Polk Audio I-Sonic

The market for upscale "executive stereos" used to begin and end with Bose's Wave Radio. In recent years, savvy competitors such as Boston Acoustics, Tivoli Audio, and Cambridge SoundWorks have challenged Bose's monopoly. The result is a market for sweet-sounding tabletop radios that has more choices than ever but that still counts the addition of a CD player as a major feature innovation. Enter the Polk Audio I-Sonic. This $600 home theater in a shoebox packs DVD playback, HD Radio support, and XM satellite compatibility in one compact package. After a couple of delays (the system was originally intended to ship in 2005), the I-Sonic is scheduled to debut in August 2006.

Upside: On the radio front, you have a huge selection from which to choose. In addition to AM and FM, you'll also have access to all-digital HD Radio feeds and, with an optional accessory, XM Satellite Radio. Prefer movies? Spin your favorite flick on the I-Sonic's built-in DVD player. The DVD player is also capable of handling home-burned CD-Rs, MP3 CDs, picture CDs, and VCDs. The I-Sonic has two auxiliary audio inputs, so you can connect a portable MP3 player (such as an iPod) and another device simultaneously. Extras such as an alarm clock and a headphone jack round out the package.

Downside: To listen to XM satellite programming, you'll need to shell out some extra cash for a Connect-and-Play XM antenna (the Audiovox CNP1000), as well as sign up for the service at a cost of $13 per month. And while the HD Radio reception is free, the all-digital broadcasts aren't universally available (check iBiquity's Web site to see if your favorite stations are on the list). On the connectivity front, meanwhile, we can't help but be disappointed that video output is limited to S-Video and composite, not progressive-scan-capable component or HDMI, both of which are found more frequently on the sort of increasingly inexpensive, smaller-size, flat-panel LCD TVs to which the I-Sonic will likely be attached.

Outlook: The I-Sonic will enable style-conscious consumers to get a basic speaker system, a DVD player, a receiver, and an all-purpose radio tuner in a single component that's no bigger than a tabletop radio. While you won't want to build your primary home theater around the I-Sonic, its comprehensive feature set makes it a natural for a bedroom, a home office, or a den--anywhere you want to enjoy music and movies without the hassle of surround-sound speakers and separate components. Yes, $600 is a hefty price tag, but given Polk's prowess in home audio--and the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink feature list--we can't wait to audition the I-Sonic to see if it lives up to its potential.