Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2008/12/03/review_micro_hifi_lg_fa163dab_idock/

LG FA163DAB 160W iDock micro hi-fi system

Surprisingly above-average sound quality

By Lewis Caliburn

Posted in Personal Tech, 3rd December 2008 13:17 GMT

Review Once a real power-player in the world of hi-fi micro systems, LG's standing has suffered as portable players have grown in popularity. In a spirit of 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em', LG is now looking to unite the world of portable MP3 and the micro.

Perhaps not a company immediately associated with high-quality sound, LG has sought to combat this perception by employing audio guru Mark Levinson. Levinson formed Mark Levinson Audio Systems in the early 1970s, and its hand-built amplifiers became, for many, the standard of reference in the audio industry.

LG FA163DAB 160W iDock micro system

LG's FA163DAB 160W iDock: slightly less than rock-solid

The brand now belongs to Harman International, leaving Levinson to free to ‘tune’ LG's system to maximise the rig's efficiency when working with iPods and to improve its sound in general.

The cynical among you may be forgiven for thinking that this is simply a name-borrowing exercise and, apart from driving past the factory and waving, Levinson may not have been overly involved in the manufacture of the unit. However, Register Hardware was at the launch of this product and a larger range of audio offerings, and we were assured that Levinson has been heavily involved in the project, from design to manufacture. To underline the point, Levinson himself made the trip over the Pond to sing the praises of the machine. But is it any good? Well, yes and no.

First impressions are not altogether great: the head unit feels a little less-than-solid, with a bit of give in the box that encases the main unit. Looks-wise things are a little better, thanks to a very minimalist design and the high-gloss covering used on the speakers and head unit.

Both the head unit and speakers are finished with brushed aluminium on top of each component. The unit also looks attractive when it comes to life as there's a blue-backlit touch-sensitive circular control array on the front designed to mirror the control system on the iPod.

LG FA163DAB 160W iDock micro system

The good remote carries on the iPod theme

This works well, and the iPod-like layout means many users will immediately know exactly how it works. But it's the little oval remote control that's the real eye-opener here.

The remote sits really comfortably in the hand and gives full control over any iPod connected to the unit’s top-mounted dock. The soft-touch buttons give a nice response and, carrying on the iPod theme, the main control array is a circular arrangement in the centre of the remote.

LG FA163DAB 160W iDock micro system

Dock your iPod in the top

The rear-ported speakers have no less than four drivers: two mid-range and one tweeter mounted on the front, and a large sub-woofer on the out-facing side, suggesting the unit might indeed have a superior sound capability than might be expected. However, the cables look cheap and, becuase they're hard-wired into the speakers, they can't be easily replaced.

Worse, the top drivers are just for decoration and entirely non-functional. We couldn't work out the rationale behind this. LG points to product aesthetics, but in our view the system would have looked fine with just the two drivers that are functional.

On the front of the main unit there's a flip-down door at its base which reveals the 3.5mm socket and a USB jack to give non-iPod users the option to connect their own player to the machine. There's also a headphone port, and clock and timer controls under the flap.

We started our test with the vertical-loading CD player, which will also play CD-R/RW discs containing MP3 and WMA files and can rearrange the order of tracks as directed by the user. We selected a few tracks from Black Ice, the new AC/DC album. The sound galloped out of the speakers with some impressive depth with good enough bass performance and punch to do the Australian veterans' no-nonsense tuneage justice. For variety we tried a few tunes from Duffy’s Rockferry, and again the machine coped well, presenting the Welsh warbler’s honeyed tones with some real warmth.

LG FA163DAB

Side-facing subs

The player can also go very loud without struggling, delivering 160W of power. Also included is an auto equalizer which identifies the genre of music and matches it with the right bass and treble settings. Indeed, the CD unit does sound a little more agile than many other mini systems, and performs equally well regardless of genre.

The effectiveness of the unit is going to really depend on whether it can deliver a genuine and significant improvement to iPod sound. Plugged in, we decided to leave things to chance and let the random feature work its magic. XTC's We're Only Making Plans for Nigel sprang to life and the unit coped well with the complex rhythms and styles that are the band's trademark.

LG FA163DAB 160W iDock micro system

Flip the door to reveal the ports

A few more tracks, including some Bob Dylan, more Duffy and finally a bit of Slayer, proved the unit really does bring something extra to the party. Some of the flatness and sluggish response that can be a feature of iPod playback is gone, and ultimately there is more bounce and a more natural feeling to the sound.

It's as good as we've heard an iPod sound on a product of this price - £180 - for a good while. The special connector works with all dockable iPods. You can charge the iPod whilst it is connected, but you can switch that option off to improve the sound.

Leaving the ‘XDSS’ bass extension option switched on ensures the best performance overall, we found. DAB/FM functionality is straightforward and the unit delivers solid reception and playback capabilities.

LG FA163DAB 160W iDock micro system

The back of the main unit is spartan

The system can copy music directly to a USB-compatible MP3 player from a CD, the radio (FM or DAB) or another MP3 device. Users can choose the bit-rate to record at - 96, 128, 192 or 256Kb/s. The problem here is that, although all of this works fine and is easy enough to do, it feels a little redundant. The unit is aimed at iPod users who are likely to have better rippling and music-moving options open to them, especially as music is recorded in real time and can only be ripped at 2x normal speed if you're recording from a CD at 96Kb/s or 128Kb/s.

Verdict

For £180, this is a decent little unit with above-average sound quality. It's a nice option for a bedroom or study, or for someone in need of an affordable all-rounder in a main room. The LG adds enough to the sound of an iPod to justify its ‘Tuned for iPod’ billing and exposes the dedicated earphone junkie to the possibility of another way of listening to an iPod - and a pleasant one at that.

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