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Having covered every conceivable crevice of the Pure-Fi Dream, it is best we address the one thing that might justify that £150+ price tag: sound quality. It's good news, too, because the Pure-Fi Dream delivers the kind of acoustic performance that makes you think it might just be worth the money Logitech is asking for it.

It's not that the Pure-Fi is outstanding in any specific way, but that it manages to be very good in almost all departments and deal with a wide range of musical challenges with relative comfort. Be it the punchy beats of Basement Jaxx's 'Good Luck', the rockier vibe of The Foo Fighters' 'Pretender', or the placid tones of Death Cab For Cutie's 'What Sarah Said', the Pure-Fi Dream rarely struggles to produce a well balanced and defined sound with no shortage of subtlety either.

For instance, though bass levels are by no means thunderous, there is an underlying warmth to the sound that's very pleasing. Crucially, this isn't achieved at the expense of clarity and both percussion and vocals are given their own space. Naturally, given the size, the sound isn't as wide as it might be using a separate set of speakers, but the Dream does feature a stereo expander for those times when a wider sound stage is required and it does a pretty good job.

Were one to be hyper critical of the sound produced by the Pure-Fi Dream, bass does tend to become a bit boomy at higher volumes, but the bass control means this can, to a greater extent, be smoothed out. Moreover, there are few instances where you’re likely to reach volumes high enough for this to be a problem. Overall, the Pure-Fi Dream delivers a level of sound quality that only a would be audiophile would sniff at and though it's unlikely to best a reasonable quality dedicated Hi-Fi it does a pretty good impression of one.

Whether this is enough, however, to justify the price tag rather depends on your needs. Like the Pure-Fi Mobile, the price makes the Dream a little more niche than it might otherwise be since it's by no means an impulse buy, but if you rely on your iPod and like the idea of something simple, powerful and versatile to replace a bulky mini Hi-Fi, then the Dream is a great option. If not, something like Philips' excellent AJ300D iPod Clock Radio might be worth a look.

Verdict

The price means it’s not for everyone, but if the Pure-Fi Dream's plentiful mix of features and impressive sound quality are the answer to your prayers, you won't be disappointed.

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