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.
posted March 4th 2006 5:12PM
Nice product, but I have a great computer setup. I can't see myself every using this...
It's still a POS. It's gawdawful white. Think of what it will look like the first time you take it out of the house. The SPDIF doesn't mean sh1t if you got a frequency response of a JENSEN car radio from Walmart. 53-16k sucks! And if they have a crossover for the mono woofer, set at 80hz or 120hz, your not going to get alot of low end out of it unless they have some BBE or Waves chips in there to make suedo bass. It's not hard to get 108db out of a Class D digital amp. Most home automation keypads are pushing 50 Watts plus these days. What they don't tell you is what it sounds like when they turn it past 70%. For this thing to have a 53-16k frequency response, they used cheap capacitors, crappy old 5532 or TL032 opamps, and 16bit Motorola DAC's. This is a sucker's product. If it was around $75, it would be OK. If you spend $350 plus tax or shipping( about the same) you are a retard. It would be nice if Apple concentrated on computers and OS enhancements instead of iSH1T. Some people still have professional needs. All they seem to do is buy good companies, steal some of their technology, shelve the rest and make crappy products. Emagic was a good example.
What do you guys think of this?
http://jeddadesign.blogspot.com/2006/03/ipod-hifi-add-on.html
Don't you get it? iPod accessories are a $2 BILLION a year industry, one of the reason why the iPod has been successful is because of all the various acessories and add-ons.
This is simply an entry into the marketplace at the highest price point. $50 higher than the previous high ofering, the bose at $299. Just like Apple's iPods, where they are offered at every $50 price point.
HiFi offers no pricing presure on the current vendors, and the mindly different product offers no direct competition to current vendors. Everyone is happy, vendors, apple, and customers, who now have an even larger product selection. No brainer for Apple.
Is it the worlds best speaker set-up? no.
Is it drop dead easy to use? yes.
Does it sound very good to most people? yes.
Is is the absolute best price/value? probably not.
Is it better than current iPod playback set-ups? yes.
Does it fill a nice need for a large enough group of iPod users? yes. (Dorms, apartments, office, kitchen, etc)
Sleek and elegant? yes.
$349 is a genius price point for this product if you consider everything written above.
"42. 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!
Posted at 11:28AM on Mar 5th 2006 by MAX 0 stars"
What makes you think this isn't class T? Apple seems to like class T amps......
I think it would be cool to get 2 of these and set them upright as a streo (make each box mono)
Your comments: Ah, well. Cheer up, guys. I live in Norway, and just this morning got a *fabulous* offer from Apple Norway. For just 3.190 norwegian crowns I can get this thing delivered to my home, and they'll pay postage. To the uninformed, NOK 3.190 is just above USD 475. Apple also included a link to a QTVR-film, so I could see the Ipod Hi-fi spin round and round in glorious color. Maybe if people watch that long enough, they get dizzy enough to order it?
I'm also from Norway and for 350 bucks I would buy this in an instant!
I know it's still expensive but it's a nice piece of stereo for those of us who live in small apartements lacking any speakers too play my music on.
And btw: I am one of those who ALWAYS converts my music at the highest possible bitrate. If I didn't I'd might as well use my discman.
Has anyone tried the speakers here:
http://www.ipodobserver.com/story/25563
They got great reviews...I was looking at purchasing some. I am looking for a high end pair of speakers for my office. These AudioEngine 5 speakers are even have a place for the airexpress port to plug into. Between the Apple, Bose, and these AudioEngine's, does anyone have any other suggestions?
Notice the similaries: [url]http://www.8trackheaven.com/Images/coolpanasonic2.jpg[/url]
HiFi thumbs down! Thumbs up are the Majestic Diamonds. Recommended by an innovator friend of mine from Italy. Check out TBI Audio Systems (tbisound.com). Unbelievable sound, in fact, they have created high-definition sound (HDSS). You will be seeing it everywhere is my guess. The Diamonds are small, sleek,separate boxes that are truly amazing.