OnkyoNd-s1
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Inventec phasing out Kohjinsha brand, opting for Onkyo instead
It may not matter to you Yanks, but for many regions of Asia, this news may just ruin some weekends. Okay, so maybe "ruin" is a stretch, but if you suddenly stop seeing a new flow of Kohjinsha gear at your local computer market, here's why: owner Inventec is killing the brand. As the story goes, Inventec has decided to stop producing mini-laptops and the like using the Kohjinsha sub-brand, instead turning that team into a full-on R&D operation. When it comes to end-user products, the Onkyo brand will be applied; we've seen some pretty radical Onkyo PCs over the past few months, so here's hoping this also means that more and more would-be Kohjinsha products will end up in North America. Fingers crossed, right?
Onkyo's iPod-lovin' ND-S1 digital media transport gets reviewed
Back in late July, we weren't aware of when Onkyo's fancy ND-S1 iPod dock would ship. Now, we're not only certain that the £144 ($235) digital media transport is shipping across the pond, but we've stumbled upon a critique for those wondering if such an outlay is justified. After slamming their iPod touch into the device and connecting it to their reference speaker system, they came away duly impressed; in practically every scenario, using the external DAC in this box led to clearer, more precise audio compared to signals coming straight out of the iPod. In fact, reviewers went so far as to call this unit "peerless," though they did mention that it's really only good for those already satisfied with their existing speaker setuip. Of course, you could just opt for an audiophile-approved media player, but then you wouldn't be able to experience the joy and elation that comes with relying on iTunes. Right?
Onkyo ND-S1 iPod dock feaures digital audio, composite video, and leaves iPhone owners out of luck
We've seen plenty from the folks at Onkyo in the past, but until now their iPod accessories have been rather few and far between. That said, we gotta say that this here ND-S1 iPod dock looks pretty, pretty good. Obviously designed with the home entertainment crowd in mind, this guy features optical / coax digital output, composite a/v outs, and supports 16bit audio playback (up to 48kHz). Also on hand are a USB connection for syncing with iTunes and a remote control. Compatible with your iPod classic / nano / touch (sorry iPhone users), you can expect to see this hit the streets sometime this fall. There's no word yet on price, but you can get a closer look after the break.[Via AV Watch]
