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Apple iPod Hi-Fi Photos, First Looks

iPod Hi-Gi

I just got my iPod Hi-Fi today. THe sound quality is so good. I previously had the Altec Lansing IM7 and this beats them by far. I also took pictures of it with ipod playing and unpacking fotos, which I might post later...

I RECOMMEND THEM!

Alex
 
MacinDoc said:
Yes, there are volume controls, on the top of the unit.
Click to expand...

I realize this, but the first look page mentioned the volume controls working only when the ipod is connected. This doesn't make sense to me and I suspect its an oversight, but I was hoping someone who got one of these could tell me for sure. If NO iPod is plugged in and the speaker is hooked up to, say, a portable DVD player via the Line In - will the volume control on the speaker still function, or will it need to be controlled at the source.
 
Arnaud said:
Honestly, I'm having a hard time with the concept of a "Hi-Fi" stereo connected to an iPod. :confused:

I mean, I really like my iPod, got all my CD's on it, carry it everywhere etc... But it is still MP3 or AAAC encoded, i.e. destructive compression, so that it doesn't sound quite like the original 44KHz track.

I know some people will say "come on, it's really good, whatyatalkingabout", but I do hear the differences, especially in the clarity of the high part. True, it does not matter when I'm walking in the street or driving in my car, but it does matter when I'm in the quietness of my house. I do like my music to be perfect :p

I just keep the concept of "Hi-Fi" to situations where all elements of the chain are Hi-Fi: good output but good source too, a CD for example, not a compressed song, so that you can truly enjoy the quality of the song. A "Hi-Fi stereo for an iPod" sounds like a marketing trap to me, just like selling an HD plasma screen to connect to a VHS VCR (ok, I'm pushing a little here).

My conclusion: it might be a nice gizmo if you agree with the price for the design etc. But does it really need to be called "Hi-Fi" ?

Arnaud.

(PS: If you don't agree, set a CD in your iTunes and compare a song on the CD and in the library; you may note a difference, or not, depending on the CD (old re-recordings of Jimmi Hendricks or digital recording of Black Eyed Peas), your equipment and your own interests; you can also set higher rates of compression, but it is still compression).
Click to expand...

I think the Hi-Fi designation is mostly marketing. I don't doubt that this will sound very good, but you only need to take one look at the price (the price everyone thinks is too high) to realize this is NOT a *true* hi-fi product. I think its going to be very high quality sound by standard consumer electronics standards, but its not going to compete with Hi-Fi systems costing thousands of dollars, nor should it.

As for your dislike of lossy compression, you can use Apple Lossless as someone else mentioned, or, the iPod Hi-Fi has an analog audio and optical audio input, so you can connect a cleaner source if you prefer!
 
Flying Llama said:
Yeah, check out MacRumors' reaction when the iPod first came out, it's absolutely hilarious: :D

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apples-new-thing-ipod.500/

After reading that I think the iPod Hi-Fi will do well ;



just a few examples.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that thread is a hoot to read now. Also, at the time the Shuffle came out, I was following these boards closely, and it was much the same thing. On an individual basis, one may like or dislike the Shuffle, but there's no denying that it sold like Juicy Fruit, at least up until the Nano came out. The point being--Apple's marketing researchers should not rely too heavily on us, although we are a fun, interesting, and opinionated group!
 
I want to hate it but I can't!

I've just got back from the Apple Store, Regent Street, where I had a play with the new iPod HiFi along with the Bose SoundDock and Altec Lansing iM7.

I bought the iM7 a couple of weeks ago and have been really impressed by it (my review & pics are here), but with the announcement of this new Apple hifi, I felt the need to go and check it out to see how it compares.

Looks-wise, I still can't get my head around it. It's pretty ugly. If you take the grille off the front it does look better. The black speaker front itself looks nice; it's the ugly chunky plastic grab handles that spoil it for me. Overall it reminds me of a storage box or a crate of some sort. Having an iPod perched on top is also not a great design feature. The iPod on display in the Apple Store seemed a little loose in the dock (presumably the staff had used the correct insert). I don't think it's very safe if you're going to move it around. This is where the iM7 is far more clever!

The Apple hifi is HEAVY. It can be used on DC power, so it is apparently "portable", but the sheer size and weight of it (plus the fact that you're probably going to have to carry the iPod separately for fear of breaking it) render it only "occasionally portable" in my mind. Bonus points again to the iM7 :p

The power brick is integrated into the unit, which is a nice feature, but then again it should be for that size! However there is only one audio input on the rear of the unit. The iM7 also features video outputs (S-video and composite), which allow you to connect it to a display for viewing video & photo content from your iPod. I'm quite surprised that Apple didn't include this.

The volume buttons on the iPod hifi are really nice, since they are touch-sensitive and sit flush with the top of the unit. I was quite impressed with the volume controls on my iM7 compared to the awful ones on the SoundDock that are really difficult to press and too far apart from each other, but the Apple buttons are definitely better. Of course most of the time you'll use the remote control so it's a bit of a moot point. The Apple remote itself is pretty basic, only allowing you to change the volume and tracks. The iM7 remote additionally offers bass and treble controls.

Now for the important part: the sound...

When I first got to the store someone was playing around with it and the song they put on sounded rather tinny... I wasn't that impressed initially. But then of course you realise that people keep messing around with the equaliser settings. Tried out some other tracks and - wow - it was pretty impressive. The Bose SoundDock is LAME in comparison. The iM7 still sounds good, but not as good, especially at higher volumes. I don't claim to be an audiophile, but to me the iM7 beats the Bose SoundDock because it produces a much more bassy sound and doesn't distort at high volumes like the Bose one does. The Apple iPod hifi is generally louder, has more "ooomph" and produces more of a room-filling sound than all of the other products. So yeah... I was pretty impressed by the sound. A true audiophile would no doubt find faults, but then they shouldn't be comparing a speaker for compressed music with a "proper" hifi system.

All in all... I think I'm keeping my iM7. I wanted to go to the store and *hate* the iPod hifi, but it has definitely grown on me! If I hadn't bought the iM7 I would seriously consider this. I just don't find it aesthetically appealing and I've already pointed out the advantages of the iM7 (it's also £50 cheaper in the UK).
 
jahutch said:
I realize this, but the first look page mentioned the volume controls working only when the ipod is connected. This doesn't make sense to me and I suspect its an oversight, but I was hoping someone who got one of these could tell me for sure. If NO iPod is plugged in and the speaker is hooked up to, say, a portable DVD player via the Line In - will the volume control on the speaker still function, or will it need to be controlled at the source.
Click to expand...
I hadn't considered the possibility that Apple would disable the volume controls for the line in. If it did, this would be an incredibly stupid decision(why have a line in if you can't control it; good way to destroy your speakers or your eardrums), and I would then have to give the iPod HiFi a wholehearted two thumbs down.
 
nagromme said:
I think it's hilarious that Apple strewed dirty laundry on the floor of the "teenager's bedroom" demonstration room :D
Click to expand...
Went looking for this for a laugh - couldn't find it. Any links?
 
Some thoughts on Hi-Fi

A few things I'd have changed and/or added, IMHO:

>Flush-mount the iPod dock. It's simply too vulnerable perched on top; perhaps a front flush-mount which would allow the iPod's screen to still be easily viewed.

>Built-in rechargable battery - with a coin-release module similar to that of what's on the iBook. Possibly make the power connection connect from the side instead of the rear for convenience.

>Built-in and included Airport Express - in this way, you'd be able to put those handles to use on the Hi-Fi and tote it around the house at will (without an Ipod) wth a Mac or a PC via AirTunes!

Ask for $395 and get it for all of these extra features.



/thinking outloud
 
Being a hardcore audiophile myself...

I bet it sounds pretty good for what it is. I bet it beats the pants off the incredibly expensive (yet cheaply constructed) Bose garbage.

I have a few nits to pick, however. In the ad copy they talk about "imaging" and "soundstage", and with the two left and right channel speakers so close together "imaging" just isn't going to happen. Also, the highs aren't going to be so great. There's a reason that tweeters are small, and that reason is dispersion. This thing doesn't HAVE tweeters, and when you try to make a midrange speaker reproduce upper treble, it beams, meaning you can only hear the high frequencies if you're literally directly in front of the loudspeaker. If you're off axis, the treble gets really rolled off, and what you're hearing (if anything) in the treble is going to be reflections. So much for "soundstaging". It may make for good ad copy, but for people who know what those terms mean, it sounds pretty silly for them to be making those claims.

That being said, it has a lot going for it. Good solid cabinet design, a powerful amp with plenty in reserve and what look to be high quality drivers. I bet it kicks its competition's heinie...

:D
 
This thing sound pretty good.

I just got my Hi-Fi in Fed-Ex today and I'm impressed. I mix records for a living and for what this thing is, and the price point, I think they did a good job. I have found myself saying out loud "wow this little thing sounds really good!!" a couple of times. And it gets LOUD. The imaging is actually pretty good considering the distance between the LR speakers and the over all timbre of the system is very accurate. I mean we all know this is no set of Genelecs or anything but I want another one already......

If I had to find something to dislike it would be that you can't select a playlist from the remote. You can only go forward, backwards, change the volume and play/pause. ( you can also toggle between the audio in and the ipod )

Over all this thing is a winner.
 
What would be really great...

is if you were able to purchase one and use it as a solo stereo speaker for a while. Then if you were so inclined, purchase another and connect them together with one doing the left channel and the other doing the right...

:cool:
 
bighairydoofus said:
is if you were able to purchase one and use it as a solo stereo speaker for a while. Then if you were so inclined, purchase another and connect them together with one doing the left channel and the other doing the right...
Click to expand...

It would be even cooler if it did that wirelessly without a hit in quality...

Buying more than one, you're Apple's dream mate :D

I think with any multi-channel setup you'd want a receiver though, and the iPod doesn't seem like it could handle that with grace. iReceive?
 
High quality powered speakers are expensive. Good ones (made by Tannoy, etc.) are often used as location studio monitors. High quality drivers and amplification don't come cheap, and judging by the weight of the thing, it seems solidly built. My only real reservation is that there aren't any tweeters, but since we're talking about compressed music for most users, maybe that's not such a bad thing...

:rolleyes:

Edit: spelling
 
for those that demoed it at the store what was the quality of the song you played

something on an ipod supplied by apple or something like a lossless trac
 
795.gif
 
The image above made me laugh!

I've owned a Bose SoundDock for over a year now and was interested to hear about the ipod HiFi. However there's no way I'm buying one. One hell of an ugly beast and quite heavy from the sounds of it.

I would be surprised if the sound quality is better than the Bose SoundDock although I haven't had the chance to test an ipod HiFi out yet.

I use Apple Lossless for all my importing and I really can't fault the sound of the SoundDock. I was hoping Apple were going to come out with something really innovative and different.

The thing that's looks really worrying is the way the ipod sticks out of the top of the HiFi thing. Surely an accident waiting to happen?
 
obeygiant, the photo is great.

The Hi-Fi sounded great at a a non apple store, but then again my ears were half blown off when I first turned it on. (some idiot turned the volume all he way up and then turned it off, waiting for a fool like me to turn it on and jump )
:p
 
Umm, I don't think it is UGLY, but I do think it is lacking that Apple flare. Maybe if they had an interchangeable white face speaker cover? Or maybe a silver metal one? huh huh?

I get really annoyed at how much they advertise 'integrated handles' on Apple products as if it is a huge selling point and as if I'm planning on carrying it for miles through the desert with a friend on the other side and I need the extra convience. Its small enough, I can pick it up!

Its not that it is ugly, its just that it was hyped up to be the best most innovative thing and it falls quite short of that.

I have a bose sound dock, or whatever its called though.
 
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