The Kensington SX300R is one of a host of products now on the market designed to help music lovers take tunes from their iPods into their homes. What sets the SX300R apart is its sleek, stylishly simple, one-piece design with a flat panel speaker on one side and a universal iPod dock on the other. The SX300R’s sound, while not as full-bodied as some, nevertheless has a feeling of quality perfectly suited for a smaller space, and performs better than expected given that the speaker itself is only three quarters of an inch wide.

In keeping with iPod’s updated black look, the new SX300R comes in a black plastic shell, as opposed to Kensington’s previous SX200, which was white. The SX300R is compatible with all iPods with 30-pin dock connectors, including iPod nano, and can be connected to non-docking iPods such as iPod shuffle, as well as, other MP3 players with an accessory adapter or a 3.5mm headphone cable (not included). The unit including base is 16 by 7.25 inches high, and at only 4 inches deep, it’s an easy fit for a desktop or even a window sill.

Another update from the previous generation is the addition of a remote control. Here too the design is simple; almost too simple. While the remote works well for adjusting the volume, when shuffling between tracks within a playlist or tuning the radio, it lacks the ease and elegance of iPod’s own controls. When it comes to navigating between menus and playlists, getting up and using the iPod itself becomes a necessity; a tiresome reality that seems to be true of all iPod accessories not designed by Apple.  The remote does allow you to toggle back and forth between the radio and player functions, and offers a “bass boost” feature which is good in theory, but has only a nominal effect on low-end response. Still the remote is a nice addition that makes it more competitive with similar products for the same price or less.

The SX300R’s most unique feature is its built in FM radio tuner, which very neatly uses iPod’s own screen as an interface. Perhaps more importantly, the FM transmissions actually sound quite good. There are three presets for your favorite stations, which are programmed and accessed through the remote, but be sure you have the instruction manual nearby when you do this for the first time; though not difficult, this is the only feature of the SX300R that is not intuitive. (Note that this feature is not available for the 3GB iPod models.)

Overall, the Kensington SX300R’s FM tuner combined with its remote update and sleek design, make it a solid mid-range choice for style-conscious buyers looking to bring iPod tunes into their den or office and willing to pay a premium for their good taste.

Reviewed by: Sara Klein

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