In October 2001, Apple launched iPod, a brand of portable Media player. The iPod is perhaps one of the best known and loved gadgets of this decade. Currently, the line up consists of hard drive based flagship iPod classic, iPod touch, iPod nano and the low end screen less iPod shuffle. iPod can also serve as an external data storage device. We can say that iPod has changed the way people think about music on the move.
In course of time, iPod speakers came into existence. Companies like Logitech, Zeppelin, Ferguson, Altec Lansing, Chestnut Hill, etc., manufacture various kinds of iPod speakers. Let's look at the features of the iPod speakers of the above mentioned companies.
The B&W Zeppelin is oblong in shape and houses two woofers, two tweeters and a subwoofer behind its soft cloth non removable grille. The speaker has a loud sound with well defined bass. The egg shaped remote has a silver rear panel with a rubber plug that hides the non rechargeable battery. The controls are limited to track forward and backward buttons, play/pause, volume up and down, power, and a toggle button that pauses the iPod and switches to the aux input and vice versa.
Ferguson Hill FH007 and FH008 sound really good and look very beautiful too. In this speaker the tweeters and the woofers for each channel are housed in separate acrylic enclosures, instead of within one wood speaker block like we find in most of the traditional speakers. They work perfectly with a personal computer or an Apple iPod. Because of its irregular shape, this speaker system will need a little more shelf space than most other speakers. The woofers, housed in clear spheres with the front side cut away, have an eight inch diameter. Since the speakers are so light in weight, a heavy bass rumble produced by the sub woofer could potentially vibrate them enough to cause movement.
The distinctive 8.5 inch wide screen in Altec Lansing iMV712 is its major selling point. The screen, which sits between the speakers, is designed for viewing iPod content or videos from external devices like camcorders. The system comes with a membrane button remote that includes all the necessary functions. There is also composite video cable added with usual array of plastic dock adapters for each and every iPod model.
Apple iPod Hi Fi is a three way combination speaker and can be controlled by two touch sensitive buttons for adjusting the volume. Aside from the power jack, the only port is an auxiliary audio input, which accommodates either 3.5 mm analog cables or optical digital cables. If the personal computer or external USB sound card has an optical output then this digital input is excellent for getting sound.
The iPod Hi Fi comes with the standard Apple wireless infrared remote. The set up of the speaker is as simple as plugging it in or inserting batteries. Placing the speaker in the audio lab about 10 inches from the rear wall and equidistant from the sidewalls keeps the sound as smooth as possible.
The George, an audio system by Chestnut Hill, is meant for fourth generation Apple iPods. It has super cable and puts up unbelievably good sound. The speakers are neither upward angled nor detachable. The left and the right speakers are roughly 6 inches apart.
