Hands-on: Samson StudioDock 3i Active USB Monitors speakers

This is Samson’s StudioDock 3i Active USB Monitors speakers (that’s quite a mouth fall) and the speakers will also give you a room full of quality sound as well.

The StudioDock 3i speakers are ideal for listening to your music while connected to a computer or even in a living room. The first thing we noticed once we unwrapped the StudioDock 3i is quality and how solidly built the speakers are.

Next we were impressed with the multiple audio inputs as seen in the photos on this page, the StudioDock gives you tons of options and that includes a USB port for direct music streaming from Mac’s and PC’s.

When it comes to sound from a docking station we know how good some systems can be thanks to already owning a Bose Sound Dock, so our expectations would be high.

Before turning on the speakers make sure the “voltage selector switch” on the back of the right speaker is on the correct setting.

Once this was done we placed an iPhone on the speaker dock and switched the system on a low volume at first, it sounded pretty good. Turning the volume higher but not to max we were impressed at how loud these little speakers were and how the sound stayed clear without distortion.

The MIDs and highs sound good; bass is well defined and not too boomy just like the Bose SoundDock or maybe even better. You will not miss a subwoofer with the StudioDock 3i.

The right speakers host the inputs and outputs, volume control, power supply, and amplifier. The left speaker is joined to the right by a wire connector just like many powered speakers.

You can connect headphones to the right speaker via a headphone jack and this will mute the speakers. Also on the right speaker you will find a volume knob, 3.25-inch polymer woofer and a 2.5-inch silk-dome tweeter. The back houses a voltage selector switch, a power switch, left/right RCA inputs and the USB 2.0 port.

Samson’s StudioDock 3i is special thanks to the iPod Dock featuring full functionality and charging an iPod or iPhone while docked. The USB port will allow you to sync your device with iTunes and output your Mac’s audio. Great for computer desktop speakers and offers a total music solution.

The StudioDock 3i speakers have good sound for their size with plenty of volume and are affordable at around $150/£95. You would have to be really picky to find a problem with the StudioDock 3i for the price; there are better options if you want to pay more than double.

Main Features:

• Solid Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) construction for maximum SPL
• USB and speaker cables included
• Passive crossovers utilizing multi-pole design for linear response
• Convenient rear panel RCA inputs
• Integrated iPod dock to sync, charge and play music
• Front panel 3.5mm stereo aux input jack, headphone output jack and volume control
• USB input to stream digital audio from your computer, offering high-resolution sound
• 30 watts (2 x 15) of internal power
• Bass reflex vented cabinet design
• 25mm silk dome high frequency driver
• 3.25-inch magnetically shielded, inverted cone, copolymer woofer

More Photos:

Visit samsontech.com for more information.