Looking for an iPod speaker with...
One of the (many) reasons I don’t put advertising (other than Amazon affiliation), wishlists, or donation/begging buttons on Hicksdesign, is that occasionally I like to take advantage of the readership and ask them questions. It’s better than posting on forums, and has always come up trumps in the past. So I’m hoping that someone out there can help me!
I’m looking for a ipod speaker system that fulfils the following needs:
- Decent sound, but doesn’t need to be ‘audiophile’ quality.
- Must have Composite Video out
- Must have External audio in
- It doesn’t need to be portable, but an all-in-one Bose SoundDockish design is preferred. Small, compact (or at least ‘not very high’), and less wires. I currently use an Apple universal dock and remote, attached to a bulky stereo, but want something that will fit either underneath the TV with the DVD, or on a bookshelf.
- Remote controllable.
- Charges iPod while docked, extra points for being able to sync too (but not a deal breaker)
The video-out need rules out Apple’s iPod Hi-Fi, and the SoundDock. So far the best fit I’ve found is Altec Lansing’s iM7. There are a couple of niggles with the iM7, I’m not enamoured with the cradle bit that you put the iPod into, and Leigh is none too keen on the tube style design. Oh, and apparently the remote isn’t that great. The Klipsch iGroove “Klipsch iGroove” comes very close too (size, shape and styling and audio in), if it were not for the lack of video out.
I’ve been trawling the interwebs for a weeks, looking through all the very helpful reviews on iLounge. There are options like the new Logitech Audiostation (which loses points on style), and the Monitor i-Deck (which is another possibility), but maybe I’ve missed something new out there. I could get a non-ipod dedicated system such as a Denon DM33, but I’m looking for less wires if possible.
Hit me with your suggestions!