Marantz, IS201

Marantz is far from the first hi-fi ‘name’ to throw its fez into the overcrowded iPod dock ring. We’ve already auditioned and largely nodded our heads to efforts from Arcam, Denon and Onkyo. But the IS201 does bring something novel to the game – a two-box design.

No missed connections

This is more than a desperate attempt to stand out to the roving eye of the iPod owner. The connections box not only boosts connectivity options, it all also means you can hide all the ugly cables away, leaving you with a dainty cradle on display with just one wire protruding from the rear.

You not only get stereo audio and S-Video outputs, the IS201 also comes with several sockets to connect it to your computer.

You’re in control

Marantz should also get a pat on the head for including a dedicated remote, which sets it apart from the Arcam and Denon docks. That said, they only seem to have spent a spare lunchtime designing and building it and it looks like it’d break under intense staring.

The sound is, as you’d expect from Marantz, pretty impressive. It’s dynamic and detailed with superb timing. But it’s just not quite as good as the slightly-more-expensive Arcam when it comes to bringing out the best from your tunes.