View Full Version : New iPod Hi-Fi
earl_roberts2002
01-03-2006, 23:46
http://www.apple.com/uk/ipodhifi/
What do you think? It's sound quality is pretty hyped [see the article at the T3 site] so I'd love to hear how it sounds. Pretty pricy but it delivers what I favor above all else, simplicity! The fact that you can run it off batteries is great, you can either pretend you're back in the 80's and loft it on your shoulder whilst walking down the street, or just bung it in the back of the car. I like!
Jimmyboy
02-03-2006, 01:09
That looks really mint and just what I'd be looking for in the summer. Is there anymore information available yet? Usually a fan site rips these things to bits and takes pictures for some reason.
Edit: Just found some info here (http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/firstlooks/comments/ipod-hi-fi-high-fidelity-speaker-system-for-ipod/)
The Icebun
02-03-2006, 08:39
http://www.apple.com/uk/ipodhifi/
What do you think? It's sound quality is pretty hyped [see the article at the T3 site] so I'd love to hear how it sounds. Pretty pricy but it delivers what I favor above all else, simplicity! The fact that you can run it off batteries is great, you can either pretend you're back in the 80's and loft it on your shoulder whilst walking down the street, or just bung it in the back of the car. I like!
Why would you want one of those bulky things in the back our your car ? Far better (and cheaper) to use an iTrip or cassette adapter.
home stereo reinvented :lol:
erm no, it's a box with speakers that you put your ipod on. Not exactly reinventing the home stereo now is it. :)
I like that Jobs said he was an audiophile and evven he was going to chuck out his home stereo or words to that affect. Which is absurd. You can't be a lover of top notch audio if yo uwant to spend your time listening to mp3s..
Keiron99
02-03-2006, 09:01
You can't be a lover of top notch audio if yo uwant to spend your time listening to mp3s..
I used to say that. Now I openly admit I can't tell the difference between an original wav file or CD (or some of my SACDs and DVDAs for that matter) and well encoded 192kbps mp3 or AAC files. And you could buy a decent family car for the cost of my gear. And I'd bet you couldn't either in a blind test!
One thing this has over other products of a similar type is when an iPod is plugged into it, it brings up a specific menu to control the Hi-Fi, not that it makes much sense if you're like me and encode in 128kps and the like. Way over-priced perhaps, nice looking, maybe. Interesting that Apple seem to be getting into the accessories game now, definately.
I used to say that. Now I openly admit I can't tell the difference between an original wav file or CD (or some of my SACDs and DVDAs for that matter) and well encoded 192kbps mp3 or AAC files. And you could buy a decent family car for the cost of my gear. And I'd bet you couldn't either in a blind test!
Can't you? I can tell the difference between 192 and 360kbps mp3s..
And for portable listening I normally use 160 myself. I do play the ipod through my amp sometimes but I;d never say it was close to DVD-Audio.
Keiron99
02-03-2006, 14:17
Can't you? I can tell the difference between 192 and 360kbps mp3s..
No, not reliably. I'd never put money on it. There was a heated debate on a hifi forum, and someone put together a test disc so you could do your own blind tests. I recall hardly anyone could tell the wavs from the AACs, lossless and mp3s. Of course there are differences (clearly measurable of course!) but in reality, the audible differences are marginal.
BTW....I assume you mean 320 kbps? Can you reliably, in a blind test, tell the difference between 320kbps and wav?
I do play the ipod through my amp sometimes but I;d never say it was close to DVD-Audio. I'm not saying that either. Of course it isn't. That's because the analogue out of the Ipod is really quite mediocre - it's nothing to do with the quality of the encoded files.
Jimmyboy
02-03-2006, 15:44
home stereo reinvented :lol:
erm no, it's a box with speakers that you put your ipod on. Not exactly reinventing the home stereo now is it. :)
It is home stereo reinvented in the sense that it moves you a step away from needing hi-fi seperates and removes the need for disc swapping. You have to remember that most people don't have a PC connected to a home audio system so the only way they can listen to their mp3s outside of the home computer is via an mp3 player (which is personal) or by burning mp3s to CD-R, which is a bit cheap and tacky and still doesn't remove the need of CD swapping.
Keiron99
02-03-2006, 15:51
It is home stereo reinvented in the sense that it moves you a step away from needing hi-fi seperates and removes the need for disc swapping.
But loads of other manufacturers have been making such devices for years!
Jimmyboy
02-03-2006, 16:10
But loads of other manufacturers have been making such devices for years!
But they're not official Ipod products so da kidz don't care about them. ;)
earl_roberts2002
02-03-2006, 22:40
If you did throw out your hi-fi and get one of these, you'd be a bit buggered if you bought a CD that had copy protection.
If you did throw out your hi-fi and get one of these, you'd be a bit buggered if you bought a CD that had copy protection.
On Planet Steve, why would anyone ever buy music on plastic discs when they can download it from his music store?
earl_roberts2002
02-03-2006, 23:06
I'm a fetishist for liner notes! It's not actually a huge problem for me [thinking about it] cause if anything I buy is protected I download it anyway but some people aren't that way inclined
Brozyniak
03-03-2006, 09:49
Personally I think that it's rather ugly, which is contrary to how I normally find Apple products. The white is just too kitchen and the handles in the corners? You're stuck with the left and right channels being too close together and restricted in how you place it 'cos you've got the errect appendage of an ipod sticking up on top.
I would've preferred a design that was slimmer, with the ipod slotting into the structure and having a larger lcd panel replicating the ipod's screen (which you've no chance of reading from your sofa). Something like that might find it's way into the kitchen or bedroom, especially if it had a built-in tuner.
trouty00
03-03-2006, 11:43
yeah ok so Ill admit that it looks nice but stick the ipod and top and to me it looks a little out of place, also kids/cats/dogs/drunk people could fall on the ipod and trash the ipod and the unit, its not very practical, mp3 players are good for the whole music collection but there are other products availble like the bose sound system one, http://www.hifix.co.uk/sku.lasso?&item=803de0059e6a68267a6c3e6ac9e7218a0c2b229b3e6cf3cb&rlog=froogle
it has a remote as well and I know which speaker manufacturer i would go with every time!!
It will see becuase personally i believe the marketing guys at apple are geniuses, how else do they still manage to sell laptops with 12" screens!
my 2p!
erwagner
04-03-2006, 23:21
i believe the marketing guys at apple are geniuses, how else do they still manage to sell laptops with 12" screens!
my 2p!
Because people want small light laptops maybe?
AndyWilson
04-03-2006, 23:35
My laptop's got a 12" screen and I'd hate to have anything bigger!
Back on topic, assuming most people have already got some kind of sound system, doesn't an ipod dock do just as good a job as the iPod Hifi?
It is home stereo reinvented in the sense that it moves you a step away from needing hi-fi seperates and removes the need for disc swapping. You have to remember that most people don't have a PC connected to a home audio system so the only way they can listen to their mp3s outside of the home computer is via an mp3 player (which is personal) or by burning mp3s to CD-R, which is a bit cheap and tacky and still doesn't remove the need of CD swapping.
Most if not all home stereo's have audio in connections. ;)
S1LVERBACK
05-03-2006, 01:08
not sure of its actual audio qualitys but that would be so much sweeter if the ipod actually got sucked into the machine with a clear square display to actually see your music list as opposed to a smart solid shape object with a small square box sticking out the top of it :lol: completely ruins the aesthetics.lets not forget about price either as i think to get the full benefit your gonna need something a bit bigger than a ipod nano 2 or 4 gig plus the price of the I-BRICK.
I saw one on demo yesterday at the Apple store in bluewater (While giving serious thought to buying a mac mini - but the they didn't have the intel versions in yet) sounded OK but with the L&R speakers being so close together its not really going to produce much stereo imaging or a decent soundstage in a box that small is it :shrug: :?: now sooner or later all the CD mini hi-fi manufacturers (sony hitachi aiwa teac denon etc.) are going to put an ipod dock or include a lead to their units & these will sound much better
EDIT: I was in Dixons (http://www.thedvdforums.com/jump2.php?url=http://tracker.tradedoubler.com/click?p=1468&a=60823&g=16569) Bluewater later that day & they were demoing this
http://www.i-deck.com/
& that sounded a lot better - you could move the speakers further apart too :D
not only that, looks like Apple Store UK (http://www.thedvdforums.com/jump2.php?url=http://tracker.tradedoubler.com/pan/TrackerServlet?p=2554&a=60823&g=32244) are the cheapest too for this ideck according to this
http://www.thedvdforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=416488
vBulletin® v3.8.7, Copyright ©2000-2012, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.