Recently, Yamaha sent me their latest iPod dock, the Yamaha PDX-60. It’s a stereo system that allows users to stream songs wirelessly from their iPod or iPhone, from anywhere within the receiver’s range, using their new wireless technology called yAired. I’ve never owned an iPod dock before, so this was an all together new thing for me, and turned out to be a wonderful experience. The system is incredibly easy to use. In fact, there’s only two buttons on the front of the speaker, a volume up and a volume down. The dock automatically powers on when you place your iPod / iPhone in the dock and of course, charges while its in there.

Now, in my fine opinion, the only proper way to truly test a sound system like an iPod dock, is to blast some serious, party-rock music. So Andrew WK’s I Get Wet was my album of choice to test the capabilities of Yamaha’s dock. Because seriously, if a stereo system is incapable of blasting classic tracks like She Is Beautiful, Party Hard, and Ready To Die, then I simply want nothing to do with it.

So does Yamaha’s new iPod dock pass the The Wolf’s test? Hit the jump for some more impressions and photos of the dock in action.

The PDX-60 in my living room, and the super cute remote.

First of all, the PDX-60 scared the hell out of my rabbit. But that’s a good thing. Not for the rabbit, but for me.

I popped in my iPod and flipped over to She Is Beautiful, a track on Andrew WK’s major label debut, I Get Wet. I was pleasantly surprised by the speaker’s  sound. Vocals, bass, drums… everything sounded so full, but how would it hold up as the volume increased? I picked up the remote, a small, almost credit-card thin control, and cranked the volume. My bunny, Rory, took to flight, running around the apartment, thumping away. The PDX-60 is powerfully loud, and at full blast [note: at this point, I took my bunny downstairs to my neighbors' apartment, I'm not a monster] shook some of my action figures off my entertainment system… and there was no buzzing, no feedback, no corruption of sound. Impressive.

As for the wireless capabilities of the dock, this was what I liked the best. I was incredibly impressed. I spent a lot of time wandering around my apartment, playing with the wireless transmitter. Thanks to the yAired technology, the wireless connection kicks in almost immediately. The system doesn’t use Bluetooth, so you’re not spending time trying to pair the devices, and I didn’t experience any delay while switching tracks with the remote. When it came to the signal, I was curious to see just how far the signal would go, and whether or not it would pass through walls. Could I venture into my kitchen, and still rock out to The Wolf?

Playing with the wireless signal and transmitter in my living room.

Much to my surprise, I was able to walk through out my entire apartment. [Disclosure: I do have a small, one-bedroom in Center City Philadelphia, which means it is a small space. However, the fact that I was able to stream songs wirelessly from my kitchen and bedroom is still an impressive feat.] The transmitter that attaches to the iPod / iPhone is small enough that you can talk on the iPhone WHILE it’s attached. Not sure if I’d recommend that though, since you wouldn’t want to wander out of the transmitter range while talking on the phone.

The dock works fine with the iPhone, iPod touch, iPod classic, iPod nano, and the 5th generation iPod. My dock came in black, which is arguably the most attractive of the options available, however it’s also available in pink, light gray, and a dark/gray blue.

I’d like to thank Yamaha for sending over the product. I enjoyed giving it a spin, and happily recommend it to anyone looking to pickup a great sound system.

Yamaha PDX-60
Retail: $299.95