Apple iPod Hi-Fi
Review by: Rick Chin
http://www.apple.com/ipodhifi/
Price: $349

Summary:
Good sound, especially with a newer iPod
A bit pricey
Some features not available with 4G iPods and earlier iPod models

First things first: The iPod Hi-Fi is better than you think it is. When you hear it, it’s better than you expect it to be. And that makes it part of the Apple family – a product that does more than you expect, more than you asked for, and more than enough to grow with you. And it does all that elegantly.

The iPod Hi-Fi from Apple is described as a new high-fidelity speaker system that works with the iPod and a home stereo system.

The iPod Hi-Fi uses an all-in-one design with a special internal enclosure that includes two custom designed wide-range speakers and a tuned, ported bass system. The special interior and exterior material is designed to minimize vibration (which would muddy the sound) while maximizing sound quality.

Most people will powered it from a wall socket but you can use six D-cell batteries. The (now) ubiquitous Apple Remote controls it. A hidden status light flashes green in response to remote commands or amber if the command is not applicable – very Apple-ish. And like most Apple products, just unboxing it is an impressive experience.

When you set your iPod into the dock connector, a new “Speaker” option appears on your iPod menu to allow you to control tonal characteristics and other options – if you have a 5G iPod, iPod nano, or something else recent. My 4G iPod Color Photo could not show this option, so I wasn’t able to increase the treble or make other adjustments. If you have a newer iPod, you should get even better results than I did.

The sound quality is good, though not “audiophile” quality as Apple CEO Steve Jobs described it when he introduced the iPod Hi-Fi in February. Apple designed the system to replace the living-room or bedroom mini-system. For most listeners, it can easily do that.

The clarity and volume of sound if can generate is amazing. When you hear sound coming from this device, you can’t believe that such a small box is producing that quality and quantity of sound. That “wow” factor is probably stunning enough that some people will have to buy one due to sheer amazement. Too bad the typical Apple Store is too noisy to give it a fair hearing.

The iPod Hi-Fi reproduces classical or acoustic music well. However, on rock or pop music, there’s a bit of compression in the mid-range, and I found the highs lacking a bit. In addition, the system was a little bass heavy and a little more stereo separation would be nice. (Again, owners of newer iPods may be able to adjust these settings in ways I can’t see.)

The iPod Hi-Fi features handles for transporting, a removable front grille with clips, touch-sensitive volume control buttons on the top (so you don’t need the remote just to change the volume) and a universal power supply.

As with just about everything from Apple these days, the design is immaculate. For example, there’s no bulky power brick to weigh the systems down. If the iPod Hi-Fi goes unused, it will go into a power-saving mode. And it looks great.The iPod Hi-Fi easily integrates with all iPods with a dock connector. (Older iPods can be used with the audio-in port.)

The system comes with ten different “dock” adapters to allow you to connect any iPod with a dock connector (dockable?). New iPods will come with their own dock adapter for future compatibility. However, I question this dock adapter idea Apple is deploying. For instance, I was going to take the iPod Hi-Fi to a friend’s house but I realized I didn’t know what model iPod he owned and I couldn’t immediately remember where I put all those extra adapters. Having a little storage area for a half-dozen dock adapters inside the iPod Hi-Fi would agree with its luggable nature. Apple’s dock adapter “solution” is probably as good as possible, but who walks around with their dock adapter? Don’t believe me? Quick, where’s yours?

Once docked, your iPod recharges and adds features of the iPod that maximize the iPod Hi-Fi experience such as Tone Control, Large Album Art mode and volume mirroring (though the first two features are only available with an iPod nano and 5G iPod).The iPod Hi-Fi includes a dual-purpose 3.5-mm auxiliary input that accepts either analog or digital signals for connection to a variety of audio sources, including other MP3 devices.

At 15 pounds, it falls into my “luggable” category.(“Portable” is reserved for <10 pounds.) It’s a bit pricey but it does produce sound that deifies its size. I hope that the next version adds dedicated treble speakers, although acoustically, I understand why that would make controlling the sound it produces much harder.

Here’s the trick with the iPod Hi-Fi that Apple needs to figure out: Would I have bought one if I didn’t win one? Previously, the answer would have been “No,” especially at $349. (At $199, it would have been a “yes” for sure&hellip However, having used one for a month, now I probably would buy one at $349, especially if I had a 5G iPod. But if you’re Apple Computer, you’ve got to win people over without giving them a 30-day try-and-buy. I hope they make the iPod Hi-Fi one of their 10% off deals at this year’s day-after-Thanksgiving sale – I bet it would sell well. It’s a great system but most people will either need to take a little chance or have a little help to find that out. Consider this review “your little help.”