My wonderful husband loves the radio! He has one in the en-suit, the bedroom and the kitchen. He also has several portable radios that he can take outside or plug in earphones to use when mowing the lawn or trying to get back to sleep at 4 in the morning. He is a radio five live listener and is most definitely addicted. After twenty years of marriage I have got used to the constant noise and must even admit to enjoying listening to one or two of the programmes (not the sport though!!). However, he now has a new love in the guise of an iPhone, and this wonder gadget needs an idock. What an excuse to go out and purchase a new radio that is combined with a radio / clock/ CD player.

As this new sound system was going to dwell in 'my space' - the kitchen, I trawled with him in order to make judgements on appearance and sound quality. We had fun in John Lewis, putting his iphone into the docks of several systems and cranking up the volume. It was a good job the kids weren't with us as they would have been very embarrassed by the 'old fogey' music!! In the end we chose the Teac SR3DAB-L CD / Radio / iPod Dock.

Product Information and description.
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The sound system is black with a textured leather-effect finish. It is described as a 'table hi-fi' and would be perfect for your bedroom, living room, kitchen, study or conservatory. We have ours in the kitchen. It is very easy to use (even I can manage it!) either by the touch controls or the remote control. The display is clear and and lights with a blue light.

This is classed as a 'compact' system, however it is not small. Personally, I think it would look rather large on a bedside table. It measures H12 x W35.4 x D22.8cm . We have a large kitchen and the size is not a problem, it sits impressively on the work surface. However if space is a premium, this may not be the hi-fi for you.

One of the reasons I like this system is because the Teac SR3DAB-L is crammed full of features: it's an iPod dock, a CD player, a DAB/FM radio, a clock with dual alarm, you can even plug in another portable audio device thanks to the auxiliary 3.5mm stereo input (cable sold separately). My son uses this feature with his lap top - linking the two together and blasting his music out.

All the features
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* iPod dock compatible with iPod and iPhone
* DAB/FM radio
* Wake up to radio or iPod (only any use for us if we are sleeping in the kitchen!)
* Digital clock, calendar, dual alarm, snooze, sleep timer
* Independent speaker chambers with bass-reflex port (giving superb sound quality)
* Large LCD display with 3-step dimmer
* Slim remote control
* Pre-set equalizer (rock, pop, classic, jazz, bass, normal)
* 2W per channel power output
* Pre-set station memory
* Audio input x1, audio output x1, video x1

In laymans terms - You can play music by plugging in USB flash storage devices or SD cards, the latter can even be used to pause and rewind DAB broadcasts. There is also a 3.5mm stereo socket so you can listen with your headphones without disturbing anybody else.

The Sound Quality.
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The staff in John Lewis , where we purchased the device from were extremely helpful and suggested we listen to the quality of the sound of several hi-fi's, by turning up the volume. We couldn't aford a BOSE iPhone dock that included all the features we wanted, so we were looking for the system that was nearest in sound quality. The Teac SR3D hit the spot. The quality of the sound was far superior to many leading brands and we were very pleasantly surprised. This, so I am told, is to do with the quality of the built in speakers. (2 x4W). The sound is deep and mellow and not 'tinny' at all. There is no distortion.

The Cost
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Having looked around, you can purchase this model from about £169. We however paid £179 from John Lewis as they provide a two year guarantee. We felt that paying the extra £10 was worth it for an extra year on the guarantee plus the peace of mind knowing that if we had any problems, John Lewis are always great with their customer care.

Conclusion
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I would most definitely recommend the Teac SR3DAB-L CD / Radio / iPod Dock. It is a versatile sound system that is practical and attractive. It makes listening to the radio or music devices a real pleasure giving a superior sound quality. If you have the space this is worth every penny.