Yes, the speakers are visually appealing (perhaps not so much as the Harman Kardon GLA-55 speakers we showed off last month, that obviously inspired a lot of you) but there’s more to it than that.

Yes, it will dock your iPod or iPhone and do all the stuff you’d expect from that.

However, it will also improve the sound quality from any device you choose to plug in to it. Given the fairly poor audio output you get from the built-in speakers many items such as laptops and TVs, that has to be a good thing.

Now, granted, it’s not going to replace a dedicated surround sound home cinema system, but for those with modest tastes and wallets, it’s good. As well as the two stereo speakers there’s a separate subwoofer. Additionally, it comes with high-quality oxygen-free copper speaker cabling.

Inside the casing of each speaker you get 2 x 50mm midrange and 1 x 15mm tweeter, while the subwoofer packs a 155mm woofer. Total RMS output is 48W. Pricing at £229.99 (about $370).

IXOS

Still, the retailer has launched a high-end iPod dock made from environmentally-friendly material.

M&S reckons the BLOK comes in at an “affordable must-have price”, though my wallet shrivelled at the sound of £229 ($321). Mercifully it’s not called an iBLOK.

So what do you get for that? Sound-wise, you get 40 watts of sound from the Class D amplifier – not huge but far from pathetic. The eco-warrior in you can relax because the casing is made from natural, chemical-free bamboo, while the aluminium is 100% recyclable.

It works with all iPod models, and probably the iPhone as well if you turn it to airplane mode. It’ll be available from next month, and you can get it shipped to the States too.

Marks & Spencer