Manual For Cambridge Soundworks I765 All In One Music System Review

• Cambridge Soundworks 765i Problems

Remember when clock radios were merely clock radios? That was long before the iPod-ization trend took the world by storm. Outboard docks are yesterday's news and integrated docks have become de rigueur. Witness the new Cambridge SoundWorks i765 with an iPod/iPhone dock molded into its top panel. The i765 is the latest and greatest entry from Cambridge's well-regarded line of stereo clock tabletop radios. The new model also boasts a slot-loading CD/DVD player, so it functions like a self-contained home theater in a box.DesignThe conservatively styled gray and black radio has a sturdy and solid feel and is 5 inches tall by 14 inches wide by 10 inches deep and weighs 13 pounds. Except for the Snooze/Mute button and iPod dock on the otherwise bare topside, all of the i765's controls are located on its front panel.

CDs and DVDs load through a slot just above the large, 32-character LCD readout that sits above two clusters of eight buttons. The buttons are tiny, identical size, and shaped so that they're hard to see in low light. The display is linked to a light sensor that dims to eliminate glare in dark rooms. The centered knob controls volume by default, but clicking the nearby jog key, the knob toggles through a variety of other functions including bass, treble, and loudness tone controls. The loudness circuit boosted bass at low to moderate listening volume to create a rich, warm sound balance.The newly designed remote has 43 identically sized little round buttons and they're color-coded by function-iPod controls are gray, DVD controls are brown, alarm buttons are blue, and so forth. The overall layout is less than intuitive, but we were grateful that we could always find the volume up/down buttons in the upper-left corner. It should be noted that all of the front-panel jog functions are also accessible from the remote.FeaturesIf the i765 looks familiar, it's because it's basically just a refresh of the with the iPod dock integrated into the topside (instead of a separate outboard dock) and a built-in DVD player (instead of just CD).

The front panel's left set of buttons are reserved for radio presets-press one while listening to a station you want to store, you'll hear a 'beep' tone, and it'll be saved to one of three 'bands' (FM1, FM2, or AM). The right set of buttons offers a choice of source-Radio, iPod, Disc/Aux, as well as up/down radio tuning.

Cambridge Soundworks 765i Problems

There's also a seek function for jumping from station to station. The tuner supports Radio Data Service, so the readout offers call-letter and song information from stations that support the technology. The lower edge of the front panel hosts a headphone jack and an auxiliary input (both jacks are 3.5mm jacks).

The back panel has an S-Video and audio output jack, and the i765 comes with an S-Video-to-composite cable.

Q You've written about a tabletop radio that sounds as good or better than the $500 Bose radio but is much less expensive. I find myself in need of such a radio now and can't find your article. Is it still available, and what is the cost?A The radios you are referring to are the Cambridge SoundWorks i755 Table Top Radio and the Cambridge SoundWorks i765 Music System. Both sound the same and include an integrated iPod dock. The i765 differs with its slot-loading CD/DVD player with a video output for use with a television.Even though they are much less expensive than the Bose offerings, even taking the price out of the equation, I definitely prefer the i755 and i765. The sound is warm and clear, and bass is strong and dynamic by virtue of the built-in powered subwoofer.

Better sound for less money is always a big winner. Both radios are sold factory-direct by Cambridge. The i755 has a regular price of $289, and the i765 is $379.

Those are great values, but they are a particularly good buy now because Cambridge is running a 20 percent off sale. Just enter the code fbgrad20 to get the deal.Awesome sound frpm receiverQ I purchased the Marantz NR 1402 receiver you recommended and couldn't be happier. I used the built-in automatic setup program and supplied microphone to set up my listening room with my Klipsch speakers. I and many of my friends and relatives say they have never heard a better sounding 'truly surround' system. You recently discussed setting the sound up manually.