Summary: I've owned this unit for just about 10 months and overall am very pleased. It really is the perfect companion for your Nano because it serves as a disply stand, charger, and USB sync to your PC for transferring music files. When power is applied, it \"wakes up\" the Nano and also powers down automatically after no activity is detected or ipod is removed. Overall sound quality is excellent: high frequency response is bright and crisp, however bass response is lacking. Distortion is only evident at very high volume levels. It does afford a nice break from wearing headphones. Another plus, it can be used as a portable speaker for ANY other device with a headphone jack! (has an external input). Batteries won't last you too long if you like loud music, so I keep mine plugged in most of the time. This product would be so much better if on-board rechargeable batteries were included.

Altec Lansing offers an excellent warranty, which unfortunately I needed to exercise because the unit developed a problem after a few months strange popping sounds). I returned it to the mfr. for a BRAND NEW unit, which has been problem free ever since.

Overall I recommend this unit as a great alternative to headphones; and a great place to keep your ipod on your desktop.