mStation 2.1 Stereo Tower
November 19th, 2007 | by Jason Tomczak
Full Review
Features and Design One of the most obvious characteristics of mStation speakers is the unusual design. The Orb, for example, is a volley-ball shaped speaker system that sounds quite nice. The mStation 2.1 Stereo Tower, aka the Tower, has an even more unique design - a large, matte-black vertical tube suspended 1 foot off the ground by two thinner aluminum tubes. Frankly, the Tower looks like something Jack Bauer would have to disarm in a high-tension episode of 24. The whole system is made of extruded aluminum, so it's very tough and has a sexy industrial look to it. In the center tube, there's a 5.25" subwoofer for deep, powerful bass. Each tower speaker has a 2" midrange speaker and a 1" tweeter. The total output is 100 watts, with 30 watts coming from the sub. The two tower speakers rotate up to 20 degrees to allow varying sound direction. Frequency response stats are pretty good: the subwoofer delivers 50Hz to 200Hz ± 5dB, and the left/right tower speakers deliver 200Hz to 20kHz ± 5dB. Even though the 50Hz low doesn't seem terribly low, the physical output appears much more impressive. Signal to Noise ratio is a decent >70dB. The Tower has another positive spec that contributes to its awesome performance - total harmonic distortion (THD) of less than 0.5%. And unlike some iPod speaker systems, the Tower feels tough and sturdy. The body is almost all metal (99%), so there's almost no cheap-o plastic stuff to break or discolor. The Tower weighs about 21 pounds, which makes it a hefty product. 30 Day Money Back Guarantee
mStation 2.1 Stereo Tower
Another nice feature of the Tower is that it doesn't have a power brick like most iPod speaker systems. The power converter is inside the left aluminum tube, leaving just a simple power cord to be run from an outlet to the back of the Tower. It's clean and nice, just the way these electronics should be.
Remote Control
The mStation Tower comes with a ten-button remote control. The remote itself is about the size of an iPod Touch, so it's larger than it needs to be. However, the controls are easy to figure out and use. The two "bummers" related to the remote are: 1) the remote cannot control the iPod's menus, and 2) there's no button or button combination to bring bass/treble levels back to default levels. Otherwise, it's a decent remote with a 20-25 foot range.
The Tower remote is almost the size of an iPod Touch!
mStation is so certain you'll love the "Tower" that they offer a 30-day money back guarantee. If you buy it and don't like it, send it back. Chances are that you'll hang on to it and love it very much.
Included in the box are the main "Tower", left and right speakers, remote control, 6 iPod dock adapters, docking port dust cover, USB-to-mini-USB cable, 3.5mm audio cable, user’s guide and the power cord (no power brick!).

by DeeJayGee on May 22, 2008:
“If this piece hasn't won any design awards it certainly should! It looks slick in any room and the sound is incredible. Not only does it pack plenty of low end punch (not that awful muddy stuff either) but mids and highs come across crisp and clear. I was...” More...