Monitor Audio, you have officially confused us. We loved i-deck (iLounge rating: A-). Loved it. Based on its $250 pricing, outstanding sound, and nice design, we were on the cusp of awarding it a flat A rating, and would have but for its lack of low-end adjustability. The fact that it’s being sold online now for as little as $150 is all the more enticement to recommend it again. But now i-deck compact ($200) has gone in the completely opposite direction, which we find almost inexplicable given its maker’s track record of releasing outstanding speaker systems.
We’ve opted for a capsule-sized review only because i-deck compact isn’t impressive enough overall to merit a more full discussion of its features.
In short, the original i-deck was practically a model of properly tuned speaker drivers and amplification – a system that sounded just about perfect at normal listening levels without tuning, and was only outstripped at peak, eardrum-ripping volumes by much more expensive options. Treble and detail were excellent, complemented by tight, controlled mid-bass and bass; the system sounded great overall despite the fact that it lacked a subwoofer and couldn’t create the same sub-sonic rumble as systems with larger, dedicated bass drivers. One would think that a compact, only slightly less expensive product under the same name would strive to be equally balanced, or perhaps just a little different, but that’s not the case. It’s a completely different animal.
With compact, Monitor has given up its multi-component, multi-driver design for an all-in-one, transportable audio system that literally sacrifices all of its predecessor’s best audio features in the name of size. As before, this i-deck is available in two colors – jet black or white with gray grilles and accents – and you can remove the fabric grille to see what’s inside. This time, you’ll find two total 4-inch speaker drivers, ported in the back, which are being forced to do full-range duty in the expense of any dedicated tweeter or woofer hardware.
Monitor explains that its drivers were “optimised to provide punchy bass and articulated mid-range,” a point we’ll address in a moment.
In terms of frills, i-deck compact does well. It includes a matching 12-button Infrared remote control, which now includes iPod menu navigation buttons, shuffle and repeat controls, and standard track and volume controls. There’s also a wall power adapter with international wall blades, and an auxiliary audio cable for connection of devices lacking iPod Dock Connectors. Aided by five packed-in white Dock Adapters, a Universal iPod Dock sits in the center above volume controls and a power light, while the unit’s power switch is found on its bottom right corner.
Those items, the unit’s ease of transportability, and its rear ports (composite and S-Video out, audio-in and Dock Connector synchronization) are its strongest points; other than the fact that it can’t run off of battery power, it is as compact and simple as its name suggests, which will appeal to people who already have a liking for the Monitor brand. But we can’t help but feel as if even fans of the company will be disappointed by the way that compact sounds: unlike the original i-deck, we’d have to go out of our way to say nice things about it.
We’ll put aside the fact that i-deck compact has an odd habit of clipping off the first second or so of a newly loaded song, and often doesn’t properly awaken from its self-imposed hibernation mode, both of which are annoying little oddities in its power management system.
