Best iPod speakers

The best iPod speakers are wireless speakers

The good news about iPod speakers is that prices have come down, while audio quality has gone up. You no longer have to spend close to $1,000 to get a good sound and features like wireless connectivity. The iPod docks discussed here range from $150 to $800, and the least expensive model here actually gets the best reviews.

At just $150, the Soundfreaq Soundplatform 2 offers an impressive blast of sound for the money. Jeremy Horwitz of iLounge.com rates the Soundplatform 2 with an A-minus, noting that the impressive sound quality on this unit is matched with an appealing design. It offers an equalizer with plenty of bass and range to fill a small room, yielding impressive stereo separation. Even at double the price, he says, `the potential for such high-quality playback would be hard to beat.

Other models in this category come at a significantly higher price. The JBL OnBeat Xtreme (Est. $500 ) has exceptional audio quality and offers compatibility with everything from laptops to smartphones. Reviewers praise the speakers for their wireless capabilities, in particular the seamless Bluetooth set-up.

Billy Steele from Engadget.com says it only "a couple of seconds" to connect, and he noticed no latency (delay) when using the remote control and moving from room to room. Despite having a set of built-in equalizer options, some experts say that the speaker's sound "right out of the box" was plenty sufficient. For example,  Tim Gideon of PCMag.com who says cycling through the various preset EQs he simply left it in default mode.

Also highly rated (and highly priced) is the Bowers & Wilkins A7 (Est. $800 ) . Edward Chester of TrustedReviews.com rates this powerhouse of a speaker at 8 out of 10 stars, partially for its exceptional clarity. The A7 has a more compact design than competitors, resembling what Chester says looks similar to "a fairly tall loaf of bread," so it can fit in small spaces. Likewise,  Gizmodo.com's Sam Biddle lauds the room-filling power of this unit, but bemoans the high price.

When there are capable models in the same category at a much lower price, it is hard to justify spending $800 on one speaker, which is exactly why we chose the Soundfreaq Platform 2 as our Best Reviewed iPod speaker.