Hello Home Tech,
I have finally decided to chuck my obnoxiously ungainly stereo, burn all of my CDs and buy an iPod to make room for things I actually like looking at. I'm interested in buying a speaker dock thingy with some kind of radio component, and I wondered if anyone had any advice for the clueless about Apple vs. Bose vs. Tivoli solutions and where I can get the best deal. Are there other products out there that are particularly good?
Thanks!
Persephone
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Hi Persephone,
We're no experts on this, as we haven't tried out a wide range of options. We gave our mom an iHome Clock Radio for Christmas and we were actually impressed by its sound quality. We even used it as an impromptu stereo to play Christmas tunes for the fam. But, I'm guessing there are some higher quality sound options out there, and maybe even in a reasonable price range. Keep in mind, you don't have to get a docking station, all high end radios will have an auxiliary jack to plug your iPod into on the back. We're a sucker for some of these Tivoli table stereo systems.
But lets ask some of our experts, what stereo do you think offers good design, stellar sound quality, and a reasonable price? Oh, and don't forget we're giving away an iPod Hi-Fi for the top prize in our Smallest, Coolest Tech Contest, so send in your entry of your cool office or a/v setup and it could be yours!
(Thanks jagoLIVE for the image!)
The Apple Hi-Fi doesn't have a radio component built-in, so you could probably safely mark that off your list.
The Apple Store has a customer ratings system. You might want to peruse the store just to get an idea of options, pricing, and customer opinions.
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=FB6F5008&nclm=iPodSpeakers
view verily's profile
These are my two favorite iPod docks:
http://www.speckproducts.com/specktone/
http://www.genevalab.com/shop.html
view the_doc's profile
My husband and I use a Tivoli iPal plugged into an Airport Express. This allows us to wirelessly stream our iTunes directly from either one of our computers. We can also plug our iPods into it with a cable if we want. And, the iPal has a radio so I can amp up the NPR when I'm washing dishes and it's hard to hear from the living room speakers.
Soundwise, I think the speaker sounds great (big sound from a little box) and the design is perfect with the iPod.
I can't remember how much the iPal cost but under $200... and the Airport Express is I think around $79.
view curlygirl's profile