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You've painstakingly loaded all your music onto your iPod and you want to enjoy it wherever you are. Headphones are not always the answer - but do you go for high-quality 'fixed' speakers for home and and to be limited to when out, or do you sacrifice sound quality indoors in exchange for portability?

Well - now the answer is neither. Gear4 have produced the 'Duo' - the idea is that this one product provides you with rich sound when home and still have light-weight slim portable unit for when you're our and about. The solution is a little Russian doll like - heres how it works!

 In this configuration you have your iPod mounted on the front framed by a set of satelite speakers (2x6W and 2x3W tweeters) generating 18W combined output giving you a total output of 38W. The sound quality wasn't the best I've heard, which is surprising given the configuration provided.

That's indoors - or at least at home. For those that like to take their music with them on holiday the idea of packing a unit this size and weight isn't really appealing and sacrificing a little bass in return for portability is a reasonable trade-off and one to which the Duo plays. Simply lift the front panel from the main unit and you have a portable speaker set weighting a much more reasonable 0.6Kg. The detachable front is self contained including the four smaller speakers, a Lithium-Ion and a sturdy metal stand. During transport the iPod dock folds into the body minimising the chance of accidental damage.

In this 'portable' configuration the Duo obviously lacks a good deal of bass - which is more striking when you 'hot remove' the unit from the bass and hear the immediate drop. The quality was however perfectly acceptable.

The standard battery should last you around 5-6 hours on a full charge (it's being charged all the time it's docked with the bass unit). This does of course depend on the volume setting you choose. If you're regularly in need of more than this then Gear4 have ceonveniently included a slot for a second battery effectively doubling battery life. Note though that I've not found the battery anywhere on the Duo site so I'm assuming they aren't expecting to sell a large number of these.

A remote control provides access to the standard iPod menus, which worked reasonably well.

The supplied mains adaptor can plug into either the base or portable unit. Likewise both components include a separate line-in connector allowing you to connect another audio source such as a portable radio.

The Gear4 Duo is a great product for those that want both portability and a good solid sound system for the home. You will find better sounding static units and portable units but you'll have to then buy both.

• Bass Unit charges Satellite Speaker, Retractable iPod dock
• Delivers true high-fidelity audio quality, Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery
• 20W sub-woofer, Strong, metal fold-out stand, Compartment for 2nd battery (doubles battery life)
• 38W total speaker output, Power or charge Satellite Speaker via AC cable or Bass Unit
• 18W satellite speaker output, Unique patented design

These units are repacked as new and boxed and carry a 6 month back to base Warranty aswell as a 14day no quibble money back guarantee with us for your total peace of mind....