Speaker setup for iPod

[admin_exported]

Hi,

Soon I plan to buy a new speaker set up to replace my old portable hifi system with something I can dock my ipod with.

My music libray is made up of Pop, Rock, HipHop and RnB.

I have a budget of £400 and i have looked at the

-b&w zeppelin, my only question regarding this system was whether it can be run off batteries aswell as a power socket.

-Klipsch Roomgrove, is the zeppelin twice as good as this to warrant spending twice the cash?

-logic3 jivebox, I have heard this thing is really loud but I want clarity of sound too, does this system sacrifice on that? 

-fatman itube valve dock with tannoy f1 custom speakers. Would it be pointless me buying speakers such as the sony ff s6000 floor standers if I only have the fatman amp, not a posh £500 amp, as those speakers are much more powerful, would I be utilizing them fully?. Im no audiophile but I'd like to have the best sounding system for my music that I can afford.

Thanks.

 

 

 

[manicm]

Well since you do have 400 quid to play with you owe it to yourself to hear the Zeppelin. Just make sure your tunes are at 256k or higher.

 

[professorhat]

Echoing the thoughts on the bitrate of your tunes, if 320 kbs / Lossless, I would seriously consider the Epoz AKtiMate Minis.

 

[idc]

The Fatman puts out 25 watts, so the more sensitive the speakers the better. Where you will have your setup could also dictate which one you go for. The Fatman with speakers, which will probably need stands will take up the same space as a more traditional hifi. The Aktimates need to be connected to your PC. The B&W is the easiest to position and it runs off the mains only. It also has other functions such as it can connect to your TV.

If you have a budget of £400 I would not go with a cheaper speaker dock if you want the best sound quality.

 

[Anonymous]

Ok thanks, I have a side cabinet which the system would sit on, and on reflection I would prefer not to have speakers on stands, though would this affect the sound quality?

If the fatman itube says its 25watt per channel, does that mean no matter how powerful the speaker are(e.g 100W each) I would still only hear 25watts from each?I am unsure of how this works so if someone could explain Id be very grateful.

The room in question is 5mx5m, would 2 lots of 25 watt be enough to fill the room? Also what is the power output of the zeppelin?ÿ

Thanksÿ

 

[professorhat]

idc:The Aktimates need to be connected to your PC.

No they don't - they have an iPod dock built into the top of the left speaker (as shown in the picture). Also have a remote which will control your iPod. You can also hook your TV into the Akitmates through their RCA or 3.5 mm input.

 

[Big Aura]

Epoz would be choice 1, and Roomgroove #2. - Bought a Roomgrove for little bro for Christmas, and he really rates it

B&W Zep is great, but TBH a bit unportable. Anything that runs on batteries will be pretty lame, by comparison...

 

[idc]

professorhat:

idc:The Aktimates need to be connected to your PC.

No they don't - they have an iPod dock built into the top of the left speaker (as shown in the picture). Also have a remote which will control your iPod. You can also hook your TV into the Akitmates through their RCA or 3.5 mm input.

Sorry, had a look at this on the web at Audio Affair and thought it meant they needed connection to a PC. Regards wattage, 25 watts will run pretty much any standard book shelf speaker and many a floor stander, but the rule of thumb is that low powered amps work better with more sensitive speakers. However, you will get room filling volume no matter which route you take.

 

[Anonymous]

In not worried about it being portable, as Im not going to be shifting a £400 piece of kit around too often.ÿ

My main question is what would offer better sound the zeppelin or the fatman itube valve dock with wharfedale 9.1s(ive now picked these over the tannoys), my music is at 256kbps. Would the fatman offer better bass than the zeppelin?

Is it possible to convert music bought from itunes to apple lossless?ÿ

Thanksÿ

ÿ

 

[professorhat]

I haven't heard either of them, but I'd put a hefty bet on the Fatman and Wharfedales sounding better than the Zeppelin - simple physics insists they must! I still think you should give the Fatman and the Aktimates an audition - I wouldn't be surprised if the Akitmates won that battle either - mine sit on isolation pads in my office and are, to put it simply, superb.

Afraid you can't upconvert music bitrates i.e. convert 256 kbps to Lossless as you can't put back what's already gone.

ÿ

 

[Big Aura]

jammers999:

In not worried about it being portable, as Im not going to be shifting a £400 piece of kit around too often.

Assumed your initial only question about whether the B&W was battery-operated meant that you would move it about a bit...

 

[Anonymous]

Yep sorry if that was confusing to the readers. at first I was considering moving it around which was why I asked if it was battery-powered, but since posting I have changed my mind and decided to protect the equipment from any damage by not moving it around.

What has been the best price any of you guys have seen a fatman itube valve dock minus the speakers?Ive seen one for £150.

ÿ

 

[idc]

That looks a good price after a quick look on the web the cheapest I found was £176. With good reviews from What hifi and a work collegue if you have decided on the Fatman go for it and try to audition different speakers to match. I am sure any dealer selling Fatmans would happily set on up for you to try different speakers.

There was a thread like this before where different people had heard different speakers/docks, but no one had heard all. I have heard the Zeppelin and it does sound fantastic and it will be my upgrade from the Bose Sounddock, especially since it can be connected to the TV and act as a centre speaker.

 

[Anonymous]

Ok thanks for the info regarding the bit rate.

Sorry one last question, what is the official power output of the fatman itube valve dock(with separate ipod dock) as I have read 2x13w from whathifi but 2x25W from the fatman website? Would this apparent reduction in power over the fatman carbon(one piece system) compromise the itube's ability to fill my 5mx5m room?ÿ

Also is there a significant difference between the mk1 and mk2 fatman carbon?

Thanksÿ

 

[idc]

I took my figure from the Fatman website and would go with that. You will be able to fill your room with enough sound that it will be heard at parties and could annoy your neighbours. It will not go as ear splittingly loud as a more traditional hifi, but that is at volumes which will distort and you would not listen to for any lenght of time.

Can't comment on the differences between mk1 and 2, check the website?

 

[basshound]

I have a Klipsch i-groove and must admit I was pleasantly surprised at the sound quality and levels of bass from a small and relatively cheap unit.If you are looking for a compact and tidy set up I`d definitely consider the Klipsch range. Might be difficult to audition one but Amazon have a good returns policy if you were to get one and then decide you didn`t like it.