Latest in the ever-lengthening list of streaming devices compatible with Apple's AirPlay technology is the TEAC NS-X1, designed as a portable radio, iPod dock and streamer combo with built-in amp and speakers.
Design
It's a neat looking device, shaped to look like a single large speaker with a neutral-looking grey metal grille. Inside is a pair of 2.5-inch speakers powered by a 20-watt amp. There's no sub woofer on board, but it uses a bass reflex system with ported cabinets for the speakers to increase the bass response.
It's narrow enough at 55mm to be wall-mounted and there are a couple of screw brackets on the back for this purpose. The ice blue display on the front shows your connection and track details and you can bookmark favourite stations on both FM and internet radio. It also works as an alarm clock.
There's a standard iPod/iPhone dock on top (no room for an iPad though) and the 3.5-inch aux in round the back allows you to connect other portable music players. There's also an external connection for an FM antennae, with a small, wire-style one supplied.
Features and performance
You can connect the NS-X1 to your home network via Wi-Fi or a wired Ethernet connection and stream music from your computer, hard drive or NAS drive. While this UPnP system works, there's the usual palaver of hunting through menus for your tunes and playlists. This is made more difficult by the less than sterling performance of the supplied remote, which seemed to have a glitchy connection to the NS-X1 -- this may have been a problem with our sample, but it's worth checking out in the shop if you're thinking of buying.
With your iPhone plugged in and charging, there's only basic control options from the remote (play, pause and skip) with no option to browse the menus, which seems like a trick missed.
Much better to use the AirPlay system developed by Apple which uses iTunes on your Mac or PC to organise your tracks, and offers an iPhone/iPod app that makes it much easier to manage and play your music. The great thing about AirPlay is that once you're connected to your network and have iTunes installed on your computer, it just works, seamlessly linking your devices and offering just as much versatility as you get when playing music directly on your computer.
Like iTunes, you don't have to have a Mac to use it, but you will need an iOS device for the remote angle -- despite Steve Jobs' passing, the enmity twixt Apple and Google means there's no imminent sign of an Android-friendly version on the horizon (and there's no sign of it on the relevant app stores for Windows or BlackBerry at present either).
Sound quality is pretty good for the price, though it misses out on the more detailed and controlled bass response you'd expect from a dedicated speaker. The sound overall isn't as open as you'll get from better quality speakers, and there are occasional hints of harshness in the higher frequencies, though to be fair you have to crank it up to full volume to really notice them.
Conclusion
The TEAC NS-X1 is a neat little iPod dock, internet radio and music streamer but it's AirPlay that helps it stand out. It's not the cheapest AirPlay dock, but it's certainly not the most expensive either and offers a pretty good sound for its price point.
Specifications
Connectivity : Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, AirPlaySpeakers : 2x10W
Ports : Ethernet, 3.5mm aux in, 12V power, FM antenna
Power output : 10W x 2 (8 ohms)
Audio formats : (MP3, WMA, WAV, AAC, OGG Flac, Mpeg1- Layer 1/2/3 and LPCM
Radio : FM, internet
Size : 350x215x55mm
Weight : 388g
source
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