Apple Ipod Hi-FI > Reviews (2)

For many years, I remained unconvinced of the benefits of an iPod, but with the release of the 60Gb iPod video, I succumbed. And it's great - I've even reviewed it elsewhere on this site.

I've found a renewed love of music. CDs that have sat, unlistened to in the loft for years are now surprise visitors to my ears as the iPod shuffles it's way through thousands of tracks. After a few camping trips in the summer, I realised how ideal it would be to have my iPod with portable, powered speakers for those summer evening barbecues etc. So I set about looking at the options available for portable sound from my iPod.

I've seen plenty of iPod speakers, of all shapes and sizes. I've even heard some of them and have been impressed or disappointed to varying levels by the sound that they are able to produce. I've also been surprised that so few of them are able to be powered by batteries, so aren't portable.

When I stumbled across the official AppleiPod HiFi on the on-line Apple Store, I was intrigued. It looked the BUSINESS, it took batteries and it was made by Apple, so probably had a good sound. At £200 it was a slight more expensive than a lot of other options, but I had confidence in Apple to put something together that would do my music justice. I couldn't find a local retailer with one in stock to have a listen to so it was something of a leap of faith.

Weighing in at a hefty 8kg, it's a heavy old thing - heavier than I expected (not having read the small print on the website). This heaviness is not without reason though, it is extremely solid in its construction which means there's no rattling, and squeaking or unwanted flexing that would otherwise spoil the sound.

Only available in typical "Apple white" it follows the same design theme as the recent generation of iPod, curves and sudden flat bits. It's a long, square shape measuring 43cm x 17cm x 17cm. Handles are cut into the top corners, so transportation is easy enough. The shape and size is akin to that of an old "boom-box", maybe a bit smaller - but certainly enough to carry on your shoulder, sharing your music with the world.

The business end is protected by a black fabric mesh that can be removed to reveal the three meaty speakers that reproduce your music with surprising fidelity. The central bass cone is a decent size (130mm) and is assisted by two passive bass ports. The high range is covered by two smaller (80mm) cones, one either side of the bass. The front of the unit also houses the infra-redreceiver and a lamp that shows the status of the device - lighting green when the volume is adjusted or a track skipped and flashing green for 10 seconds when the iPod is paused.

The iPod itself sits in a docking port on the top of the device - adapters are provided so that you can use any iPod model with the HiFi. It sits, in the centre, at a slightly reclined angle and this it my only real concern about the whole thing. There's not much holding the iPod in place other than the docking connector, so while the whole thing is of a size that you COULD walk down the high street with it on your shoulder, the iPod is held precariously enough that I would strongly advise against it.

That said, in the last 2 months I've not had any problems fitting, removing the iPod. Also on the top are two touch-sensitive buttons, labelled "-" and "+" which, unsurprisingly, control the volume. Or you can still use the click-wheel on the iPod itself. The other nice thing is that when docked in a powered HiFi, your iPod is recharged.

The back of the device is relatively featureless, providing a home for the power connector, the battery compartment and audio in via a 3.5mm stereo jack. Batteries, should you want to use them will need to be 4 in number and "D" in size which will, of course, add to the weight.

The bass of the unit is entirely covered in a softish non-marking rubber compound to further reduce vibration and give faithful reproduction of sound. It does a good job. Even playing the loudest, most pounding song I've been able to find, the weight of the unit combined with the non-slip base means it's not budged.

The icing on the cake is the supplied remote control. Simplistically Apple in it's style, it's got a donut-styled control layout. A central Play/Pause button is surrounded by a circular button with 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock being the volume adjust while 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock skip tracks forward and back. The range of the remote is excellent, if you're in the same room as the HiFi you don't even need to point the remote at the unit, it will bounce signals off walls etc quite happily. It works happily from 10metres or more. Being infra-red, the only requirement is line of sight.

Physically, it's well constructed, simply laid out and pleasing on the eye.

Aurally, it's equally pleasing. Sound is rich and clear, a full range of tone is present and amazing detail can be heard in the music. Some of this will obviously depend on how much you have compressed your music, but at a sensible level of compression, tunes are remarkably well produced. From classical pieces to pounding dance tracks and everything in between, the iPod HiFi does a remarkable job of filling the room with a compelling, rich and detailed sound. It can also go surprisingly loud, and without distortion.

Maybe because the internal amplification is matched to the speakers, I've never yet heard the speakers start to buzz or flutter because I've been playing it too loud. That said, I've never had it up to maximum because maximum is actually very loud - a claimed 108 decibels.

Overall, I'm very happy with my iPod HiFi. I can now listen to my entire music library without the fuss of turning on my PC or wiring my iPod into my stereo. Better still, it's a portable solution so I can move it around the house or take it with me on trips. It's simple to use and the contemporary styling is unobtrusive. The sound is easily good enough for my poor ears and the volume more than enough for my liking. It even charges my iPod.

If I were to ask for anything else, it would be a slightly sturdier way of holding the iPod in place. If it were available in black, it would suit my iPod better and probably less prone to discolouration and dirt. And the ability to either have a "switch off" timer and an alarm clock would make it perfect. But to be fair, these are things that should be built into the iPod.

The iPod HiFi is essentially a high-fidelity amplifier and speaker combination. It does nothing more, but it does a great job of what it does. If you are prepared to pay a premium for your music, this is a worthy buy.