A docking station provides supporting functions for multiple portable devices, such as music players, satellite radio receivers, games, and video players. The supporting functions may include providing power, audio amplifier, speakers, and video screen. To couple to a variety of portable devices, the docking station uses various adaptive cradles. In a typical configuration, a portable device is plugged into a cradle, which in turn is plugged into the docking station. The docking station recognizes the type of portable device plugged into the station, and adjust the power supply voltage to power the device through a connector. The docking station may further configure itself to accommodate the requirements of the portable device. Such configuring may include varying input impedance of the docking station's internal audio amplifier to match the portable device. In this way, the station can be used with a variety of portable devices, including devices from different manufacturers.