OTHER TECH

The Short Form

Price $2,614 (AS TESTED), System Price $4,609 (controller, 6 MODE keypads, iPod dock) / speakercraft.com / 800-448-0976

Snapshot

The iPod-inspired MODE keypad infuses compatibility with the world's favorite portable into an already impressive multizone system.

Plus

•Affordable audio and video distribution •MODE keypad looks great and is simple to use •iPod integration terrific - and affordable! •Amplifier cranked out the tunes.

Minus

•Limited MODE color choices

Key Features

MZC-66 •6 sources/6 zones, expandable to 24 zones •Audio plus video distribution •12 x 30-watt amplifier •Supports up to 6 iPods with MODE Base •17 x 5.3 x 14.8 in; 23 lb MODE 3.1 •3.5-in, 176 x 220-pixel color LCD •8 backlit hard keys •Built-in IR receiver

Learning to operate MODE takes no time, especially if you're in the 90th percentile that's used an iPod. Non-techies will appreciate an actual volume knob that features ramping LEDs to indicate the level. Sources appear in the LCD display, and a scroll wheel lets you navigate among them. Adding to its versatility, each MODE pad has a built-in infrared receiver to relay signals from any handheld remote to the system.

The MODE Base resembles a typical iPod dock and includes numerous inserts for bottom-docking iPods, plus it charges your Pod while docked. It also has a USB connection so you can update your Pod while in situ, perfect if the Base is near your computer. This lets you load up podcasts or iTunes purchases, which immediately show up as playable selections on the system.

If iPod ain't your thing, then SpeakerCraft offers other source options that also deliver metadata to the Mode's screen. The MODE Jukebox music server mentioned earlier is said to offer feedback and functionality identical to the iPod interface, while the company's STT 2.0 dual tuner ($720) can play two different AM or FM stations at once. SpeakerCraft is also finalizing support for XM satellite tuners that offer RS-232 control (such as Polk's XRt12). Feedback from any source (other than iPod) requires using SpeakerCraft's RSA-1.0 RS232 Interface Adapter ($200).

Once an iPod is docked, MODE extracts and displays the Pod's name on its display screen. When no Pod is present, the display reads "Not in Dock." I took my Pod in and out of the Base multiple times, and it never locked up or failed to recognize the player.

Multiple iPods docked to the system are simultaneously available as sources to all rooms, though each iPod can stream only one music selection at a time. The MZC's programming arsenal features some cool tricks for managing these and your other sources through its Priority options. One option gives exclusive control rights to whomever selects a source first; other zones can listen to that source but not make changes to it (such as skipping a tune or switching the radio station). Another priority option gives a specific zone hierarchy over all others. I like to call this "Daddy pays the bills, Daddy picks the music!"