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Earlier this year when Apple CEO Steve Jobs, a well documented audio enthusiast known to have speakers worth over $20,000 each, announced that he was 'throwing away' his hi-fi to replace it with Apple's new iPod dock two things struck us: firstly, that that claim was clearly not true (either that or the Jobs' dustmen got $40,000 worth of speaker for a bonus that week) but moreover that iPod docking stations have really come on in leaps and bounds in recent times.
One need only look at the models we have on test here to see some of the biggest names in home audio offering their wares: Harmon/Kardon, Monitor Audio, Jamo, Klipsch and, of course, Apple. Are the audio big boys just trying to cash in on the success of the iPod or are they genuinely offering 'audiophile quality' sound from your portable player?
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Apple iPod Hi-Fi
The iPod Hi-fi is seen by many as the black sheep of the Apple family when it comes to design - but we're not so sure. In the flesh the iPod Hi-fi is somewhat more compact than it appears in its press shots and the simplistic design is actually very appealing, but perhaps more as a concept design than a finished retail one. Feeling solid and well constructed the Hi-fi has a satisfying weight to it and looks like it can pack a punch.
Under the hood there are two custom designed midrange drivers and a 130mm woofer enclosed in a sealed and tuned resin chamber. The mid-range system features acoustic suspension and the bass a dual voice core optimized for bass reflex. This adds up to a sound which delivers tight thumping bass, clear and strong mids but falls a little short on treble. Sounds that should sparkle tend to sound a little muffled. Obviously the higher the bit-rate your music files are encoded in the better it sounds, with Apple lossless sounding the best.
Impressively, the iPod Hi-fi can blare out music at a very high volume, enough to fill a decent-sized room, with no distortion. However, in our tests we found that the Hi-Fi will work best in smaller rooms. Separation between the channels is superb but due to the close proximity of the left and right channels, the larger the room gets the less impressive the separation becomes.
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Plus points
Portable, can run on batteries, excellent mids
Minus points
Muffled trebles, questionable design
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Harmon/Kardon Soundsticks II
Perhaps the wild card, but certainly not the joker of the pack, Harmon/Kardon's Soundsticks have been around for a few years now and unlike the other docks on test are not designed specifically for the iPod. The other difference to the other speakers on test is that the Soundsticks are designed to be listened to at close range, so lend themselves perfectly to use with computers and in small bedrooms. Not only that but they can be picked up for around £100 if you shop about, that's around £100 less than any of the others on test.
The Soundsticks resemble some kind of cyborg jellyfish Dr Who prop and are nothing if not unique. The see-through appearance means these speakers will attract attention and look fantastic in any situation.
There's a knob positioned discreetly on the back of the sub with which you can vary the bass level meaning you can fine tune the sound to your exact needs. The volume control is located on the bottom of one of the speakers and uses the unique to Harmon Kardon 'capacitance touch' control, which is basically a refined feather touch mechanism. Unfortunately because the Soundsticks aren't designed specifically for iPod there's no remote.
It's gets better though: the Soundsticks sound amazing. The range is excellent, the trebles and highs are crisp and the bass full and deep. Separation between the channels is very clear and the sound is always warm and inviting.
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Plus points
Crisp sound, eye-catching design, value for money
Minus points
No remote, not suited to larger open environments | |
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Jamo i300
Jamo is the most recent of the big manufacturers to release its iPod dock and we'd been looking forward to reviewing it since we first saw it in action at the 2006 Bristol Show. Costing a whopping £300 it is the most expensive on test, but then again it's also the best.
The i300's aesthetic is stunning: looking like it's been carved from fresh Alaskan ice, the three white cubes are smooth and minimal. The dock itself looks solid and remains minimal but offers a touch of jazz in the form of the blue neon lights.
Audio options are, like all the docks on test, limited to a variable subwoofer output and, of course, the multiple EQ settings on the iPod itself.
The sound that the i300 produces really does have to be heard to be believed. It seems the sparkle of the design has translated into the audio output: deep, powerful basslines, sparkling crystallised trebles and solid mids. The i300 completely fills a room with music and the sound is so good it's often hard to believe that you're listening to compressed files. Switch to Apple Lossless and the sound is nearing perfection. The power of the i300 (2x75 watts) is very apparent and it'll deliver volumes to shake even the most robust of foundations with no distortion.
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Plus points
Incredible sound, stylish design, powerful wattage
Minus points
Expensive
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Klipsch iFi
Klipsch is an American brand you may not be familiar with but they've been around the block and more importantly the iFi has gone down a storm on the other side of the pond. It's actually been available on American soil now for around ten months but only touched down in the UK in May.
The iFi is huge and the design likely to cause a bit of a stir. Unfortunately its aesthetics have more in common with a 1980s Walkman than a 21st Century iPod - it's all bulk and edges rather than refined and minimal. You would hope then that the sound quality would make up for this oversight and, indeed, it nearly does.
The sound quality is very impressive, highly detailed and crystal clear. Somewhat surprisingly the iFi actually works best in larger rooms with the speakers placed further apart, rather than in close quarters as you may expect from an iPod speaker system. The fact is it performs, as the name suggests, as a Hi-fi for the 'i' generation. The satellite speakers provide bold and clear mids and trebles while the sub delivers solid bass with no distortion.
Interestingly the dock and remote are nearly identical to that of the Jamo i300. As the iFi pre dates the i300 considerably it's easy to tell who was 'inspired' by whom.
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Plus points
Bold bass and firm mids
Minus points
Dissapointing design
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Monitor Audio i-deck
British thoroughbred Monitor Audio, as you probably know, has an excellent reputation in home audio. The i-deck hopes to continue that tradition and, having been around for a while now, has just received a price cut to a wallet-friendly £200.
Like Klipsch, Monitor Audio seems to have overlooked the design aspect and the i-deck looks far too much like a set of cheap computer speakers than a contemporary sleek companion to the style icon that is the iPod. Perhaps a case of horses for courses but certainly all of the horses (well, people) we know didn't like the design.
However, the most important thing for an i-deck is to sound good and sound good it certainly does. In fact it sounds great. We tested all kinds of music on it; rock and roll, club classics, blues, folk, soul/funk and jazz, with consistently impressive results. The bass was warm and never fuzzy, the mids sharp and well defined and the treble crisp. Despite their relatively small size the music produced was rich, full and deeply rewarding. The quality of the speakers is such that it is advisable to encode your music in a higher bit-rate than the standard 128kbps as there is quite a noticeable difference between that and, say, 256kbps.
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Plus points
Good value, warm bass
Minus points
Clunky design
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As you can see by the scores every one of these products is of a well above average quality. But do they truly deliver 'audiophile quality' sound from your iPod?
The answer to that is: of course not, but what they do offer is a dedicated way to get your portable player sounding really good at home. So don't 'do a Jobs' and throw away your hi-fi just yet but do consider one of these docks as a supplementary system.
If it's portability that's of key importance to you then the iPod Hi-Fi would be the best choice, if you're looking for something to use in a very small room or with your PC or laptop then go for the Soundsticks but, for overall quality and performance, the group test winner has to be the Jamo i300.
With the perfect synergy between form and function Jamo's i300 edges above some very strong competition and is our overall winner.
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