Bayan Audio – Bayan 7 iPod Speaker Dock Review

At eTeknix, we’ve rarely ventured into the audio world (other than headsets of course), but recently we’ve been given the opportunity to expand into this unexplored arena and luckily we’ve  managed to get our hands on a speaker dock by Bayan Audio. Whilst we primarily focus on PC hardware, we have also covered some of the mobile peripheral market for some Apple products, so we jumped at the the chance to get our grubby mits on Bayan Audio’s flagship speaker dock.

Bayan Audio are a UK based company (a division of Radiopaq Ltd), that specialise in design, development and manufacturing of home audio products. Their mission is to produce top end audio products that are compatible with the latest media devices, such as  android based smart-phones and Apple products. The current product range of speaker docks include the Bayan 1, 3, 5 and 7, with the Bayan Grand being released later on this year. What we have in today is the Bayan 7, the current flagship speaker dock of Bayan Audio, that has some very interesting features and a unique design, but before we delve into the specifics, let’s just have a quick overview of the current speaker dock market.

Currently when people think speaker dock, they immediately associate it with Apple products – mainly the iPod; the world’s most popular media player. There are many companies that have tapped into this very popular market, producing a variety of products that can be used in conjunction with Apple products. The speaker dock is one of the more popular products that nearly everyone who owns an Apple device, possesses. At the moment there is a large range of speaker docks available, ranging from the very top end brands like Bose and Bang & Olufsen, and scaling all the way down to budget brands like logic3 and Gear4. In most cases in the audio world, quality is reflected in the price (with some exceptions of course), so the more you pay, the better the sound and design of the product. Will this be the case with the Bayan 7? Lets find out.

First up, a brief look at the features we are to expect:

• Power Performance: A massive 120W power capability, channelled through a twin amplifier set-up generates undistorted monster volume output with depth, definition and zero distortion. When the Bayan 7 is turned up you will literally feel the music.

• TDMA Noise Rejection: Bayan Audio products are approved with Apple’s stringent TDMA Noise Rejection tests, to ensure there in no interference from mobile phones or other radio transmitter devices when in use.

• Charge and Play: When you dock either your iPod or iPhone into any of the Bayan Audio systems, they will automatically charge whilst playing music.

• Twin Amplifiers: The Bayan 7 is driven by two amplifiers. One drives the four mid and high range speakers, and a second is dedicated to driving the 8 inch bass speaker. The amplifiers are linked to produce just the right power, depth, detail and balance through each of the speaker drivers.

• Music and Voice sound profiles: If you love to listen to internet radio, audio books or podcasts from your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, simply switch your Bayan speaker dock from music mode to voice mode. The result is a clearer, more pronounced voice ensuring you don’t miss anything.

• IR Remote Control: The remote control shipped as standard with all Bayan Audio products allows you to control all aspects of the docking system. You can select tracks, play, pause or mute. You can also change the level of bass, treble and volume as well as switch the system to standby mode.

• iPad or Tablet charge and play ports: As standard on all Bayan Audio Speaker Docks for iPod, we have incorporated ports at the rear that let you plug in your iPad or Tablet and play it through the docking system. You can also charge the iPad directly from these ports (3.5mm audio + USB A type ports)

• Apple Approved: Bayan Audio is an Apple licensed partner. This means that all the systems we use to connect to your Apple device are original Apple parts, including certain control components. Our products have been tested and certified to Apple standards. This ensures you can use your Apple devices with Bayan Audio products with confidence.

• Quality:The choice of materials used to build Bayan Audio products is key, not only to how they look, but also how they perform. We have encased the main speaker in 12mm thick wood to produce a more natural sound and to reduce the reflections internally. All speaker frames (which are critical to the sound performance) are made from metal, not plastic. And finally, the amplifier is built using the best components, enabling us to finely tune each Bayan Audio product to achieve the best sound possible for its configuration.

(taken from Bayan Audio’s website)

Now we know what to expect from Bayan Audio, so now it’s time to have a look.