Gear4 has grown massively over the past few years; both in stature and the variety of products they offer. They’ve sent their latest StreetParty 5 speaker dock for the iPhone 5 for us to review, but will it live up to the already established HouseParty and StreetParty 4 docks?
What you get
– 1 x StreetParty Dock
– 1 X power adapter
– Instruction manual
Audio on the move
Gear4 hasn’t really chosen the most suitable name for a portable product as the name StreetParty makes it sound like an all out DJ setup. This obviously isn’t what you get, moreover you’ll receive a dock just over 24cm in length. This mean it’ll easily fit in your bag and works away from the home too using the optional battery-powered compartment (just bring 4 AA batteries for hours of use).
You’ll be able to happily mount your iPhone 5, 7th generation iPod Nano or 5th generation iPod touch using the standard lightning port. This will charge your device when plugged into the mains, but for obvious reasons you won’t be able to juice up when using the 4 AA batteries.
One thing that you may want to take note of is the dock connector itself which uses Apple’s lightning technology. This thin form factor makes it less sturdy than the ‘old-fashioned’ 30 pin connector, so you’ll want to keep clunky objects away from it when carrying it in a bag. On the plus side I found it more than strong enough to hold my iPhone 5 in position, even after a prolonged session of mounting and dismounting my iPhone 5 (this is as boring as it sounds but I had to be sure it was sturdy before giving my ‘strength’ endorsement).
How it sounds
The thing made Gear4’s StreetParty 4 dock popular is how it delivered crisp, punchy sound. The StreetParty 5 utilises the same dimensions, look pretty similar but has all new components and a different dock connector. One thing to note is that this unit isn’t suitable for baseheads or very loud music, it produces plenty of clear sound though that it easily capable of filling a small room. The high quality audio you’d expect is produced at low, mid and high volumes – which can be heralded as an improvement over the highly rated unit that this one replaces.
Final Thoughts on the StreetParty 5 iPhone Dock
Gear4 call this a pocket-sized product, which is only true if you’re the hulk, that’s the only embellishment in their sales spiel though as it does deliver good quality sound on the move.
Are you considering buying the StreetParty 5 dock?. If there’s anything holding you back and want to learn more please ask below. Likewise current owners can leave their own review too.
Gallery
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- Simple packaging showcases and protects.
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- Simple power button with DC and Aux in sockets.
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- Simple up/down volume buttons work well.
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- Everything you get; there’s even a European adapter.
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- You can use any audio device with a 3.5mm cable
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- The stand folds out with the dock section, it is sturdy.
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- side profile is 3.3 cm.
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- with my iPhone 5 and gadgets and gizmos website.
Does it play phone sounds through the speaker and Alarms?
That's a great question. I'll test it for you today and get back to you.
Thanks I ve just bought a Philips and it doesn't sound the alarm whilst docked. Needles to say its going back!
I have spoken to the lady at the Gear4 press team (Rachel) who says it will work as an alarm clock. Obviously the phone will have to be switched on as normal to work. Hope this helps.