Which Ipod Dock System?

[rob_981]

I hope I can get some advice here - I am looking to get an ipod dock for my dad for his birthday next month. I have a maximum budget of £200 (that's the absolute max - can't spend an extra £50 for the Bose Sounddock II or an extra £100 for the Zeppelin mini, sadly).

What should I go for? He listens mainly to 60s/70s music, with some classical thrown in and the odd bit of more modern stuff.

It must be compatible with the 5th gen ipod nano.

All help gratefully received.

Thanks

 

[motley]

Yamaha MCR 040 same as the 140 tested in this months magazine without the wireless link. Can be found online for sub £200.00 (and you will get DAB and DAB+)

 

[rob_981]

Thanks for the suggestion. That wasn't one I had been thinking of. However, thinking about, I think portability would be a big plus.

Has anybody tried the Sony CDP-X80iP? Looks to tick all the boxes. Or at the cheaper end of the scale, I know the Logitech PureFi Anywhere 2 gets 5 stars, but I have read that quiet periods in classial music (which he will definitely be listening to at times) can cause the dock to shut down. Has that happened to anyone here?

 

[Andy Clough]

Certainly not in our experience rob_981. If you want a portable dock, the PureFi Anywhere 2 is a great choice. The Editor-in- Chief uses one on her desk all the time (although it has to be said she's not a big fan of classical music!).

 

[Gozaradio]

I'll second the recommendation of the Pure Fi. I bought my wife an earlier incarnation (Logitech mm50) about 4 years ago and it's still going strong with daily use.

I bought my parents the Pure Fi 2 last year and they use it with their 5th Gen nanos. My Mum in particular, loves it.

I tried a few docks at the time and these have been far and away the best sound for the size, portability and cost.

 

[rob_981]

Just thought I'd let you know, I ended up going for the Sony RDP-X80iP. It was a bit of a chance - it was so new out at the time I bought it, virtually nobody had reviewed it.

Gave it the old man last Friday night, and he was delighted - it produces an excellent sound for such a reasonably sized unit, with impressive bass weight (although I don't think the slightly wobbly table it was sitting on really helped - hopefully he'll move it soon) and very little distortion at high volumes. The touch sensitive buttons work well, and I really like the feature where a voice can read out the name of the track and artist.

Even though I was really happy with it anyway, it was reassuring to see WHF agreeing and giving it five stars in this month's mag. I even managed to get it for under £200 delivered. Although I would agree that the remote control is a bit of a faff.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi all,

Can anyone help me with choosing a new ipod dock ?? my head is spinning trying to work out whats best for the price and sound.

Ive got a teac ref 500 with monitor audio speakers, and a universal ipod dock connected to the amp, im really concerned about the sound, not about video and stuff so would appreciate any views which help me to choose a new dock, the ones im ,ooking at range from £20 through to just over £100, altho in some forums, people tend to think there isnt much difference in sound ?!?!? can anyone help please ??

Alan

 

[Alantiggger]

the PureFi Anywhere 2 ...

 

[Anonymous]

I have to say that having a Logitech Pure fi anywhere 2 for over a year, I have had no problems until now. I cannot play my new ipod 5th generation nano on it or my husbands for that matter. What happens is that it plays for around 1 minute and then the nano stops. I have spoken to logitech about this and they say the 5th generation nano is not compatable with that dock!

Anyone else had this problem? Anyone know what I can do other than replace the dock or sell the ipod on Ebay?

 

[Anonymous]

I am planning to buy a Marantz NR1501 Amp. I have a 5th generation iPod Nano, and I am looking for a dock with a remote which received a 5 star rating. The Arcam irDock seems to be the best, but how does it connect with the amp ? There is no USB port on the amp. There are 5 Analogue In, 2 Digital Optical In, a D Bus, and a front input Audio In. There is no USB Audio i.e. it is not made for MP3s or iPods. Does this mean that it is impossible to play an iPod through the Marantz NR1501 ?

 

[AndrewH13]

PureFi Anywhere has been in my bathroom for 2 years. Great sounding but remote dreadful, rarely works without constant pressing and the onboard keys had a brainstorm last week. Volume kept turning up to max on their own while I was in the bath! Repeat and Random constantly flicking on ipod. Logitech forums show a lot of un-answered people with same problem. I have had no answer from Logitech support either. Tried yesterday and its returned to working normal. Wondering myself what to replace with as battery that was 10 hours now more 2-3 hours. Quite a few I fancy are mains which not good for bathroom (I have Sonos in other rooms).

 

[Anonymous]

alanc39larch:
Hi all,

Can anyone help me with choosing a new ipod dock ?? my head is spinning trying to work out whats best for the price and sound.

Ive got a teac ref 500 with monitor audio speakers, and a universal ipod dock connected to the amp, im really concerned about the sound, not about video and stuff so would appreciate any views which help me to choose a new dock, the ones im ,ooking at range from £20 through to just over £100, altho in some forums, people tend to think there isnt much difference in sound ?!?!? can anyone help please ??

Alan