Intempo IDS-05 review

Here at Stuff Towers we’re drowning in iPod accessories, so much so you have to wonder what all these manufacturers did before Apple’s player was born. True, most of the gizmos you’d be disappointed to win in a raffle, but the odd one restores our faith – like Intempo’s IDS-05.

Solid performer

At £60 the IDS-05 is cheaper than most docks, but the overall quality is high. It feels more solid and looks more stylish than you might expect in this price bracket, and there’s even a decent fully functioning remote if you’re feeling particularly lazy.

The inclusion of a USB socket is a stroke of genius, as it means you can hook up the dock to iTunes without removing your iPod. Another bonus is that it’s compatible with all the many members of the iPod family, although Shuffle owners will have to make do with playback only.

Of course, it’s performance that really counts, and the little Intempo continues to impress in action. The midrange is well represented, with detailed and clear vocals, treble avoids harshness, and even the bass is reasonable thanks to the (comparatively) large driver on the back.

Crying out for battery power

The tiny size of the Intempo does hold it back a little, though. It’s not loud enough to fill anything more than a small room, and separation and dynamics are a bit limited.

The thing that really gets our goat, though, is the lack of battery power. Surely the point of having such a small dock is portability, so why not allow it to run on batteries? If it could, this would be a fantastic holiday solution. As it is, it can only garner four stars.