Apple iPod Hi-Fi

Magnus · 17th August 2006, 13:30

The Apple iPod Hi-Fi arrived in the UAE in April and after Apple IMC sent us one for review we've had a chance to try it out.

When it was first launched on April 1st in the MacStore in Ibn Battuta Mall went to see it and I was less than impressed. Expensive and not so great sound, I thought.

After trying the Hi-Fi out for a while I've somewhat changed my opinion, as I'll present below.

If you don't know what the Hi-Fi is, it's basically portable speakers for your iPod. Any iPod with the dock-connector can be connected. It sits on top, next to volume-buttons. One thing I'm concerned about with the Hi-Fi is how loosely the iPod connects. There is nothing really holding it up apart from the actual dock-connection, and that worries me. The Hi-Fi is obviously made to be carried around with you so it would make sense to make the iPod connection a bit more sturdy.

In what we have come to expect from Apple, the Hi-Fi looks amazing. It's in Apple-white plastic material and pitch black speaker grill on the front. There are two handles on each side with which you can carry the Hi-Fi around with you. It's surprisingly heavy which I think is both good and bad. I assume the weight is so Apple could put good speakers in there, but the weight also makes it less transportable.

The sound is obviously the main feature of this product. I'm not a very avid music-listener but to my ears the sound coming out of the Hi-Fi is very, very good. It sounds very rich, from the top notes to the lowest base. Judging the Hi-Fi is complicated though since the experience depends so much on in which environment you listen to it. I would think that most people would be very happy with the sound quality.

In addition to placing an iPod in the Hi-Fi you can connect it to a Mac via a regular audio-cable and use the Hi-Fi as speakers or your Mac. It can give games a real boost, for example. The Hi-Fi is also AirTunes ready so you can connect it to an AirPort Express and send music from your iTunes library on your Mac to play over the Hi-Fi.

Personally I think it's priced a bit high. It's $349 in the US and 1700 Dirhams in the UAE. In comparison with other similar products that seems steep. For example, the Bose SoundDock sells for 1200 Dirhams and although I've not listened to it myself, Bose is well-known for good sound quality.

You can run the Hi-Fi on batteries or on AC-power, and it comes with an Apple remote.

Because of an idea and suggestion from MacUAE I tried to summarize the review in the form of a cartoon:

17th August 2006, 13:30	#1 (permalink)
Magnus Administrator Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Dubai Posts: 8,394	Apple iPod Hi-Fi The Apple iPod Hi-Fi arrived in the UAE in April and after Apple IMC sent us one for review we've had a chance to try it out. When it was first launched on April 1st in the MacStore in Ibn Battuta Mall went to see it and I was less than impressed. Expensive and not so great sound, I thought. After trying the Hi-Fi out for a while I've somewhat changed my opinion, as I'll present below. If you don't know what the Hi-Fi is, it's basically portable speakers for your iPod. Any iPod with the dock-connector can be connected. It sits on top, next to volume-buttons. One thing I'm concerned about with the Hi-Fi is how loosely the iPod connects. There is nothing really holding it up apart from the actual dock-connection, and that worries me. The Hi-Fi is obviously made to be carried around with you so it would make sense to make the iPod connection a bit more sturdy. In what we have come to expect from Apple, the Hi-Fi looks amazing. It's in Apple-white plastic material and pitch black speaker grill on the front. There are two handles on each side with which you can carry the Hi-Fi around with you. It's surprisingly heavy which I think is both good and bad. I assume the weight is so Apple could put good speakers in there, but the weight also makes it less transportable. The sound is obviously the main feature of this product. I'm not a very avid music-listener but to my ears the sound coming out of the Hi-Fi is very, very good. It sounds very rich, from the top notes to the lowest base. Judging the Hi-Fi is complicated though since the experience depends so much on in which environment you listen to it. I would think that most people would be very happy with the sound quality. In addition to placing an iPod in the Hi-Fi you can connect it to a Mac via a regular audio-cable and use the Hi-Fi as speakers or your Mac. It can give games a real boost, for example. The Hi-Fi is also AirTunes ready so you can connect it to an AirPort Express and send music from your iTunes library on your Mac to play over the Hi-Fi. Personally I think it's priced a bit high. It's $349 in the US and 1700 Dirhams in the UAE. In comparison with other similar products that seems steep. For example, the Bose SoundDock sells for 1200 Dirhams and although I've not listened to it myself, Bose is well-known for good sound quality. You can run the Hi-Fi on batteries or on AC-power, and it comes with an Apple remote. Because of an idea and suggestion from MacUAE I tried to summarize the review in the form of a cartoon:

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