GZ- Travel Charger for iPod Nano and U2 (UK version)
Klipsch iGroove iPod Speaker System “Silver” Designed to leave no room unrocked, the new Klipsch iGroove is a convenient all-in-one digital music system that delivers audiophile quality sound everywhere you need it.
Customer Review: Klipsch iGroove iPod Speaker System (silver or black)
I’d been searching for ages for an iPod speaker dock system that would rival and maybe even replace my old separates hi-fi system that had started to show its age. (I work in the film industry and used to run a recording studio so good sound is very important to me). I was pretty thorough in my research, home-tested two different units, became a pain to many a shop assistant and also poured over reviews on the net researching which units to test. I finally bought the Klipsch iGroove iPod Speaker System from Amazon and am very happy with it indeed. In fact, I think it is the best sounding iPod speaker dock that I found to date and recommend it most highly.
Speaker docks have two design limitiations:
1) The size of the dock tends to limit the bass response.
2) The way many docks connect to the iPod is via a male socket that plugs into the base of the iPod. This socket is often hard-wired to the pcb of the dock system, is subject to stress when the iPod is plugged in or unplugged and therefore can fail after light use.
The iGroove has a bass port at the back of the unit which is very effective. Additionally, the iPod fits snugly into the cradle on the unit, with a neat slider arrangement embedded into this cradle being adjusted up or down depending on which iPod you fit. (I use this unit with a 5g Video iPod and a 4g 40 Gig iPod just fine). The actual male connector is fixed firm and has no play to it. By adjusting the slider to the correct hight, you can drop the iPod into the unit and take it out again without causing any stress at all to the plug. Also, if you adjust the slider correctly, the iPod cannot move at all when connected, thereby limiting the potential for any stress to the connector.
Untis I tested included the following:
Monitor Audio i-deck Speaker Dock for iPod (I actually bought one of these and although it sounded great, I returned it after a couple of months as the connector failed - a common fault according to Newsgroups)
JBL Onstage II - iPod Speaker System - (very dissappointing sound and really lacked in bass)
JBL Radial - High Performace iPod Speaker System - (although more powerful, still not as impressive as I’d hoped)
Smaller, cheaper units sounded smaller and cheaper! I also read some pretty worrying comments from users of iRythhm regarding failure of the connector…
In summary:-
Pros:
Great sound
Small size
Good price
Excellent build quality
Cons:
Remote is a bit fussy - have to point it directly to the unit as it is infra-red (the Monitor Audio iDock used an RF remote which was much better).
Customer Review: Klipsch iGroove
Very pleased with it, sound is truly amazing for such a small unit, great bass (much better than the Bose, I think, and cheaper too) and very little distortion at high volume. It’s very close to the Apple hi-fi for sound quality but is much smaller and the ipod sits securely in front, not balanced on top (significant risk of damage in a house with 2 small kids rushing about). The ability to use other MP3 players or laptops with it was also a big plus. The only niggle is that the remote is tiny and easy to lose, so a place to store it in or on the unit would have been helpful.
GZ- Travel Charger for iPod Nano and U2 (UK version)
