Valentine's Day Gift Guide 2011

14. Philips Fidelio DS8550 iPod/iPad Dock

These 15 hot gadgets set our hearts aflutter. We think at least one of them will do the same for your Valentine. Laptops, audio gear, storage and more.

No Valentine’s Day is complete without the musical stylings of Kenny G and/or Michael Bolton, and what better way to crank out the easy listening than with a high-end Fidelio iPod dock from Philips?

The DS8550 comes loaded with features, including dual three-inch woofers with a total output of 30W. The overall design is curvaceous, with the concave front acting as a perfect shelf for your iPod. There’s no need for adapters and bits of plastic in order for your Apple device of choice to work (including the iPad) as the connector on the dock is universal. Philips also includes a 3.5mm cable so you can plug any number of MP3 players in via a jack on the back of the dock.

If your dock is going to live on a shelf up high, never fear, as the DS8550 has integrated Bluetooth. The dock also runs on rechargeable batteries, offering wireless playback for up to five hours. Audio quality is above average, maintaining clarity at most volumes. Bass is at the very least acceptable, especially for a dock with no dedicated subwoofer.

The DS8550 retails for $300, which is the one snag about this killer dock. Luckily some searching online get nab you one for as low as $200. Regardless this dock is on the same level as similar products from Bose, all while offering Bluetooth and a second auxiliary in.