powerful iPod speakers/setup

Hi all,
I've happily got an iPod that I can listen to anywhere with headphones but have been investigating speakers that I can plug my iPod into.  The Bose Sounddock seems the most powerful and also, I think Altec Lansing and some other companies make them.  The only thing is, by and large the speakers are tiny, ultra-portable things with less than 10 watts of power.  I can't find what the wattage is on the Sounddock although I suspect it's a fair bit higher but I'm just looking for what alternatives are available.

We used to have a standard receiver, speakers, CD player, etc we borrowed off my brother-in-law but he took them back after he got back from a year long trip, so our living room is a bit bare audio-wise.  They used to put out 100 watt plus power.  We don't need anything quite that powerful but thought there must be some kind of nifty home stereo system that the iPod could attach to easily much like the Sounddock and others.  But it doesn't look like anything exists.  Has anyone come across anything like this?  Perhaps the iPod accessory market hasn't matured enough, but you'd think with the overwhelming success of the iPod that these companies would be tripping over themselves to release bigger and better iPod enabled receivers & speaker systems.

Rgds,
Matt

Hi Matt,

My boyfriend and I have 3 iPods and several stereo setups between us. I have the portable Altec speakers which work very well but wouldn't recommend them for everyday stereo use. They're great for travel and I use mine in our home office. I have a few friends with the Bose setup as well. Sound is great but I'm not sure how adaptable they are to all models of iPods and you are pretty limited to using them with only your iPod. My bf just bought an Onkyo system which is more like a small shelf stereo system with CD player, radio and you can purchase an iPod adapter which works with all of our iPods (2nd gen 10g, mini, and a nano). I think he did have to buy a separate insert for the nano since its so much smaller. You just drop the iPod into the holder and you can play it through the stereo like you would a cd or the radio. So far its worked great. I don't know the cost but here's a link to their site....http://www.onkyo.co.uk. We also have a home stereo which we can connect to the speakers but its a bit cumbersome and not as convenient.

If you want more info, I can put you in touch with my bf. He did a bit of research before buying it.

-Shannon

I bought the Bose sound dock for myself and I am extremely happy with it. The sound is unbelievable. I also have  the Altec Lansing InMotion Portable for traveling. I also can hook my Ipod to the stereo in my kitchen and my Home cinema. Any stereo with an aux or a microphone jack will work with the Ipod.   

I bought the Bose sound dock for myself and I am extremely happy with it. The sound is unbelievable. I also have  the Altec Lansing InMotion Portable for traveling. I also can hook my Ipod to the stereo in my kitchen and my Home cinema. Any stereo with an aux or a microphone jack will work with the Ipod.   

Can the Bose sound dock be used with any MP3 player? I have the new Sony Walkman and have been also shopping around for decent speakers for it.

Get a Monster iCable and hook it up to your existing stereo via the aux connection as suggested. It's far cheaper than investing in a whole new system and works great. Also works with any other mp3 player (at least it works with my husband's Creative Zen, too) because it goes from the speaker hole to the stereo hole. (Um, think the techy terms are output and input).

We have an adapter called iTrip that we use for the car. Dial the stereo into the appropriate station and the iPod plays through the car speakers. I also use it in the house on our existing stereo. So we didn't need to buy a special iPod only stereo and we can still play our CD's and the radio through our existing stereo. I think it cost around $30 for the iTrip depending on what model iPod you have.

We use the Altec Lancing iM7 at work and I think it sounds great. According to my manager, the iM7s got better reviews than the Bose. If you aren't worried about charging the ipod, check out the Harmon Kardon Soundsticks II. I'd suggest going to a shop with your ipod and listening to hear for yourself.

Remeber about the itrip. It's legal to buy and sell, but illegal to use. Nobody cares, so don't worry about being pulled over. Nobody has been prosecuted for using one. We sold one to someone who works in the Humberside police department.

Remeber about the itrip. It's legal to buy and sell, but illegal to use. Nobody cares, so don't worry about being pulled over. Nobody has been prosecuted for using one. We sold one to someone who works in the Humberside police department.

You're kidding?? Why? DH and I bought ours in the US and brought it over with us. We use it all the time.

You're kidding?? Why? DH and I bought ours in the US and brought it over with us. We use it all the time.

They're only illegal to use in the UK. Here's an article that came out recently......http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3115345.stm

Apparently, they equate it to setting up a pirate radio station here.

-Shannon

I have an Itrip but no longer use it. I have a hard time finding a clear frequency to listen to it with, and it does not transmit in stereo

Thanks for all the advice.  The iCable looks really good.  I still need to get a stereo system, we don't have one at all right now so at least I know I can get virtually anything I like.  The cheapest I've found one so far is £16.95, looks pretty good compared to what Apple is trying to flog it off for £29!  Amazing what they think they can get away with.

Matt

Get a Monster iCable and hook it up to your existing stereo via the aux connection as suggested. It's far cheaper than investing in a whole new system and works great.

Yep -- There's nothing special about the audio output from an iPod, MP3 player, or anything similar.  With a suitable cable you can just connect to a line-level input (CD, Aux, etc.) on any audio system.    You might need to adjust the tone controls a little for best results, as sometimes the frequency response on those little portable units is tailored to suit the supplied headphones.

(Um, think the techy terms are output and input).

Er..... Yes!   

They're only illegal to use in the UK. Here's an article that came out recently......http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3115345.stm

Apparently, they equate it to setting up a pirate radio station here.

See this thread:

http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=21070.0

We have a Bose Wave Radio that we connect or Ipod to using a Monster Cable connected to the aux RCA jacks.  Sounds better than the specific Bose Ipod speakers.

For Christmas I bought my wife a new Ipod video and the iDock for it.  It can connect to any TV with S-video and it has a remote.  It too is designed to connect via standard RCA jacks.  We absolutely love that docking station because it produces better video than playing off of the itunes on the computer, it charges the ipod and it has a remote that controls the ipod.

We have a Bose Wave Radio that we connect or Ipod to using a Monster Cable connected to the aux RCA jacks.  Sounds better than the specific Bose Ipod speakers.

The Bose Wave Radio hookup sounds good.  Only thing I'm wondering about is if you are then limited to just radio and the iPod?  I was considering getting a receiver that I could hook the iPod into which would, of course, allow for radio but I could also hook up DVD or other CD player and additional speakers (not essential but nice to have the option, especially to have satellite surround speakers).

I suppose the downside is that setup could be fairly costly.  Is the Wave Radio like a DAB radio?  What do they cost these days?

They're only illegal to use in the UK. Here's an article that came out recently......http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3115345.stm

Apparently, they equate it to setting up a pirate radio station here.

-Shannon

Nobody cares and nobody has been prosecuted. We sell them everyday. The only way you'd get caught is if the police car is pretty much on top of yours and just happens to be tuned into the same frequency. Even if they do just happen to tune into the same frequency and hear it, they wouldn't know what car it was and they can't search every single car around them.