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=> GENERAL DISCUSSION => Topic started by: nkotb on December 06, 2007, 11:00:00 am

Title: iPod Stereos?
Post by: nkotb on December 06, 2007, 11:00:00 am
Any tips or suggestions?  I'm asking for one for Christmas, but I haven't tried any of them out yet, so I'm clueless and too lazy to look on my own.
Title: Re: iPod Stereos?
Post by: Vas Deferens on December 06, 2007, 11:10:00 am
can't go wrong with Altec Lansing InMotion...
 
 http://reviews.cnet.com/mp3-player-accessories/altec-lansing-inmotion-im600/4505-6519_7-32402791.html?tag=txt (http://reviews.cnet.com/mp3-player-accessories/altec-lansing-inmotion-im600/4505-6519_7-32402791.html?tag=txt)
Title: Re: iPod Stereos?
Post by: Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer on December 06, 2007, 11:12:00 am
Which home theater systems will allow me to use my turntable?
Title: Re: iPod Stereos?
Post by: walkonby on December 06, 2007, 11:18:00 am
Quote
Originally posted by nkotb:
  Any tips or suggestions?  I'm asking for one for Christmas, but I haven't tried any of them out yet, so I'm clueless and too lazy to look on my own.
i love people that are lazy . . . who run marathons.  i knew you did it just for a chance to snuggle up to katie.
Title: Re: iPod Stereos?
Post by: K8teebug on December 06, 2007, 11:22:00 am
I am getting the Altec Landing InMotion for Christmas!  Glad to know I picked a good one.  It sounded the best at the store, and I liked that it had a radio on it.
Title: Re: iPod Stereos?
Post by: Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer on December 06, 2007, 11:26:00 am
I've walked 26 miles with a backpack on my back faster than Katie Holmes ran a marathon.
 
 
Quote
Originally posted by walkonby:
   
Quote
Originally posted by nkotb:
  Any tips or suggestions?  I'm asking for one for Christmas, but I haven't tried any of them out yet, so I'm clueless and too lazy to look on my own.
i love people that are lazy . . . who run marathons.  i knew you did it just for a chance to snuggle up to katie. [/b]
Title: Re: iPod Stereos?
Post by: nkotb on December 06, 2007, 11:32:00 am
I spent more time in a store shopping for a gift than I did actually running the marathon, so I'm quite finished with non-internet shopping.
 
 Plus, you guys are so smart, I'd happily bow down to your superior knowledge  :D  
 
 
Quote
Originally posted by walkonby:
 i love people that are lazy . . . who run marathons.  i knew you did it just for a chance to snuggle up to katie.
Title: Re: iPod Stereos?
Post by: ggw on December 06, 2007, 11:58:00 am
If, by "iPod stereo" you mean those docking stations with speakers - I have the Klipsch iGroove (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FTU77C/ref=pd_cp_e_0?pf_rd_p=250314601&pf_rd_s=center-41&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000I1HUGS&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0216GZJSS48S2RSZ2T13).  It's pretty sweet.  Unlike most of these things, it has separate woofers and tweeters.
Title: Re: iPod Stereos?
Post by: vansmack on December 06, 2007, 11:59:00 am
If it's for in house use, I recommend the iPod base with a simple RCA hookup to your home stereo - no iPod stereo puts out quality sound near the vast majority of home stereo's.
Title: Re: iPod Stereos?
Post by: tobyd on December 07, 2007, 10:58:00 am
<img src="http://www.slimdevices.com/images/gallery/1.jpg" alt=" - " />
 
 Consider the Squeezebox (http://www.slimdevices.com) option as well if you want something to plug your computer into any stereo via wireless.  T
Title: Re: iPod Stereos?
Post by: taperkat on December 08, 2007, 03:47:00 am
the main problem with the altec lansing is it's good for a year, maybe 2. =/
 
 jbl has a really nice system out for around the same price point.. when i work sunday i'll try to find the exact number.
Title: Re: iPod Stereos?
Post by: Herr Professor Doktor Doom on December 08, 2007, 03:59:00 am
<img src="http://www.slimdevices.com/images/transporter-gallery/1.jpg" alt=" - " />
Title: Re: iPod Stereos?
Post by: Chip Chanko on December 08, 2007, 10:01:00 am
I bought a few airport expresses from the apple refurb site and just stream my iTunes everywhere via airtunes. There's software (http://www.rogueamoeba.com/airfoil/) that lets you stream anything from your PC to these and  other software (http://home.comcast.net/~bluetunes/) that lets you use a wiimote as your remote via bluetooth.
Title: Re: iPod Stereos?
Post by: chaz on December 08, 2007, 04:03:00 pm
Quote
Originally posted by tobyd:
   <img src="http://www.slimdevices.com/images/gallery/1.jpg" alt=" - " />
 
 Consider the Squeezebox (http://www.slimdevices.com) option as well if you want something to plug your computer into any stereo via wireless.  T
I am CRAZY about my Squeezebox...had mine for about 2 years now.  
 
 For Ipod speakers, I'd get  these (http://www.hammacher.com/publish/72788.asp)
Title: Re: iPod Stereos?
Post by: Herr Professor Doktor Doom on December 08, 2007, 04:09:00 pm
I was annoyed to find out that Squeezeboxes won't work with network drives.  You have to have a computer turned on for them to work -- which is a pain in the a@@ and kind of contradicts their claim that you don't need your computer.
Title: Re: iPod Stereos?
Post by: chaz on December 08, 2007, 05:27:00 pm
Quote
Originally posted by They call me Doctor Doom.:
  I was annoyed to find out that Squeezeboxes won't work with network drives.  You have to have a computer turned on for them to work -- which is a pain in the a@@ and kind of contradicts their claim that you don't need your computer.
Not entirely true...just depends on the NAS device being used.  I know you can run it from an Infrant Ready NAS I think it's called...don't know if other devices can be used.
 
 Doesn't bother me at all...I leave my pc on just about all the time.
 
 As far as their claim you don't need the computer, they probably mean for seervices like Rhapsody, Pandora, on line radio and a bunch of other "squeeze network" stuff.
Title: Re: iPod Stereos?
Post by: Herr Professor Doktor Doom on December 08, 2007, 06:19:00 pm
If you leave a PC on, you never know when it's going to burst into flames or get hacked into the service of a zombie botnet.  I guess I'm just ticked because I got a Maxtor Shared Storage NAS drive just to hold my music collection, and Squeezebox won't work with it...
Title: Re: iPod Stereos?
Post by: chaz on December 08, 2007, 07:01:00 pm
Quote
Originally posted by They call me Doctor Doom.:
  If you leave a PC on, you never know when it's going to burst into flames or get hacked into the service of a zombie botnet.  
Powering PC's and hard drives off an on is more damaging than just leaving them on.
 
 And that's what hardware firewalls and AV software are for.
Title: Re: iPod Stereos?
Post by: Chip Chanko on December 10, 2007, 12:46:00 pm
I usually turn my pc off or put it in sleep more to save power than anything else. The hard drives on my NAS spin down after 30 minutes of non use, too.
Title: Re: iPod Stereos?
Post by: HoyaSaxa03 on December 13, 2007, 01:40:00 am
i need some help brainstorming here ---
 
 i need speakers / ipod stereo / boombox / whatever for a bedroom that will let me connect the audio from a cable box ... i'm not looking for something fantastic, just something that will be sufficiently loud for a small room
 
 i can get the audio out from the cable box in a bunch of different ways:  RCA plugs, RCA plugs --> 3.5mm miniplug (which i assume would let it work on an "ipod stereo"), SPDIF out, TOSLINK, etc.
 
 any efficiently cheap ideas?  are there any computer speakers that would get this job done?  do i need to go ahead and buy a boombox/ipod stereo?
 
 muchas gracias
Title: Re: iPod Stereos?
Post by: vansmack on December 13, 2007, 05:26:00 pm
Can you send me the model # of your cable box so I can get a look at the back?
Title: Re: iPod Stereos?
Post by: chaz on December 13, 2007, 10:41:00 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Hoya Paranoia:
  i need some help brainstorming here ---
 
 i need speakers / ipod stereo / boombox / whatever for a bedroom that will let me connect the audio from a cable box ... i'm not looking for something fantastic, just something that will be sufficiently loud for a small room
 
 i can get the audio out from the cable box in a bunch of different ways:  RCA plugs, RCA plugs --> 3.5mm miniplug (which i assume would let it work on an "ipod stereo"), SPDIF out, TOSLINK, etc.
 
 any efficiently cheap ideas?  are there any computer speakers that would get this job done?  do i need to go ahead and buy a boombox/ipod stereo?
 
 muchas gracias
Budget?
Title: Re: iPod Stereos?
Post by: HoyaSaxa03 on December 13, 2007, 10:54:00 pm
Quote
Originally posted by chaz:
  Budget?
nothing set in stone, maybe $100 max? ... but if i could get something to get the job done for $15 that'd be fine by me
 
 i know i don't want to go ahead and do the whole receiver + speakers or home-theatre-in-a-box thing (unless it was pretty cheap)
 
 EDIT:  just as i said that i started browsing through home-theatres-in-a-box (is that like the plural attorneys general?) ... i'm surprised at how cheap some of them are now, that might be a solid option ... will give me a remote as well, which computer speakers probably wouldn't
Title: Re: iPod Stereos?
Post by: Bags on December 14, 2007, 12:01:00 am
This (http://www.apple.com/ipodhifi/hifiyourhome.html)  replaced my stereo.  I love it. I listen to NPR on my computer, and don't listen to other radio.  So I'm all set...
Title: Re: iPod Stereos?
Post by: chaz on December 14, 2007, 12:09:00 am
Quote
Originally posted by Hoya Paranoia:
   
Quote
Originally posted by chaz:
  Budget?
nothing set in stone, maybe $100 max?
 [/b]
I got nothing for ya.  Grab your torch and head back to camp.
Title: Re: iPod Stereos?
Post by: vansmack on December 14, 2007, 02:04:00 am
Quote
Originally posted by Hoya Paranoia:
   
Quote
Originally posted by chaz:
  Budget?
nothing set in stone, maybe $100 max? ... but if i could get something to get the job done for $15 that'd be fine by me[/b]
The cheapest solution, as you have pointed out, is a decent set of $20 computer speakers.  For any computer speakers to work, you'll have to have an 3.5mm stereo plug in the back of you Cable box.  Some do, some don't, but without the model number, you'll have to check yourself.  A headphone jack in the front might also work.  If they're still around, you may be able to find an RCA to female 3.5mm stereo adapter, but they're pretty outdated.
 
 You could do something like this with a an RCA jack to stereo plug (http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10218&cs_id=1021804&p_id=665&seq=1&format=2) in the line-in:
 
 CD Boombox with Line in ($44) (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7675884&type=product&id=1142299306379)
 
 Your typical hotel alarm clock option ($50) (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8453602&type=product&id=1184369178971)
 
 There are many more expensive options from there.
 
 For $60, you can get 1000w (5.1 Channe) progressive scan DVD system (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7686435&type=product&id=1134704163528) or for $70, you can get an  5.1 Channel system with a DVd player. (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8254337&type=product&id=1169512522336)
 
 Or you may cruise into one of the retailers and check out their open box buys - I've had some decent success there, especially after the holiday returns.
Title: Re: iPod Stereos?
Post by: HoyaSaxa03 on December 14, 2007, 02:42:00 am
Quote
Originally posted by vansmack:
 For $60, you can get 1000w (5.1 Channe) progressive scan DVD system (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7686435&type=product&id=1134704163528) or for $70, you can get an  5.1 Channel system with a DVd player. (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8254337&type=product&id=1169512522336)
this is the kind of thing i was talking about ... i can't believe how cheap these things are now, i might cruise over to best buy this weekend
 
 thanks for the help
Title: Re: iPod Stereos?
Post by: chaz on December 14, 2007, 08:13:00 am
I seriously wouldn't expect much from any HTIB that costs under $100.  Sound quality will be seriously weak, esp. for music.
 
 You get what you pay for, but it's your $$.
 
 To get started on the cheap I'd get something like  this (http://www.electronics-expo.com/index.php?page=item&id=HARHK3385&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=HARHK3385) and maybe  these speakers. (http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=34000)
Title: Re: iPod Stereos?
Post by: HoyaSaxa03 on December 14, 2007, 10:29:00 am
Quote
Originally posted by chaz:
  I seriously wouldn't expect much from any HTIB that costs under $100.  Sound quality will be seriously weak, esp. for music.
i totally agree ... but i have a pretty good receiver / speaker setup in the living room for music / movies / tv / whatnot ... this is just a bedroom addition, but thanks for the tips