HiFi Blog: digital audio goodness

As the rumor sites had managed to tip us, Apple went ahead with presenting an iPod boombox by the name of “iPod Hi-Fi”. CNET’s hosting the presentation video (and ironically, the videos are sponsored by Microsoft).

The double-walled white-plastic enclosure houses two 80mm wide-range cones (set in dedicated chambers and isolated on the fron plate) and a 130mm woofer for your bass-booming needs. A removable front clip with precision mounting clips is used to hide these. The integrated universal power supply spares you from a separate power brick, and the touch-sensitive buttons allow you to set the volume.

On the top there’s a built-in universal dock—meaning it’s compatible with all dock-bearing iPods—that also charges your MP3 player. With the included Apple remote you can change songs and volume. iPod with video and iPod nano owners get access to such features as “Tone Control”, “Large Album Art mode” and “volume mirroring”.

To further sweeten the package, there’s a 3.5mm auxiliary input so the Hi-Fi can be used a speaker system for your PC gaming needs for instance.

The sealed and tuned resin chamber promises neither vibration nor resonance, in order to keep audio enthusiasts happy.

You can also carry the Hi-Fi with you on the go, since it can run on six D-cell batteries (for “several hours outside”) and features handles for easy transport. It can also provide your iPod with a charge, even in the DC mode. We would consider against carrying the 17” x 6.6” x 6.9” unit on your shoulders though, as early reports indicate it’s particularly heavy (specs say 16.7 pounds / 7.6 kg).

Apple promises “world-class acoustic design” with large soundstage, precise imaging and separation, wide frequency range and room-filling power without distortion. Quote: “iPod Hi-Fi delivers impressive acoustic performance and room-filling sound unlike any other speaker system designed for the iPod in an innovative, all-in-one design that can be powered from a wall socket or by six D-cell batteries.” And obligatory Steve quote: “Apple is reinventing the home stereo with the new iPod Hi-Fi, the first iPod accessory that adds true high-fidelity sound quality to the iPod. iPod Hi-Fi’s unrivaled acoustic performance and stunning design is at home in any room in the house.”

During the presentation, Jobs said he was using the Hi-Fi for a month and is going to ditch his expensive high-end audio systems (costing “a lot”) in favor of one of these—“they have phenomenal sound”, “they’re really really good” he says; more on that in the final paragraph of this post, where we’re jotting down a few notes.

$350 gets you the Hi-Fi, 10 Universal Dock adapters, the removable grille (duh!) and an AC power cord. Some galleries of real-life pictures of it: 1, 2 [via] and 3—you may also want to have a look at the tech specs.

A few remarks:

• the “audiophile” tag is a bold claim, considering the audiophiles are a particularly pedantic group, for which Apple is going to be criticized. As a matter of fact, they already are. We’ve got to actually listen to the thing before passing along any worthwhile judgement, but a “53Hz to 16kHz ± 3 dB” frequency response leaves something to be desired.


• $350 is too much and certainly not the right way to lure college kids (the ones who don’t know whether BeyerDynamic is some unknown constant from the Physics course) into the audiophile world. 50 bucks lower would have made it look sweet—and $100 lower would have made it even sweeter, but I know that’s unrealistic. I think $350 instantly deters lots of people. You can probably do better with that kind of money.


• Apple’s message to BOSE: “we’re looking your way”


• One thing we all seem to agree on is that the Hi-Fi doesn’t look stylish enough.


• Early feedback seems to be very negative. But then again. [via]


• A paradox: what Apple claims the Hi-Fi can deliver in terms of sonic goodness, the music files it sells in the iTunes Music Store don’t. Assuming the Hi-Fi is every bit as good and eye(ear?)-opening as they say, it’ll only give the owner the chance to realise that the iTMS’ 128kbps AAC files are just not up for it. Apple will have to either upgrade the quality of the iTMS tracks, provide an option for lossless purchases, or just live with this paradox. (My guess is the latter, for the current being.)