that are included to get a large screen and full video playback.

It has a ton of playback sources. Along with the iPod it has AM/FM radio support that can be boosted with included external antennas, it plays CDs including discs that are loaded with MP3 files and it has an Aux input and a dedicated USB input. I tested the USB input with my Sandisk Sansa Clip and was able to get playback from it also once I played with the USB mode on the Sansa. If you have a device and you want to plug it into this, there’s an input for it.

I really recommend this unit. It is easily the finest iPod dock that I have ever touched in this price range.

Excellent Music Entertainment System
This is an excellent music entertainment system. The sound quality is outstanding. It plays iPod/iPhone music, Audio CD’s, MP3 CD’s, MP3 Link devices, and music from USB flash/thumb devices encoded as MP3 players. It also states that it can play videos from iPod Video or iPhone devices on a television using the included Component Video cable, but the sound would still output from the Philips system.

FRONT OF THE UNIT: There is a brightly illuminated LCD screen which always shows the source input, if the Dynamic Bass Boost (DBB) is on, and the Sound Preset (Rock, POP, etc). The LCD screen also changes its display based on your source. iPod input only has the word iPod on the screen. You will still be required to use the screen on the iPod itself to search for specific songs. During CD’s, the song number and time passed of the current song is shown. During MP3 CD’s, the song name, track number, and time passed are shown, with scrolling song name if you press the Display button.

SPEAKERS: The sound is very clear. The speakers are of a high quality build. There are 4 presets that will adjust the sound equalizer, CLASSIC, ROCK, POP, and JAZZ. I used the CLASSIC setting for Classical music and it sounded very clear, while the instruments sounded garbled in the ROCK preset. So each setting does make a difference. Excellent adjustments by Philips. Use the correct one for the type of music you listen to. Use the POP preset and turn the Dynamic Bass Boost on for DANCE and bass-heavy songs.

BACK OF THE UNIT: The system has two 1-inch holes on both sides which are the subwoofer’s bass ports/openings. The back also has a headphone jack, DC power connector port, Component Video Out (to view video on a tv from an iPod Video or iPhone), FM aerial connector (sigle coaxial cable), and an AM aerial connector (double snap-down wires). I have to mention that this system INCLUDES ALL WIRES FOR EVERY TYPE OF CONNECTION. The system includes an FM wire with antennae end, an AM wire and antennae stand, Component video cables (one end Red/Blue/Green, the other end single black speaker connector),and a stereo cable to connect to any other device besides an iPod (connection is on top of system).

TOP OF THE SYTEM INPUTS: iPod connector, MP3 Link port, USB Direct port.
The iPod slides on very easily onto the iPod connector, and it stays in place with the backing plate. It stays secure to the system. The system auto-detected the iPod when I connected it and automatically started playing the first song. You can also connect through MP3 Link (with the included stereo cable) to play any other devices besides an iPod. There is also a USB-Direct port to connect any USB thumb/flash drives loaded with songs that you may have.

REMOTE CONTROL: The remote is well-designed, sleek, thin, and comfortable to hold. From the picture, you can see there are many buttons that allow you to control a lot of different things. You can choose the source of music through the remote, and fully control your iPod (although when searching for a specific song, you need to be at least two feet away in order to read the iPod’s LCD screen since it is not projected on the illuminated LCD of the system). The system does have an illuminated LCD screen, but it doesn’t display what is on the iPod. The remote lets you control Playback, Volume, Display, specific CD/MP3 tracks, Prog, Repeat, Shuffle, source inputs, Sleep, Timer, Dynamic bass Boost, Presets, and the FM/AM Band.

DYNAMIC BASS BOOST: You can either turn the extra bass on or off. The OFF setting allows a decent amount of bass. Adjust the presets accordingly and you will always be able to find the right setting for you songs. I turned it off for ROCK and CLASSICAL songs, turned it on for DANCE songs. The bass sounds clear and does NOT have that cheap bass feel where it shakes the speakers and causes vibration. Excellent bass.

RADIO: The FM sounded clear. The grey connector connects easily and only one way. Radio cycles through by .1’s so you can get 102.6 and 102.7 stations. The AM was somewhat clear, but still sounded well on the speakers. You may want a larger wire for better reception. Lengths are below.

WIRES INCLUDED: The AC adapter (power supply cord) that comes with the system is similar to a laptop AC adapter, with a total length of 9 feet. The FM Wire easily connects and is about 40 inches long. The AM Wire is easily connected through snap-down connectors on two wires, and is 28 inches long. The base on the AM atennae easily folds in and stores flat. A Stereo Cable is also included so you can connect any other device besides an iPod, and it is 18 inches long. And lastly, Component Video Cable is also included to connect iPod Video or iPhone devices so you can view your videos on a TV, but I was unable to test that feature since I did not have those devices at hand. The component video cable is RED/GREEN/BLUE connectors on one end, and single BLACK connector on the other end which plugs into the Philips system.

iPOD CHARGING: The iPod will charge when connected while in STANDBY mode, or when you are using any of the other sources besides an iPod. While I was playing an Audio CD, the iPod continued to charge. Very convenient.

BUILD: The device is built of strong, sturdy, hard plastic, and does not feel cheap at all. It has a great professional look as well. The buttons are all made of hard quality polished plastic, and they feel really good when pressing them. I shook the system around while a CD was playing, and there was absolutely no skipping at all.

Other features: It was very easy to set the clock. This is not an alarm clock to wake up to.

By far, this is one of the best portable systems out there. Other than having a 5.1 or 7.1 speaker set up, this system sounds nearly flawless. A+, 5 out of 5.

I tested the following songs and each sounded exquisite, after adjusting the Dynamic Bass Boost and Presets.
Aerosmith - Dude Looks Like a Lady ; Alice in Chains - Would; AR Rahman - Latika’s Theme; Audioslave - Like a Stone; B52’s - Loveshack; The Bangles - Something That You Said; Beastie Boys - Fight For Your Right; Belinda Carlisle - Heaven is a Place on Earth; The Buggles - Video Killed the Radio Star; La Bouche - Be My Lover; Guns N’ Roses - Welcome to the Jungle; Collective Soul - The World I Know; Nightwish - She is My Sin.

The Dock To Beat
Just looking at this product, you may be reminded of the Bose Wave Music System, and for many potential buyers, you have a real contender here. Owning an iHome iH30B Boom Box and JBL On Stage, I can attest to this being much more than a standard iPod dock.

Initial setup was a snap. As soon as I powered it on, it wanted to find AM and FM stations. After a couple of minutes, I heard lots of static, and was kind of disappointed. The FM tuner is simply dismal with the included antenna, and I thought “If they can’t get FM radio right, this must be junk.” The manual and remote both indicate that it will display RDS info, but it didn’t show up on stations that I know broadcast RDS text. This could be related to the reception, though.

I decided to slide my new copy of The Listening in the CD player, and was quite stunned by the sound quality. While enjoying the CD, I took a look at the iPod dock and was happy to see that Philips hasn’t gone the way of so many of their competitors with different dock inserts. Instead, there’s a back support that adjusts with a thumbscrew. We have an iPod Classic, iPod Nano, and two iPhones in the house, so being able to switch between them easily is an excellent feature. When the unit is turned off, it will charge your iPod / iPhone, which is really great, too.

The preset EQ’s do a reasonable job of adjusting the sound for most types of music, but I would have preferred to have had the ability to set bass and treble individually. That said, the EQ’s are diverse enough that only the most discerning listener would be disappointed.

Perhaps most surprising is everything this dock can do. Sure, you get radio / CD / iPod functions, but there’s also a USB slot that will play WMA and MP3 files on a thumbdrive, a headphone jack input for anything else, and component video *out* for playing videos on a TV with component inputs. If you’ve got it, this will play it with unbeatable sound quality at this price point.

So, why not five stars?

Again, the FM reception is TERRIBLE with the included antenna. You might be able to adjust it to get decent reception, but you’ll almost certainly destroy the clean look of this unit in doing so. Getting a decent antenna is a must, if you ever plan to use the radio.

While the included remote feels much nicer than what normally comes with units like this, most of the buttons don’t seem to do much of anything. Navigating through iPod songs seems to be hit-or-miss, based on the iPod you’re using. Moving from song to song seemed to work only half the time on a current-generation iPod Classic, but was consistent on the current-gen Nano. Usually, hitting Play/Pause on the remote fixed the problem on the Classic.

Although this can be used as an alarm clock, the layout shows that this was really an afterthought to ensure everything including the kitchen sink was thrown in.

To be honest, if I could give it 4.5 stars, I would. For what you’d spend on this, those issues are really minor. I’d definitely recommend this to anyone looking for an all-in-one solution in a medium-sized room, small apartment, dorm room, etc.

From the Manufacturer
Unleash your music in superb sound. from iPhone, iPod, USB, CD & radio. Free your iPhone/iPod music and enjoy it in superb sound on the Philips DCM250. Stylishly designed with a cool metallic finish, the sleek system features smart functions and boasts total 30W RMS power for truly dynamic sound.

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