iPods have revolutionised the way in which we listen to music. Potentially thousands of your favourite songs can saved in something the size of a cigarette pack and now they are not just for personal consumption. With the correct equipment these tiny appliances can provide musical fuel for parties and annoy neighbours with top sound quality. This article provides an objective assessment of three manufacturers latest models in the iPod speaker market.
The torpedo style Bowers and Wilkins Zeppelin iPod speakers are a thing of beauty both in sound and appearance. Although it might look more at home on the set of Event Horizon the speakers look great, the only problem being is they tend to make everything else you own look outdated, including the iPod itself. The sound quality is outstanding, it has all the connections you could wish for and a bunch of other great features and the only drawback is the price which sits at 400GBP.
A step down in price is the equally originally designed Voix MPX iPod speakers which are tall and thin, shaped less like a 1930s German air blimp. They are a step down in price range at 259GBP and also a slight step down in sound quality, although you would not be able to tell apart from at a volume that you would not get to without your neighbours relocating. They are a bit bulky however they can be separated by a standard speaker wire so you can put them where you like.
A more wallet-friendly iPod speakers option is the Altec Lansing iM500 model. This is only 90GBP and is the size of a DVD case. The good news is that it has quite good sound quality, it is thin and good looking and it takes batteries so you can hook it up more or less anywhere. The bad news is that it only works well with the Nano, there is no remote control and you can potentially loose it easily, however if you are travelling it is worth checking out.
iPod speaker systems range greatly in specification and cost. The Bowers model is the top of the range and you can also hook up to other appliances with the multitude of connections such as s-video, USB and composite where the Altec model only works effectively with one model of iPod. It really depends on what your requirements are, however the Voix model looks good, is mid-range in price and will provide everything you need for domestic use. |
