iHome Audio IH70SRC

There's no need to purchase one set of speakers for your PC and another set to play back audio from your iPod. iHome Audio's iH70SRC speakers do both--with good sound qualityand an attractive design to boot.

These $150 speakers are tall and narrow, with a small footprint. An iPod dock sits in the base of one speaker, while the base of the other speaker holds the power switch and volume controls. The speakers come bundled with a remote control, an audio-in cable, and a USB cable. You can connect the USB cable to your PC to charge and sync your iPod when it's docked. (The speakers work with most iPod models; see the iHome Audio Web site for a specific list of compatible models.)

The remote only control handles playback from the iPod but not from the computer. It includes play/pause controls, volume buttons, and bass/treble controls, along with a reset button for restoring the speakers to their factory default settings. Most of the controls (including the bass and treble adjustment controls)exist only on the remote. Controls on the speakers themselves are limited to the power switch and the volume up/down buttons; if you lose the remote, you're out of luck for everything else.

I found the sound quality to be pretty good but a bit thin overall. Though I'm not a high-end audiophile, I could clearly tell the difference in sound quality between the 128-kbps version of a song and the 256-kbps version. The speakers sound best when you sit right in front of them, which makes them more suitable for a computer on a desk than for home-theater use.

The iH70SRC set also has a headphone jack--a welcome feature for anyone using a machine that has only one audio-out port.

They may not blow you away, but these speakers' good sound quality, sleek design, and dual functionality with iPods and PCs make them a great all-around choice.