CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

**kal**

I bought my wife an iPod Touch for Christmas this year.

Now she wants some way to listen to music in the living room so I'd like to get something small that the iPod can sit on. Basically an integrated amp of some sort with either built in or separate speakers.

It has to "look nice" too since it's going in the living room. Wink

Seems that there's a lot in the $50-100 range for little box that look more like boom-boxes or clock-radios like this:

Then there's some really high priced stuff in the $600+ range too like the B&W Zeppelin:

To the really crazy $2500+ and up range like this:

(No speakers either).

So how about something in-between in the $200-400 range? Anyone have any recommendations? Call me crazy but Some of the Fatman iTube things look kind of cool. Kind of crazy pairing an the lossy compressed music from an iPod with the warm/mushy sound of tubes. Wink

Link: http://www.fat-man.co.uk

Kal

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 2:34 am Post subject:

iTube looks cool but as you say compresed music with tubes? I wonder if the EQ it?

zaphod · Joined: 16 Jun 2006 Posts: 2002 Location: Cloverdale

i tried my touch in some of the earlier tube amp with speakers (looked a lot like and might have been a fatman) and the touch did not work with it. if you can believe it, there are a few MONO ipod docks, including a honking big red cube of a speaker that has the dock a top of it.

have you considered getting an apple/belkin/griffin dock that can be fed into your living room system? (you do have a living room system, right?)

i'm leaning toward the Wadia i170 dock that pulls the digital stream off the ipod and then feeding it into my offboard DAC.

ecrabb · Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 4:54 am Post subject:

Kal, I don't know if it sounds any good, but have you checked out the Bose Sounddock II? I'm no Bose fan, but it might sound pretty good as an "iPod" system" and is right in the middle price-wise at $300. The mother-in-laws Wave Radio does sound damn good - for a clock radio.

Like Zaphod said, the other option would be an Apple dock/remote like this ($50):

If you don't have a living room setup already, you could try out an "executive" system like from Onkyo, Denon, Sony, etc. Many of those are in the $300 ballpark:

The other option is a nice high-quality used 2-ch integrated amp and some nice bookshelf monitors that could be found used very inexpensively, also paired with the Apple "Universal Dock".

SC

WanMan · Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 10270

What is Apple's offering? And if they have one, how can you call yourself an Apple fan for acting of infidelity like this? Razz

**kal** · Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 2:03 pm Post subject:

**kal** · Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2009 2:07 pm Post subject:

scoobydoo · Joined: 06 Apr 2006 Posts: 358 Location: Victoria BC

I've heard a few of the lower end priced Ipod station and they sound ok.

I've heard and got a friend of mine to buy the B&W Zepplin and it sounds awesome. She's had it for 5 months now and still loves it. If I had an ipod I probably get one.

that's my 2 cents.

zaphod · Joined: 16 Jun 2006 Posts: 2002 Location: Cloverdale

the apple universal dock is overpriced. you buy the dock.

the new belkin power dock (best buy) comes with all but the wall wart. i'm getting one this weekend. good to know that the fatboy works with the touch. much have been another brand that i saw before Christmas.

i hear you abuot the $$$ for the Wadia, and i wish that i'd bought it before the dollar dive, but i'm was still debating between squeezebox and ipod for the living room two channel. finally decided that i need both Smile

you know, there is a fellow out here selling a meitner pre and power. get a belkin, that pre/power and some speakers and you have an incredible system for probably $1000. i love spending other peoples money.

or .... and this is really silly, but you get the meitner BiDAT current auctioning on Audiogon (comes with volume control) and do away with the pre. of course then you need a DAC. oh, and the BiDAT goes for $3000.

hmmmm the phrase "but honey - i got it for you ...." never looks good in divorce papers.

**kal** · Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 1:25 am Post subject:

Out of curiosity:

How long to valves (tubes) in audio equipment typically last before they need replacement? I don't mean 'audiophile' quality upgrading where anything but perfection means you replace the values but for the average person.

Valve Types: 1x 6E2, 2x 6N2

That's about $60 worth of tubes (if I calculated correctly).

Kal

MikeEby · Joined: 24 Jun 2007 Posts: 5237 Location: Osceola, Indiana

I wonder how much extra they charge for the cover? Mr. Green

Mike

**kal** · Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 1:40 am Post subject:

Tube cover? It comes with on. Doesn't look as purdy with the cover on so only the manual has it in a picture or two reminding you to keep it on when the unit is powered up (and away from kids/babies).

Kal

zaphod · Joined: 16 Jun 2006 Posts: 2002 Location: Cloverdale

i got the belkin power dock tonight, and a dynex wall wart - $70 and it sounds great through the system.

while there i had a look and BB had a number of options from which you and your wife can choose. i think it comes down to looks and such. i did notice that the "Lucky Geisha" was on sale from 149 to 99.

and yeah, i just know that last sentance is going to take the thread in an entirely new direction.

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 7:50 am Post subject:

**kal**

Update.