“We’ve been playing (pictured) with the iPod Hi-Fi for a day now, and considering the price of the unit (£249, US$349), sound performance is very impressive. Though Apple has massively overstated the Hi-Fi’s capabilities — they describe sound output as ‘audiophile’ quality — it will impress casual listeners,” Chris Stevens writes for Crave at CNET.
“An Apple engineer talked Crave through the design of the speaker enclosure and amplifier stage. Apple has apparently designed the system with a very specific purpose in mind: to replace the living-room or bedroom mini-system. Judging from our cursory tests so far, it may have succeeded. The iPod Hi-Fi sounds equal in tone and clarity to many of the mini-systems we’ve tested from manufacturers like PURE and Yamaha,” Stevens writes.
“In our listening tests so far, the iPod Hi-Fi does extremely well at reproducing classical or acoustic music with a wide dynamic range. By this measure it far outdoes the competition in the same price range… on the whole we’re impressed by Apple’s stylish white box,” Stevens writes.
Full article here.
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Related articles:
Detroit Free Press: Apple’s new iPod Hi-Fi delivers ‘powerful, room-filling sound; mighty tempting’ – March 07, 2006
PC Magazine Editor’s Choice: Apple iPod Hi-Fi ‘this one’s a winner’ (4.5 stars out of 5) – March 04, 2006
Review: Apple iPod Hi-Fi – March 03, 2006
The Inquirer reports on attack of Apple cultists, blames MacDailyNews for inciting ’email fatwa’ – March 03, 2006
CSFB: Apple iPod Hi-Fi a harbinger of things to come – March 02, 2006
Inquirer writer: Apple Mac, iPod users are gullible saps – March 02, 2006
Apple iPod Hi-Fi photos from all angles – March 01, 2006
Videos of Steve Jobs introducing Mac mini, iPod Hi-Fi – March 01, 2006
Apple debuts iPod Hi-Fi speaker system, leather cases for 5G iPod, iPod nano – February 28, 2006
The wolves are running Master Harker
“The iPod Hi-Fi sounds equal in tone and clarity to many of the mini-systems we’ve tested from manufacturers like PURE and Yamaha,” Stevens writes.
Does Stevens also write about how much more you get for your money with these mini systems? Like AM/FM, a CD player, interconnects for tape decks, VCR, or TV or an iPod dock? Like the ability to have a discreet stereo soundfield?
No. I guess that would require saying something negative about the price.
if you buy the iPod Hi-Fi actually thinking that you’re going to get audiophile quality out of it i’ve got some oceanfront property on the moon to sell you.
if, on the other hand, you’d like to have a bookshelf or semi-desktop system to directly connect your ‘Pod to, then it seems like a pretty good idea. probably worth a listen.
i havent heard it yet so i wont comment on its sound quality, but if it sounds at least as decent as my son’s bookshelf stereo, then i wouldn’t mind having one in my home office.
if it’s too rich for your blood… dont buy it. go cheaper. i’m certain you’ll find something that’ll suit your tastes and wallet.
if you don’t like it’s all in one design, get yerself a pair of powered loudspeakers and hook ’em up with AirTunes or sum’pin.
if you want audiophile quality sound i suggest that you hotfoot it to your local “high end salon” and git yerself hooked up with a real high end rig instead of sittin’ here and bitchin’ and whinin’ about how unaudiophile this iPod Hi-Fi is!
buncha dumbass wankers.
I’m sure the gizmo sounds terrific, but the review discredits itself by using the phrase “audiophile quality.”
MP3s, AACs, and boombox-sized speakers are not and cannot be audiophile quality. The music files are compressed and stripped of the data makes sound “audiofile” instead of just “very good.”
Music played through an iPod of any sort can be very good and very fun, but they cannot be audiophile quality. An audiophile is someone who forsakes convenience for the sake of sound quality. That means ultra-expensive gear, big speakers, or at least nice headphones.