SRS Labs' iWOW adaptor for iPods changes the way we think about portable audio
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted December 10th 2008 1:27PM
posted December 10th 2008 1:27PM
You might not know this, but life as you once knew it is over. No, we're not talking about crises economic or environmental, the Red Menace, or the count down to the year 2012. Much larger than all of this, SRS Labs has announced its iWOW adapter for the iPod. This device is a hardware-based version of their "award winning" iWOW plug-in for iTunes, bringing the same "expansive sound stage" experience that you've been enjoying on your home computer to your iPod Classic, iPod 5G, or iPod nano 3G. Surely, one can't put a price tag on this sort of revolutionary, immersive audio technology, but if we did we're guessing it would be listing for $99 or so. What are you waiting for? The only real danger, as far as we can see it, is that the aural experience turns out to be so mind-blowing that you wind up as some sort of comatose vegetable. But you know what? It's probably worth the risk.
Hey, shut it, you unbeleiving jerks! I had this kewlnesss in my iriver and it was green day was playing in a wicked cool tunnel or a giant big solid gold tomado soup can!!!!!!!!!!!!1
haha, oh WOW.
Ok, so I think the concensus is that this thing is crap. But I just wanted to throw my $.02 in for good measure. So, yeah, it's crap.
I had SRS in my iRiver H320, but never used it - not because it sounded nasty, just because I was lazy and naturally dubious.
It is possible to load alternate firmware on iPod and use different codecs.
Am I right in thinking that iPods used to have very high sound quality (independantly tested by consumer asscociation 'Which?') but then switched to different chips?
Whilst I agree with Kali4's main point, I would beg to differ on "the way it sounds is the way the artist intended" - have you not heard of the fans returning Metallica's latest offering to the shops because of this horrible trend for destroying dynamic range? (maybe this is done because punk kids listen to tunes on mobile phone speakers and tinny headphones, instead of good cans or large speakers as the good lord intended)
srs-ceo: ok guys, here we have this beautiful device with mediocre sound. lets bring out a bulky addon to multiply the mediocre sound with our mediocre wow-technology and sell it for $$$!
srs-guy1: mister sir, you are a genius!
srs-guy2: (insert anything here!)!
yes but will it make me larger?
I want to ask what some have against iWOW
I didn't know about iWOW for iTunes and it's after reading this article (clearly sarcastic by the way) that I went and downloaded the trial version just to tried it out.
Now the first tests I've done were on headphones (can't use the speakers, baby's sleeping) and there were on a piece of classical music ripped from an original CD in Apple lossless (Mozart : Requiem) and I was quite impressed. That's why I want to know what some have against it or if they have a better solution. The music did sound better after I tweaked the thing (didn't use the preselected classical preset). The sound is broader, and instruments have more presence.
I'm not gonna tell you that I heard things I never heard before cos that wouldn't be true. I did hear the same instruments, but there was a much better balance, some of the instruments that used to be more in the background came up and the whole music just became larger.
This is just my 2 cent and again, in all honesty, I just wanna know what some have against it - cos I'm considering it buying it, but don't want to rush cos the price is steep for the thing and want to hear what others may have to say.. just please spear me the "it's crap" speech, those who have tried it and know what they're talking about will have real things to say
Joseph, you're trying too hard to be funny, and it's not working for you. Engadget is not Gizmodo, please don't try to be as silly and sarcastic as they are.
Agreed. I find the overly-sarcastic tone of this post tiresome.
I read Engadget every day, and these types of posts actually diminish the meaningfullness of the actual revolutionary announcements.
Ben
Interesting that wikipedia says the SRS patents expire in 2006 and 2008. They better get their last $ before someone else copies it.
If this product is a poor as many of you claim why did it win the CES 2009 Design and Engineering Award?
"SRS Labs iWOW Adaptor for iPod Wins the Prestigious CES Innovations 2009 Design and Engineering Award"
My experience with SRS is mostly attributed to Windows Media Player. I always keep the built-in SRS WOW effect turned ON in my WMP (a standard feature in all WMPs). It does make anything I play through WMP sound better in my opinion.
I'm not sure why everyone in this forum has been so hard on this product...SRS wants to improve the sound of the iPOD and this is a bad thing??
No one should claim it's crappy (or good) without actually hearing it. Has anyone in this forum listened to it? I haven't and thus I won't pretend to judge it.