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The i-Station 26 from Logic3 measures a maximum of 28cm long 12.5cm tall and thickness has a maximum of 16cm with the retractable iPod out and power adapter lead inserted.

This is not just a basic stereo system as it has two speakers front facing and a sub woofer rear facing to give decent sound.

The top has a total of nine bar buttons to control the unit and there is also a fourteen button remote control that duplicates the controls. There is a 5x1.3cm display mounted bottom right of the unit’s front that displays the time when switched to standby. Both the internal time save battery and the remote battery are the circular clock type and praise be both are supplied, so at least here the ‘batteries not included’ note is not applicable here.

When switched on the display shows the mode on the left side and with iPod or Auxilery the time and with FM radio the frequency, after a few seconds this changes to the clock with FM on the right side of the display.

See also: iPod docking stations

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By using the snooze button you can intensify or dim the display (three different settings) it can seem very bright in a darkened room at night without this feature.

The initial setup could have been easier there is one button on the back to the right of the power input this has to be pressed before you start pressing various buttons on the top to set the clock. Although there are ample words and illustrations on the eight pages in the Instruction Manual that are in English following them is a one step at a time process. Yes you probably only set the time once – well twice a year as I assume it will not update when the clocks change – but I suspect you will need the instructions later in the year to update the clock.

This is one drawback of only having FM radio in that it does not seen to update the clock automatically as a DAB unit would. With the extra quality of the sub woofer having DAB as well might have a more perfect listenable sound.

There are six Presets and while setting these is easier than setting the clock keep the manual as you will probably need it.

Using Auxiliary mode just uses the unit as an amplifier and the 3.5mm socket is to the left of the power input in the rear.

They is a cradle provided for an iPhone that fits over the base that works with all iPods (apart from the shuffle).

I was happy with the sound from my iPod and MP3 player. The sound on FM was ok once you have found the correct place for the wire aerial and of course this varies according to which station you are currently listening to.

Setting an alarm is a matter of following the instructions, some devices today allow you to set two separate alarms here it is only one, Monday – Friday or Seven Day, you can wake to buzzer, FM or iPod. Pressing the central snooze buttons stops the alarm for five minutes. The sleep mode has only four choices 15, 30, 45 or 60 minutes.

Doing my Internet searches found the Logic3 i-Station26 (WIS026) at best price £60.97 with free delivery.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003VTTPDK?ie=UTF8&tag=gadge0a-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634

http://www.logic3.com/details/?prod=857