Apple iPod Hi-Fi reviewed

Well, that didn't take long. Not even a week after its announcement, Apple's new iPod Hi-Fi has been subjected to a PC Magazine review and comes out victorious over the previous champ, the $300 Bose SoundDock. First thing's first, the sound quality seems be great for the price and form factor, even if the price is $350 and the form factor is that of a single-cabinet speaker and not some stow-and-go boombox. PC Mag seems to think that the "Hi-Fi" moniker is deserved, and that the unit is "capable of powering a serious party in just about any size room without appreciable distortion." Also, the addition of digital S/PDIF inputs to the regular mini jack ensures even truer sound from auxiliary sources. Apple isn't using any sort of magical fairy components in here to get this hefty 108dB sound, so the unit weighs around 15 pounds without batteries and 17 pounds with 'em in. At least that weight does include the built-in power supply -- no power bricks here. There is also no video-out port for the 5G iPod users in the house, and the Apple wireless remote doesn't access the iPod's menu system, both of which are either grave omissions or merely clever schemes to move more Front Row Macs -- you be the judge.

[hummingbird @ Apr 8th 2008 12:14AM]

ya i agree with you Max,i'm an esoteric audio equipment lover and i'm not gonna let apple rob me of my cash for this "hi-fi" thing and pls don't call this thing a HI-fi dock! it cannot even surpass the basic Harbeth loudspeaker! and i think that hi-fi docks speaker is so cheap!it's a basic paper cone and ordinary magnet on it!

[BBX @ Mar 4th 2006 5:52PM]

Would love to see a size-comparison with the Bose Sound Dock - I have the Bose unit in my kitchen (as do a few other people I know strangely enough) but its power brick makes for a messy countertop. Too bad there are no 'suspended-from-cupboard' options... hopefully Apple (or a decent manufacturer like Bose) will fill that niche before too long. The next version of Hi-Fi definitely needs to handle wireless streaming (and remote access) from iTunes on my Mac.

[griz @ Mar 4th 2006 5:53PM]

Who wants to shell out $300-$400 for an iPod and then turn around and pay $350 for something else that is only a speaker. Isn't Apple's demographic for the iPod line and associated products people who are mostly young (and as a result, frugal)? I'll be the first one to admit, I'm a Mac-head, but this product is just not worth anywhere near what it costs.

[Cris @ Mar 4th 2006 5:58PM]

I�m sure they�ll sell millions of those. There�s always some rich kid that wants to prove his the coolest in the block. I won�t be getting one. Not rich you see.

[darthbane2k @ Mar 4th 2006 6:06PM]

My sentiments are the same as the poster above. this is a rip off. Its amazing how engadget are now trying to justify the price tag - I care not about the sound quality - its simply a speaker for comrpessed audio. How they get away with tagging this as hi-fi is beyond me!

[Callum @ Mar 4th 2006 6:14PM]

I can't believe this ugly mother of a hi-fi/dock doesn't have an integrated Airport Express, and no video out- even outputting the iPod LCD to TV would be nice (get some serrious use out of the remote)

and iPod sticking out the top does no one with clumsy drunk friends / small children any good either... I wonder if that remote is the same as the "Universal Dock / IR Remote", can you walk from one room and point it at the iMac, to the other point it at your hi-fi and then into the other for the universal dock. if it is the same, and you own all three products... in the same room (see where I'm going).

[joe @ Mar 4th 2006 6:27PM]

I appreciate Apple product in general but there isn't a snow balls chance in hell that I would buy something like this.

The 5 dollars adapter cable and the 2 dollars in rca cables will leave me with about 345 dollars to put towards something that I need (which is how I connect my ipod right now to my tuner).

I see very few people lusting after one of these things...

[100 ipod movies @ Mar 4th 2006 6:36PM]

The only problem I have with this thing is the weight...I wanted something I could travel with. I already have good pc speakers so there really isnt any source of motivation to pick this up.

[Trent @ Mar 4th 2006 6:41PM]

I received the Bose system for xmas and I purchased this the day after it came out; It sucks. It really, really sucks. Wasn't the audio track...wasn't it's bitrate.

Compaired to the Bose, this is sorta like higher-midrange desktop speakers.

Not at all worth $350

I'm not a large Apple owner, just this an the iPod, so maybe my opinion isn't as accurate as the "Applephiles", but..yeah.

[Dan F. @ Mar 4th 2006 6:42PM]

The Hi-Fi isn't really "audiophile" -- especially when it comes to treble detail -- but it offers good, room-filling sound in a compact package with some unique features. Considering that the Bose SoundDock has been selling *very* well for $300, the Hi-Fi's price won't seem that outrageous to many people, especially considering that the Hi-Fi has a significantly better feature set.

[apt @ Mar 4th 2006 6:43PM]

I don't get it, for $300 you can get a very decent (relative to a single-speaker "hi-fi" system) REAL speaker setup with a true subwoofer.

Why would you ever want one of these? Oh wait, these are probably the same people who would buy a $99 leather envelope because it has a silhouette of an apple on it.

[Toonboy @ Mar 4th 2006 6:44PM]

PC Magazine is out to get some Ad $$$ from Apple. So they write a positive review.

Check out this review:
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/reviews/comments/ipod-hi-fi-high-fidelity-speaker-system-for-ipod/

[Garriq @ Mar 4th 2006 6:49PM]

This should be renamed: The iPod Sound Box.

[Josh Glaser @ Mar 4th 2006 6:51PM]

This product is confusing, now doubt about it. Surprisingly, though, it seems to have very good audio quality - it's a step in the opposite direction Apple has usually taken, with 128Mb/s iTunes downloads and all. It's a complete about-face, in fact.

I don't think Apple is selling this to the traditional iPod buyer (although I'm sure Apple wouldn't mind a few young trendy buyers picking one up). It seems like Apple is aiming this more for the audiophile market - well, the audiophiles that have embraced digital, that is.

I do agree that the price is a bit puzzling (Who the hell launches a product at $349?), but to Apple's target market, it may very well be worth it.

Just remember: The iPod, iPod mini, and iPod shuffle all met a cold reception - but, last I heard, those all turned out pretty well. I think I'm going to trust Apple with this one.

Case in point: I went to the Mall of America Apple Store today. Not only was it more crowded than I've ever seen it (and I went the weekend the iPod nano was released, too), but there was a literal crowd around the table with an iPod Hi-Fi playing.

At first, I thought the iPod Hi-Fi was way too expensive, but after seeing it and hearing it, I think it might be justified. Still, I'll never be able to afford one.

[Raider @ Mar 4th 2006 7:35PM]

Well you could get control of the music on your "Hi-FI" from a computer, it wouldn't be a cheap solution, but it could be done.

Take your "Hi-Fi", put it where you want, then take an Airport Express and plug it in the second wall power plug. Take a optical cable, with mini optical adapters on both ends, hook up the "Hi-FI" to the Airport Express.

Then take a wireless remote control, probably RF with a USB dongle. Hook it up to your computer, as long as it's not too far away, and control your music.

LIke I said, not cheap and it would be a lot of work also.

[Bill @ Mar 4th 2006 7:45PM]

'Bose Sounddock' is overrated, just sold mine yesterday!

[Max @ Mar 4th 2006 7:50PM]

Wow! This is awesome!

[Mike La Pietra @ Mar 4th 2006 7:51PM]

"Hi Fi"? lol... Audiophile standards really have dropped.

[al d @ Mar 4th 2006 7:53PM]

These are gonna be in every dorm room and every trendy hipster condo from coast to coast.

[mike @ Mar 4th 2006 7:55PM]

sorry.. you want to be able to access the iPods menu with a remote??
what?!

you're sitting on the patio, and you want to access the iPod's menu on the other side of the pool.

dude, congrats on the superhuman vision, but most people would just walk up to the ipod and change the song there.

and in future, learn to use smart playlists.

(maybe the iPod screen is bigger than i thought.. :s)

[KorruptioN @ Mar 4th 2006 8:06PM]

Ditto with #17.

Also, I thought the Bose SoundDock was utter garbage for the price... kinda like the rest of Bose's lineup.

[pete @ Mar 4th 2006 8:13PM]

I would never buy one but it's a perfecr fit for the iPod, overpriced, underfeatured and overrated for it's price. They'll probally set a boatload of them.

[G. Snyder @ Mar 4th 2006 8:28PM]

How many of you have actually seen/heard it? It is actually pretty good sounding. I wonder who makes the speakers - they are rubber surround speakers and seem to be of good quality. The unit is fairly heavy, which usually says good thinks about a speaker/amplifier package. To the guy who said you can buy a true speaker/sub pakage for less ... I am not so sure about that.

Anyway, you might want to look at it and listen before judging it.

[Aleks @ Mar 4th 2006 8:32PM]

Jesus Christ. There's enough whiners here that complain about the price for the Hi-Fi but these same people who complain fork out $300-400 for high end video cards every 6 months.

[Bill @ Mar 4th 2006 9:06PM]

'Bose Sounddock' overrated, just sold mine yesterday!

[anon @ Mar 4th 2006 9:14PM]

- $50 more than the Bose system (it's intended competitor) is great considering the quality AND functionality gained.

- You can use it via you computer when you attach an Airport Express. Apple realized this demand.

- Recent Pet Peeve: I am already sick of reading asinine statements from young jits about the ITMS not being Hi-Fi. Apple never claimed their music store was Hi-Fi and one is not required to purchase music from Apple to use an iPod.

[o rly @ Mar 4th 2006 9:16PM]

@ 14/Josh Glaser : "I don't think Apple is selling this to the traditional iPod buyer (although I'm sure Apple wouldn't mind a few young trendy buyers picking one up). It seems like Apple is aiming this more for the audiophile market - well, the audiophiles that have embraced digital, that is."

Do you really think this product has a chance with an actual audiophile?
Apple isn't going for the audiophile market, they are going for those that want to PRETEND that they are audiophiles.

Anyone that actually buys this and calls themself an audiophile should also buy an expired bus pass & a razor scooter and call themself a Formula 1 Nascar Indy racer.

I agree with #20/pete.

[Trent @ Mar 4th 2006 9:19PM]

Standing up for the whiners.

I bitched about the price in my first post, and ya know what? The price -is- too high; even for the "Apple Premium"

It does NOT sound -that- great; The Bose system is much better.

Yeah, I purchased one. Doesn't mean I "pay hundreds for a video card" or "had a moment of insanity." Bitch I may, but, it blows. Simple.

By no means am I an "audiophile" or Applephile or what-have-you. Just a typical consumer who purchased a piece of "technology" and assumed it would live up to the price.

It-doesn't.

[e @ Mar 4th 2006 9:27PM]

you can get a whole lot better hifi standalone speakers for the same price as this piece of junk(the Bose is also a piece of junk though: "if it's Bose it blows", "If it's Bose no highs or lows")

[popeye cahn @ Mar 4th 2006 9:45PM]

Yeah I'd say that few if any know what truly audiophile qualiy audio might 'sound' like, hell let alone even knowing what acoustic instruments sound like in the proper environment. And any idiot that thinks quality sound can only be achived with 2 or 3 way speakers is tone deaf.

The aggregate listening experience for most average listeners in the 18-35 demgraphic is a Chinese Telecaster into a Marshall amp, a set of shitty Tama drums and a DX7 all miked up with $99 dynamic mics pumped thru some janky Crate PA system.

[converge @ Mar 4th 2006 10:21PM]

I haven't heard this yet but I wouldn't expect audiophile quality. I haven't heard the Bose either but if it sounds like any other Bose system I've heard, it much be trash. Ask any "audiophile" about Bose and they will laugh in your face.

A much better value would be to throw $150 on a set of Klipsch ProMedia 2.1's and $50 on a dock/remote. You will have the same functionality with sound quality that will destroy the HiFi or Bose for over $100 less.

[Shelly @ Mar 4th 2006 10:28PM]

Hey 'Bill', I just sold my "Sounddock" yesterday too!


Great minds think alike. They are overrated!

[mike @ Mar 4th 2006 10:44PM]

It's trully staggering that I'm sat here thinking "no way would I or any sane person pay $349 for this" and yet I'm also thinking "but they're going to sell an absolute shed load of them". My thoughts drive me to just one solution - the world is insane.

-------

No, you're just an elitist audiophile who wants to rub everyone's face in it. Keep trying.

[mike @ Mar 4th 2006 10:50PM]

converge:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B000062VUO/ref=dp_images_2/102-3149174-8660117?%5Fencoding=UTF8&s=electronics&img=2&childASIN=B000062VUO


NO WAY would SJ put THAT in his house. Come on!

[Mark Nutter @ Mar 4th 2006 11:09PM]

I think that everyone can be rest assured that if you do buy something from apple you're getting a high quality product. Whether or not you think their pricing is fair is your own deal, but given the success of almost every product launch they've had over the last 4 years I'd say that they're pricing their products nearly perfectly. (at least, their stock seems to tell that story)

It's hilarious to watch people bitch and moan about new Apple product release and then watch them go on to be raging successes. It's a good thing none of you actually work for a consumer electronics company since not only do you so readily trash new products but you completely underestimate their potential and scoff at how the consumer base is full of "rich idiots". To me it sounds like sour grapes. If you can't afford to buy higher end stuff I don't think it's fair to call people who can gullible.

The ipod HiFi is aimed at people who are successful enough to not bat an eye at a $300-$350 ipod docking solution that sounds better than average but not downright crazy as true audiophiles for whom which nothing compares to setups which involve $10,000 cabling. Apple filled a space here that nobody else was: a completely self-contained unit that sounds above average when compared to other sound docks, meaning, the power brick is integrated and the speakers are built into the unit. It reminds me a lot of the Bose Soundwave that they were pushing pretty hard on informercials a few years back that I think ran even higher than $350.

Watch the Hifi sell like crazy everybody.

[Al Fernandez @ Mar 5th 2006 12:07AM]

I love this article and all articles regarding apple products. I haven't decided whether or not to buy one yet. After reading a few comments I am compeled to go and actually hear one in person. Although I haven't heard one yet, I am sure I will be impressed.

Keep up the good work on the blog and podcast.

[crescentdave @ Mar 5th 2006 2:38AM]

I have to agree with the poster on the klipsch 2.1 system. It's loud, it's got a dynamic range and you can separate the sound- they call it stereo for a reason .... Congrats on the applets forking over the benjamins for a glorified and lobotomized boombox. Now THAT'S thinking the same!

[parliament @ Mar 5th 2006 4:24AM]

A few people have been hitting on the tah "Hi-Fi" but others dont seen to pick up on this. Surely there must be some trade description act that can prevent them from listing this as a "Hi-Fi" how can compressed audio be considered high fidelity. Its no different from the champagne/sparkling wine scenario, ones the real deal and the other is just pretending

[Tommymang @ Mar 5th 2006 5:27AM]

It's always the same with these kinds of products:

You pay for the brandname, whether the quality is good or bad !

[Toonboy @ Mar 5th 2006 8:43AM]

To me the iPod Hi-Fi looks like it came from the 1968 movie "2001 A Space Odyssey".

Are those iPod Hi-Fi�s in the wall in this movie photo?
http://www.visual-memory.co.uk/2001/icons/corridor.jpg

[MAX @ Mar 5th 2006 11:28AM]

Well, I'm an audiophile. I will buy this? No way. And this isn't for the price tag, I'm an audiophile so I pay outrageous quantity of money to listen "good" music. I will not buy this 'cause it's for playing 128kbit quality songs... crap! Btw if I must use an ipod as source I will probably use a Class T amp and a couple of stand speakers 'cause itis a setup much better sounding than this and... is cheaper. And... I can paint an apple logo on it if you mind!

[Glenn @ Mar 5th 2006 11:35AM]

For the same price as the Apple iPod Hi-Fi you can buy a true audiophile product from Monitor Audio called the I-Deck. http://www.i-deckusa.com/
It got great reviews in Sterophile Magazine. It simply blows away the Bose. I'm sure it will blow away the Apple Hi-Fi also...

[tr @ Mar 5th 2006 12:06PM]

"...It simply blows away the Bose. I'm sure it will blow away the Apple Hi-Fi also..."

and it's also a 3 piece system that's not portable at all, and has a power brick that must be plugged into an outlet at all times. not really the same feature set as the Hi-Fi.

[William Olson II @ Mar 5th 2006 1:18PM]

Its great you can spend 200$ and get a set of speakers and docks and other things that will sound better. The idea here is to have a "smaller" all in one unit that is portable. If people want better sound quality then they will spend their money on better products but thats not the idea of this product.

[James @ Mar 5th 2006 3:42PM]

yeah. the idea of this product is apple's way of ripping off even more customers. they were tired of only selling $30 accessories.

[andy @ Mar 5th 2006 3:43PM]

i think it's got to be agreed, from here on in, that if you include praise for your Bose product, then you instantly remove your right to comment on what sounds good and what sounds bad. If, for example, your bose sound dock "blows away the hi fi", you are an idiot. If you own a bose that you paid $300US for, who are you to slate someone who spends another $50 for something that offers portability and superior componentry?

I haven't even heard this thing yet. But it won't have to do much to improve on the other systems it competes with.

Also, does anyone else encode music onto their ipod at full quality? anyone? anyone?

[Frexy @ Mar 5th 2006 5:29PM]

I don't know... buy a $7 auxiliaire cable and plug it into your stereo...

Works just fine, I've got 4 speakers attached to my stereo, and each hanging in a corner of the room, and I get enough quality out of my little ipod...
I still don't get this HiFi bitching. Is it that much of a difference, and should it cost that much more?

I'd rather save &343... Design costs a lot, and the quality is more than often just decent. And this HiFi thingy, you can't even put things on top of it (because of the iPod sticking out), so it isn't very practical either.

[Reg @ Mar 5th 2006 5:51PM]

#6> porn: http://tobias-digital.de/index.php?id=46

Thanks Tobias, you rock! (Literally, with that new speaker system.)

Only on Engadget could "porn" mean "pictures of my new hi-fi" !!!

[Reg @ Mar 5th 2006 5:57PM]

#46 > "Also, does anyone else encode music onto their ipod at full quality? anyone? anyone?"

Yes, I do (did). I ripped a few CDs in both AAC (128kbps and 160kbps) and in lossless format and compared them over a few weeks.

Even with my Sennheisser headphones and a very quiet environment, I could barely tell the difference. I thought I could a few times with classical music, but rock was simply indistinguishable.

I still rip classical using lossless, but normal music I find it's just wasting space for no gain. YMMV of course.

[Richard @ Mar 5th 2006 7:54PM]

This makes me feel good.

I bought the iFi (last one at Costco at a pretty good discount) and this seals the deal.

In the words of the immortal James Brown, " feel good!"