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Apple Trademarks 'iPod Hi-Fi' and 'iPod Boombox'

Bose? Hi-Fi?

A general point:

Will people please stop referring to Bose as hi-fi? The company makes products that sound impressive to the average consumer by using simple psychoacoustic tricks and shortcuts. The components are put in shiny, compact boxes to appeal to those concerned with decor. And careful branding has been done with the Bose name to convince people to pay a hefty price on it all. Buyers have the satisfaction of feeling like smart consumers because they bought something that is perceived to be high quality, and looks just unconventional enough to stand out. It works because nobody actually sits down and just listens to music - it's usually on while you're doing something else. If you listened to good recordings on a good system in a room set up properly, you would not be so enamored of the "Bose sound" any more.

But people here believe that two channel stereo is obsolete. These are the same people who dumped all their records in the 80's when CDs were still crappy sounding novelties and CD players were essentially still in prototype stage. Now they're dumping their CDs for overly compressed DRM-locked files. They are using their computers to play music through plasticky sub-and-satellite speakers propped on their desks while their real stereos sit unused in boxes in their basements. In comparison, yes, Bose sounds great!

The funny thing is that the iPods already are considered high fidelity by a lot of audiophiles - as long as the bit rates are high enough (320 kbps and above) and quality headphones are used. (There is a great pair from Grado that costs $70.) Somebody actually makes a tube amplifier just for iPod input that sells for over $4000! (Sorry no link.) The nits that enthusiasts have with the iPod are the quality of analog input (they want lossless line-level inputs), and the problem with gaps between songs.
 
An ultra-thin iPod boombox that can mount to your wall like a painting, or slide, conveniently inside of an old pizza-box.

I'm not terribly excited about either until I see what they are I guess. 😀
 
Ordinarily I would ignore iPod related rumours but my dads looking for a way to play music upstairs, just the other day he mentioned he was looking at iPod docks. If Apple is thinking of releasing some home music players, like a speaker system that would be great. Especially if I could interact with it using a network. Unfortunately, I think this is just Apple making sure that nobody creates a product under these names or reserving them in the slim chance they intend to later on. 🙄
 
peejay said:
A general point:

Will people please stop referring to Bose as hi-fi? The company makes products that sound impressive to the average consumer by using simple psychoacoustic tricks and shortcuts. The components are put in shiny, compact boxes to appeal to those concerned with decor. And careful branding has been done with the Bose name to convince people to pay a hefty price on it all. Buyers have the satisfaction of feeling like smart consumers because they bought something that is perceived to be high quality, and looks just unconventional enough to stand out. It works because nobody actually sits down and just listens to music - it's usually on while you're doing something else. If you listened to good recordings on a good system in a room set up properly, you would not be so enamored of the "Bose sound" any more.

But people here believe that two channel stereo is obsolete. These are the same people who dumped all their records in the 80's when CDs were still crappy sounding novelties and CD players were essentially still in prototype stage. Now they're dumping their CDs for overly compressed DRM-locked files. They are using their computers to play music through plasticky sub-and-satellite speakers propped on their desks while their real stereos sit unused in boxes in their basements. In comparison, yes, Bose sounds great!

The funny thing is that the iPods already are considered high fidelity by a lot of audiophiles - as long as the bit rates are high enough (320 kbps and above) and quality headphones are used. (There is a great pair from Grado that costs $70.) Somebody actually makes a tube amplifier just for iPod input that sells for over $4000! (Sorry no link.) The nits that enthusiasts have with the iPod are the quality of analog input (they want lossless line-level inputs), and the problem with gaps between songs.
Click to expand...


End rant 🙄
 
AtHomeBoy_2000 said:
I heard an interview with a guy from Dolby. THey were interviewing him about Dolby Headphone (http://www.dolby.com/consumer/technology/headphone.html). THey asked him flat out, could this be used for future video content on iPods? He said he couldnt comment.
hmmm......
Click to expand...

There are similar technologies already on the market. The Audio Advantage micro is a small USB dongle for headphones. On a PC*, it will convert the soundtrack (Dolby DTS, other 5.1 or stereo) to virtual 5.1 surround sound in headphones.

There is only one IC in the dongle - an 18-pin CM102S USB device measuring approx 8x16mm. It probably costs a few dollars - it could easily be incorporated into an iPod.

*Unfortionately, although the dongle works on the Mac, neither Apple nor Voyetra Turtle Beach provide a driver for Dolby Digital and DTS output, nor the virtual 3D sound processing.
 
peejay said:
A general point:

Will people please stop referring to Bose as hi-fi? The company makes products that sound impressive to the average consumer by using simple psychoacoustic tricks and shortcuts. The components are put in shiny, compact boxes to appeal to those concerned with decor. And careful branding has been done with the Bose name to convince people to pay a hefty price on it all. Buyers have the satisfaction of feeling like smart consumers because they bought something that is perceived to be high quality, and looks just unconventional enough to stand out. It works because nobody actually sits down and just listens to music - it's usually on while you're doing something else. If you listened to good recordings on a good system in a room set up properly, you would not be so enamored of the "Bose sound" any more.

But people here believe that two channel stereo is obsolete. These are the same people who dumped all their records in the 80's when CDs were still crappy sounding novelties and CD players were essentially still in prototype stage. Now they're dumping their CDs for overly compressed DRM-locked files. They are using their computers to play music through plasticky sub-and-satellite speakers propped on their desks while their real stereos sit unused in boxes in their basements. In comparison, yes, Bose sounds great!

The funny thing is that the iPods already are considered high fidelity by a lot of audiophiles - as long as the bit rates are high enough (320 kbps and above) and quality headphones are used. (There is a great pair from Grado that costs $70.) Somebody actually makes a tube amplifier just for iPod input that sells for over $4000! (Sorry no link.) The nits that enthusiasts have with the iPod are the quality of analog input (they want lossless line-level inputs), and the problem with gaps between songs.
Click to expand...

i agree totally about bo$e. it's like getting a mercedes with a yugo engine in it. all show, no go.

many audiophiles like the ipod for portable listening...but with a proper headphone amp (see my signature) using the dock output's line out. also, songs need to be encoded well, which means AAC or LAME or lossless...paired with the right headphones (the grado sr-60 at $70 is fantastic!), the ipod/headphone amp/good headphones combo will sound amazing. on a sidenote, one company, redwineaudio.com, is modding the ipod to make it "audiophile-worthy"...they're adding better ouput caps, bypassing the ipod's internal headphone amp to make the headphone ouput a really good line out. i've heard some amazing things about this mod.

end rant.
 
AppleInsider reports:

Separately, sources said that Apple is developing an iPod model with a higher-resolution display and about an inch of additional viewing area. It's unclear if, or when, the company intends to release the device, and no further details were provided.
Click to expand...

3.5" screen would seem like the next logical jump in screen size. At that size, I think we can hopefully see 480x270 pixel videos. However, if the screen is higher resolution (PPI), I think we can see near DVD quality of 640x360.

I've been holding off on a 5G video iPod hoping the next revision does include a higher resolution screen. 320x240 is so 1995!
Here's to the Crazy Ones ​
 
peejay said:
Will people please stop referring to Bose as hi-fi?...
Click to expand...


😀 Well said, peejay. Bose is garbage. Crap. And no offense to anybody who ever purchased equipment with the Bose name on it... but you were played. You didn't pay for the equipment that you're listening to, you payed for all those shiny advertisements that proclaim "better sound through research." Research eh? Well, wtf don't you ever publish the specs on your equipment then Bose? Hmmm. Perhaps the sound quality (or lack thereof) of those "Lifestyle" speakers is all you need to know.

Remember all those thousands of dollars you spent on those "Lifestyle" cube speakers? Too bad that the actual drivers can be had for about $12 a piece from discount parts outlets. Ooops.

[/rant]
 
Wow! Actual people with HF-1s. So, how many people are from Head-Fi? The Bose bashing was the first hint, but the HF-1 sold the deal.
 
Hello, been a big reader here for well over a year now, but never really bothered signing up, but since i saw the head-fi love i decided to join just to mark my presence. Unfortunately no hf-1's here but i have the 880's with a portaphile. Would have the redwine modd if i could afford it but as yet cant.

Rich
 
What if the iPod Boombox was a portable stereo with a similar shape to the typical CD-player/radio units from Sony et al. But with both an integrated iPod dock and a built-in Airport Express to allow you to expand the range of your Airport signal and pipe music wirelessly to the boombox from iTunes. Think iPod-dock-speakers meets 802.11-wireless-speakers.
 
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