Apple wants a piece of iPod hi-fi game
Murray Hill, The StarPhoenix
Published: Saturday, April 01, 2006Apple has finally joined in the iPod speaker game with the release of its iPod Hi-Fi speakers -- much to the dismay of all the companies trying to sell iPod speakers.
Why Apple got into the speaker game is a mystery to me. Both Bose and Klipsch make quality systems for the iPod, followed closely by Altec Lansing and JBL.
Steve Jobs obviously decided that Apple could design a speaker system that could become the home system of choice. He may have been a bit ambitious.
The Hi-Fi is outstanding; however, any speaker system that has all the speakers in one enclosure is never going to provide the kind of stereo separation of a quality home stereo. Indeed, even though the sound reproduction from the iPod Hi-Fi is surprising, it does not equal that of the big daddy of all iPod speaker systems, the Klipsch iFi, which has two separate satellite speakers and one monstrous subwoofer.
I don't mean to minimize the sound quality coming from the Hi-Fi -- it's quite robust. The bass is truly outstanding, providing deep, rich, resonant sounds that do indeed fill the room. The treble is a bit weak, and the sound quality seems to suffer when you play your music quietly. There is, however, some tone control in the speakers menu of your iPod that provides additional EQ settings that are specifically designed with the iPod Hi-Fi in mind.
The IPod Hi-Fi is at it's best with the sound cranked up -- and you really CAN crank this system up. I listened to all kinds of music: classical, country, rock, hard rock, folk and opera. The result was all the same -- the louder I played it the better it sounded. This is a great speaker system for young people!
Physically, the iPod Hi-Fi is quite large. It weighs 6.6 kg without batteries -- add one kg for batteries. It's 167.6 mm high, 431.8 mm wide and 175.3 mm deep. I really like the soft rubber "mat" on the base that stops the Hi-Fi from slipping or moving. Sturdy handles at either end simplify moving.
Simply drop any iPod with a dock connector into the connector you're ready to enjoy your music. Its Apple remote offers full control over the most functions of your iPod. Apple has provided inserts for the connecter that fit all versions of the iPod so far -- except the Shuffle. You can use your Shuffle with the iPod Hi-Fi but you'll need to by a separate audio cable.
The iPod Hi-Fi contains two 80-mm cones and a 130-mm dual-voice coil woofer. There are two buttons on the top, in front of the dock -- one to turn volume up and the other to turn it down.
Aside from the power jack, the only port is an auxiliary audio input, which accommodates 3.5-mm analog cables or optical digital cables. You'd use the digital cables to connect to a digital sound card in your computer. You can connect an AirPort Express using the optical cable so you can transmit your music to the speaker wirelessly -- that's pretty cool.
As with most speakers for iPod on the market today, your iPod is kept constantly charged while in the dock.
One of the features of the Hi-Fi that neither Klipsch nor Bose offers, is the ability to operate on batteries. The iPod Hi-Fi can seamlessly switch from AC to DC power, using six D-cell batteries.
