Ipods

[jingjingna]

Know nothing about them except that they work like an mp3 and can therefore store quite a few songs/vids. How do I go about storing music and could an Ipod be connected to an existing Hifi unit?

Moreover, if anyone has one what are your thoughts about the Ipod?

[ashacat]

Ipods play digital music files of which MP3 is the most common type(and digital video files if you get one of the newer models)

You can either download songs from the internet from various websites such as "file sharing" sites eg. "limewire"

You can also convert your CD's into MP3 format using your PC and the "ITunes" software that you will get free when you buy an Ipod, and then put them on your ipod.

You can connect your ipod to your hifi if you have the correct cable (headphone jack to Phono) and your stereo has a phono input. However this will only playback the songs stored on your ipod and will not enable you to upload songs from your stereo to your ipod.

I think Ipods are excellent, I am now on my third one!!

Edited September 5, 2006 by ashacat

[jingjingna]

ashacat,

Thanks for the info. I have also seen the apple Hifi that you simply dock the Ipod on. I have seen them advertised on some Thai sites for around 18-20,000 Baht. I am wondering whether it might be better just to buy the Ipod and the Apple Hifi instead of a new 'conventional' type Hifi system.

Would like to know if you have heard of the Hifi and what your comments are.

Cheers

[Thaddeus]

ashacat,

Thanks for the info. I have also seen the apple Hifi that you simply dock the Ipod on. I have seen them advertised on some Thai sites for around 18-20,000 Baht. I am wondering whether it might be better just to buy the Ipod and the Apple Hifi instead of a new 'conventional' type Hifi system.

Would like to know if you have heard of the Hifi and what your comments are.

Cheers

If you want something that goes beyond the conventional, http://www.apple.com/airportexpress/airtunes.html

No more cables

[jingjingna]

Thaddeus the airport express gadget is great but it means having to have the computer on which is what I am trying to avoid by buying the ipod itself.

[Thaddeus]

Thaddeus the airport express gadget is great but it means having to have the computer on which is what I am trying to avoid by buying the ipod itself.

What..... you mean computers can actually be turned off ...... that's not normal

[nikster]

ashacat,

Thanks for the info. I have also seen the apple Hifi that you simply dock the Ipod on. I have seen them advertised on some Thai sites for around 18-20,000 Baht. I am wondering whether it might be better just to buy the Ipod and the Apple Hifi instead of a new 'conventional' type Hifi system.

Would like to know if you have heard of the Hifi and what your comments are.

Cheers

The iPod HiFi looks gorgeous, but well, anyone can see that

It has very good sound for a system of its size, and is sold in the U.S. for $350. Which means it's ridiculously overpriced in Thailand. If it was the same price as in the U.S. I would probably already have one.

There are loads of reviews out there - and a nice summary here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPod_Hi-Fi

The general consensus seems to be: Great bass, very loud, not so great tremble, worth the money but no audiophile system.

What no one seems to mention much is the perfect iPod integration. Worth a lot to me.

[james512]

I'd prefer the Monitor Audio I -Deck to the Ipod Hifi. I've seen it available in a hifi shop at MBK although can't remember how much baht they were asking.

[autonomous_unit]

Here, I thought someone would answer with how it works... It is basically a tiny computer, battery, and laptop hard-drive inside that little case. The nano and shuffle use flash memory instead of a hard-drive.

But seriously, if you have functional ears, you'll get better sound with a real hifi receiver and some decent speakers, plus any of the simple "iPod docks" that have line out plugs. The iPod generates a line output signal on its dock connector that is much higher quality than the signal out of the headphone socket, so this is much preferred for driving a real amplifier.

Any value hifi should allow you to tell the difference between a "good" and a "too compressed" MP3 file... something that is hard to do with most headphones that people use on portables, or with the crappy little speakers in integrated stereos or PC sound systems.