# Computer speakers or iPod Dock?



## Pilatesbody (Dec 14, 2007)

My daughter just bought herself a laptop Mac. I am wondering, should I buy her speakers for the computer, or a dock for her iPod? She would be using the speakers just to play music, not games. I am leaning towards the dock because I have two daughters and therefore two iPods, and it can be brought up and downstairs accordingly (from her room) and shared. I was looking online and found Altec-Lansing IM7 which got good reviews.
Any suggestions?
ps I do not have a stereo at all at home. I know, pathetic, eh?


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## Veej (Feb 16, 2006)

The best one I think for price and performance is the Harmon Kardon Go and Play dock, Best Buy has it for sale for 399 or 299.. it looks good the bass kicks A$$ better than the over priced Bose one...

The Best one--if money is of no concern---is the B&W ipod Speaker Called "Zeppelin"- it Sounds Killer and Looks Killer...but over $600  

iPod Speakers System - Zeppelin B&W | Bowers & Wilkins The Apple stores in the GTA have them on display check them out.....even if you don't wanna buy it.


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## Pilatesbody (Dec 14, 2007)

Thank you Veej. Unfortunately, money is an object! I will check out the Harmon Kardon now.


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## Todd (Oct 14, 2002)

My pick would be for speakers, not a dock.

An iPod can be connected to a computer just fine through it's USB or Firewire cable. A dock is just a nice-to-have.

Speakers would actually be useful and allow your daughter to listen to music when not wearing the iPod. The small speakers built into a laptop are not suitable for listening to music.

Spending $300 on laptop speakers is excessive, in my opinion. Unless your daughter is an audiophile who can't endure the slightest harmonic distortion in the French horns while listening to Bach, any technical benefit of expensive speakers wouldn't be noticed. I would budget $100.


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## Pilatesbody (Dec 14, 2007)

That's very helpful. Where does one actually go to buy such a thing as stereo speakers? I dropped in to Best Buy one night last week and the fellow there really wasn't very knowledgeable (trying my best to be kind here). Is there a better, perhaps more dedicated store?


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## Eric0 (Nov 22, 2007)

I agree with Todd. My personal choice would be for speakers for all the reasons mentioned above. Additionally, for the price, speakers sound far better than comparable docks.

While not as portable as a dock you can use speakers both for an iPod or a computer as they connect through the headphone jack. 

For speakers I would recommend the Logitech Z-2300's. These are the best you can buy in a 2.1 system (Two speakers + Subwoofer). They are currently on sale at Futureshop for $130 down from 220. Tigerdirect.ca also carries them for 125 so you could price match if you want. 

While more expensive than Todd's recommended $100 budget. They really are night and day over any other 2.1 system available under $150. 

On a side note if you wanted to go all out you could purchase a Universal iPod dock ($60) and connect the speakers to the line out on the back. Then it would almost be exactly like one of the Altec Lansing or Bose systems that cost 300-400.


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## Eric0 (Nov 22, 2007)

Pilatesbody said:


> That's very helpful. Where does one actually go to buy such a thing as stereo speakers? I dropped in to Best Buy one night last week and the fellow there really wasn't very knowledgeable (trying my best to be kind here). Is there a better, perhaps more dedicated store?


Best place is at Futureshop or Bestbuy. Futureshop they are usually located in the back of the computer section near the monitors. Best Buy they seem to be near the car audio section. 

If your having trouble finding them ask a sales guy for "Computer Speakers" or "Multimedia Speakers".

Most of the guy's there probably won't know much about the different systems other than pure volume power. If you have any questions just post in the forums. 

Below is the link to Futureshop's selection, Best Buy will match Futureshop's prices if Bestbuy is closer to your home. 
Future Shop


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## HowEver (Jan 11, 2005)

After you've listened to speakers in FutureShop or BestBuy, and decided on the range of what you need/want, go home and do a search here:

Ehmac.ca: Search. Compare. Buy.

Check here too costco.ca and others you know.

You'll want to keep in mind other factors like some stores' easy return policy vs. saving a few dollars. But often FS/BB will match those other stores' prices, and then subtract 10% of the difference.


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## Eric0 (Nov 22, 2007)

^Whoa that comparison site is amazing.


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## Veej (Feb 16, 2006)

I think the Harmond Kardon Go and Play would be a better option cause you can easly move it room to room or patio in the summer, as for any computer speakers..although can be moved but is a pain in the [email protected]## to do cause now you got 2 speakers and maybe a sub and the wire to each of them from the main power source..

Basically computer speakers are *not *ment to be moved around once you put them up thats it...

If portability is a key with good sound I say the HK is a good investment...


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## Eric0 (Nov 22, 2007)

For the price of the HK Go, you would almost be better of buying a set of computer speakers and a cheaper iPod speaker system from the Altec Lansing or comparable line. 

I'd be afraid to sit out on the patio with a 300 dollar system. Have to keep in mind audio quality is dependent on the bit rate of the songs on an iPod. 128 won't sound much better on the Zeppelin or HK than it would on a Macbook's built-in speakers.


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## Veej (Feb 16, 2006)

Eric0 said:


> For the price of the HK Go, you would almost be better of buying a set of computer speakers and a cheaper iPod speaker system from the Altec Lansing or comparable line.
> 
> I'd be afraid to sit out on the patio with a 300 dollar system. Have to keep in mind audio quality is dependent on the bit rate of the songs on an iPod. 128 won't sound any better on the Zeppelin or HK than it would on a Macbook's built-in speakers.


Dude where do you live..? if sitting in your back yard with a $300 dock would be life threatening,,,man you gotta move out of that hood, instead of a security system you need a sawed off shotgun and some crack in case you need to bargain... :lmao: 


Sound does make a difference from Speaker to Speaker..not just the bitrate my friend..

From your saying a CD should sound the same in a half baked sound system like that of a Kia/Hyndai/Suzuki and a BMW/Merc/Audi/


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## Eric0 (Nov 22, 2007)

Veej said:


> Dude where do you live..? if sitting in your back yard with a $300 dock would be risky,,,man I'd move out of that area...
> 
> Sound does make a difference from Speaker to speaker..not just the bitrate my friend..from your saying a CD should sound the same in Kia and a BMW


By risk I mean you spill your drink, knock the table over, have your neighbors baseball fly into your backyard. 

CD = ~1000 Kbps, Most downloaded stuff = 128. 

I agree the $3200 Harmon Kardon's in the BMW sound better than a Kia. Hell they are even better than a lot of home theater systems. But the point was that its a marginal difference in sound (if your listening to ≤128kbps) for a huge increase in price. If you listen to lossless songs or high definition audio then you probably wouldn't be posting here asking about iPod docks.


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## Veej (Feb 16, 2006)

Eric0 said:


> By risk I mean you spill your drink, knock the table over, have your neighbors baseball fly into your backyard.
> 
> CD = ~1000 Kbps, Most downloaded stuff = 128.
> 
> I agree the $3200 Harmon Kardon's in the BMW sound better than a Kia. Hell they are even better than a lot of home theater systems. But the point was that its a marginal difference in sound (if your listening to ≤128kbps) for a huge increase in price. If you listen to lossless songs or high definition audio then you probably wouldn't be posting here asking about iPod docks.


Ok so your not living in the Hood..:lmao: 

About the differences in the docks and computer speakers I've heard them sound way off and really good even with 128kbps. 

When I was looking into buying a dock, I took my iphone and pluged it into various docks (the new future shop at Yonge and Dundas have all the docks set up with power) I played the same song from various docks and man you can tell right away from a $80 dock to $300 dock the top contenders were the Bose and HK and the HK was much better than the Bose..the others all sound for what they were worth..So even the 128 bit songs do sound different between system to system.


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## HowEver (Jan 11, 2005)

Altec Lansing makes some excellent iPod docks/stereos that are surprisingly powerful and portable, even the smaller ones have great response and range.


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## Betty Woo (Feb 5, 2005)

HowEver said:


> After you've listened to speakers in FutureShop or BestBuy, and decided on the range of what you need/want, go home and do a search here:
> 
> Ehmac.ca: Search. Compare. Buy.


That's where I found a local store selling the Logitech Z-10 speakers at a great price. A photo and some more info at http://www.ehmac.ca/anything-mac/52541-logitech-z-10-speakers.html.

You can also download a simple hack that will allow iTunes information to scroll along the speaker (see photo on that thread).

I'm very happy with the sound quality of this pair.


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## infinity8 (Feb 19, 2006)

I would recommend purchasing speaker because you have two uses one of coarse is hooking them to the computer and using itunes for you music and the other is plugging the speakers right into the ipod, the speakers have there own amplifier, and power the speakers. I've done it and it works. The logitechs are the speakers I use, they are pretty good sounding, loud and cheap. http://www.canadacomputers.com/main.php?do=ShowProduct&cmd=pd&pid=005655&cid=SP.997


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## infinity8 (Feb 19, 2006)

I've found these from logitech I can't verify how they would sound, they do have a built in ipod dock. 
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2927911&CatId=2893


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## Eric0 (Nov 22, 2007)

infinity8 said:


> I've found these from logitech I can't verify how they would sound, they do have a built in ipod dock.
> Logitech X-240 3-Piece Speakers with IpodMP3 Player Dock 970285-0403 in Canada at TigerDirect.ca


The dock on those looks like a great feature. Definitely the best of both worlds.

I know a ton of people who have the standard X-240 system and love it. However, once you hear better you'll probably find the sound to be very tinny and lacking in depth. With the volume up high they sound like noise to me. Keep in mind this is comparing the sound to systems where the wiring costs more than the whole logitech set itself. 

They will be a significant improvement over built-in speakers and for the vast majority should sound more than acceptable.


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## Pilatesbody (Dec 14, 2007)

*Got it!*

Thanks everybody, the deed is done. I went to the Eglinton/Laird Future Shop and asked a mature looking fellow to show me the computer speakers. He pointed to a tall display of Logitech for $99 and said they just got those in for Christmas. I wasn't sure if it was the same ones I had read about here so I asked him to show me others. He really didn't want to, and told me to just buy those as my daughter would be very happy with them. They had a lot of them to move. So I wandered around on my own and found them in the corner. I pulled out my handy list from reading the threads here and there was ONE box of Logitech Z-2300 that was down on the bottom all covered up with other boxes. So I pulled them all out and got it out, it was much bigger than the $99 box and took it to the casher. There was no price on the box or on the wall. He scanned it - it was the one on sale from 219 to 129! So I bought it.
Thanks everybody, I'm sure my kid will be thrilled. She is going to University next year with her computer and speakers. I'll have to add a review on Christmas morning, I'm sure she'll waste no time in setting it up.
I'm so glad I found this site! I have a 3 year old eMac - I'm sure I'll be around bugging you all for advice again.


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## Veej (Feb 16, 2006)

Eric0 said:


> The dock on those looks like a great feature. Definitely the best of both worlds.
> .


Ya try taking that room to room and to the backyard...

Listen if you want something that does'nt need to be moved often, then Yep don't by a dock (waste of money) if Transportation is a must then only a dock will work.


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## Eric0 (Nov 22, 2007)

Veej said:


> Ya try taking that room to room and to the backyard...
> 
> Listen if you want something that does'nt need to be moved often, then Yep don't by a dock (waste of money) if Transportation is a must then only a dock will work.


Haha. I got your point 3 posts ago.


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## Pilatesbody (Dec 14, 2007)

You are right of course, it's not as portable as a dock, but I read the information and decided to get her something that can be all her own. I suspect the speakers will be more fun. At any rate, if they need to be moved now and then it's not that big a deal - we'll be taking them from upstairs to downstairs, not to the beach or the back yard. Also, the price was right. I did go and look at the docking things too, including the Harmon Kardon and decided they were too expensive for my single mother budget.

By the way, I was incorrect in my last post, I think the $99 box was Altec Lansing speakers.


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## SoyMac (Apr 16, 2005)

*Yoga Tunes!*

Congrats, Pilatesbody, on getting something suitable _and_ at a good price!

An option for folks in the Ottawa area is The Mac Group. 
The Mac Group (on Gladstone) is specialising in audio solutions for Mac, and have been for a little while. Probably worth your time to drop in and have a look. They even have a tube system!
(I am not affiliated with this store in any way)

I wonder if anyone can point _me_ in the right direction;

I don't know if I'm using the right terminology, but I think I'm looking for an iPod _*dock*_.
My Sweetie has decided that an iPod Touch is the way to play music when she teaches Yoga.
Obviously, she'll need a speaker system, one that can be carried to different locations. 

Do you have a suggestion for a speaker system that's self-contained, and that the iPod Touch sits in, and she can control while teaching a Yoga class?
Am I too optimisitic to hope for something in the 100 dollar-or-less-range?

Thanks!

(Yes, I _will_ be stopping in to look in The Mac Group, and Carbon)


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## Adrian. (Nov 28, 2007)

LOGITECH Z-2300 THX

These are, in my opinion and in most reviews your best bang for you buck. They have room filling bass and excellent high and lows. The mid range is not perfect, but a lot of that has to do with the quality of the mp3. They are $90 off right now at futureshop. I just nabbed them up about two weeks ago and could not be happier. They could easily double for a home stereo system. The THX certification means that they are extremely good quality. THX beat the crap out of them until they broke, there is a video on youtube of a test of these. Very few speakers get THX cert. that are under 300 dollars. Good luck!


http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pr...angid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10055686&catid=11553


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## SoyMac (Apr 16, 2005)

Adrian. said:


> LOGITECH Z-2300 THX...


I'm sure those have awesome sound, but my Honey will need something more portable - no separate speakers and dangly wires. Surprisingly, a Yoga teacher carries a lot of supplies!  

Something compact like this might be good:
JBL On Stage Micro (White) - Only £64.95 from iPodSpeakerstore.co.uk

Those are in the UK. I'll look for something similar here in Canada/Ottawa.

*EDIT:* Okay, now I'm embarrassed. The briefest search at BestBuy turns up all kinds of iPod portable speaker solutions. I guess I should have put a bit of effort into this before posting. Heh.


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## SoyMac (Apr 16, 2005)

Today I went to BestBuy, and I looked at the iPod docking speaker options.

I ended up buying something by *iLive*, with iPod dock, slot-load CD player, AM-FM Tuner, and remote control. 

I must admit I'm leery, and I wouldn't have bought it if BestBuy didn't have the no-hassle return policy.

At first glance, this machine looks like a good bet for filling a Yoga room with music from the iPod.

The reasons for my caution however, are;
1. I'm told it's a new company that is flooding the stores with iPod accessories 
2. the box does not list any of the sound quality specifications, 
3. the CD player and AM/FM tuner strike me as perhaps over-compensation, maybe for poor sound quality, and 
4. despite many different models of iLive's portable speaker docks on the shelf, the box doesn't even state a model name or number. 

If this speaker set _*does*_ have good sound, it's a good, portable speaker package.

The price was 129 dollars, and if it passes the sound test on Christmas morning, we'll keep it. If not, obviously it goes back and I'll try one of the other brands.


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## SoyMac (Apr 16, 2005)

Haha! I just finished searching reviews of the speaker dock I bought today, and they're almost universally poor reviews. The reviews are so consistently bad that without even testing it, I will take the machine back first thing tomorrow and get a brand name device instead.
One thing that stood out in a review was when the reviewer related that when he was shopping, the iLive was the only machine in the display not set up to test. Today at BestBuy, when I asked the clerk abut the iLive, he said, "Sorry, I don"t have that one plugged in for testing."
:lmao:

*MORE:*
Here's an uncharacteristically kind review...
"...we're going to keep this capsule review short and sweet: the IBCD3816D sounds bad. Bad enough that we'd rate it even lower than a C-level grade if audio quality was the only thing our reviews took into consideration. ..."
iLive IBCD3816DT Portable Docking System 2.1 Channel Speaker System | iLounge iPod Accessory Reviews


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## SoyMac (Apr 16, 2005)

So I took the iLive speaker dock back this morning. No hassle return at BestBuy.
I looked at some other set-ups and they had a decent looking Sharp system for $199, plus another Sharp system for $129. I couldn't tell the difference. The clerk didn't know they even had any $129 Sharp speaker systems and as far as we could tell, the price difference was colour-specicific. I listened to the $129 Sharp speakers (i-Elegance DK-A1BK), and could hear a sibilance issue. The clerk told me that was the recording. I believed him and bought them. When I got home, I looked at some reviews of this system and found that reviewers were not happy with the sound, especially muddy bass and _*sibilance*_ issues!
So this is going back. 
Phew! I'm getting tired of this!


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## Adrian. (Nov 28, 2007)

SoyMac I was in the same position as you a couple months ago. I bought this one: 

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pr...ngid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10091669&catid=10008#

My lady likes doing pilates and yoga in weird places in the house, I think it varies with her mood. I got her this and it plays highs, lows and mid range sounds. I listen to classical music while I am working in the home office and it produces very nice, crisp and sharp sounds. I haven't tried it with any of my old Kool Herc songs or anything with a lot of bass really. But for a portable music player it is excellent and a nice price too. Griffin has been around for a long time, and has made loads of iPod accessories.


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## SoyMac (Apr 16, 2005)

Adrian. said:


> SoyMac I was in the same position as you a couple months ago. I bought this one:
> 
> http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pr...ngid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10091669&catid=10008#
> .. I got her this and it plays highs, lows and mid range sounds...


Hey, thanks, Adrian.!
I wish I had seen that a couple of hours ago, I probably would have bought _it_.  
But it might not be the end of the world. I'd been reading some ( lots of ! ) reviews of iPod docking speakers, and Logitech's name kept coming up as a quality option. Then I read this review and it was the first review of any resonably-priced speakers that had nothing negative to say about the sound quality. So I bought these Logitech mm50s ( $152 ) and on Christmas day we'll see how they sound.

I'm glad to have your recommendation as well, cuz if we're not happy with the sound, I'll return the Logitech's and get your recommended Griffin model.

Thanks! :clap:

Just some observations: It's December 23rd. Pouring rain. Drivers are courteous and letting each other go ahead. Crowds in lines at the stores are restive and respectful. Clerks are cheerful and chatty. Feels good here today.


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## SoyMac (Apr 16, 2005)

We tested the mm50 today.
The sound quality was good, the loudest not super loud, but enough for the purposes of a Yoga class, and not distorted. 

But there's a major problem - there is a definite buzz created by the vibration of the iPod or the iPod adapter dock, when the volume is at half or higher. It's unacceptable.
I see that Logitech tried to eliminate vibration by using rubber grommets and pads, but the vibrations and noise get through with a vengeance.

But there's a work-around, and it suits my Honey.
To accept older iPods, there is a miniplug-in port on the mm50. 
I attached the iPod to the mm50 via a mini-plug (male-male) and the speakers sound fine. 
An advantage of this set-up is that my Sweetie can have the iPod in front of her where she can see it, and the speakers can be beside her (or anywhere), facing the class.

One drawback is that the mm50's remote control mostly does not work without the iPod in the dock. 
But with the iPod in front of her, Yoga Teacher can control it directly as easily as using a remote control.

It looks like for now, we'll stick with the mm50.

A side note: My Honey has NEVER been a tech fan, and teases me about my Apple obsession. 
*But *she is now absolutely _raving _about and fawning over this iPod Touch!  
I see the flag is now blowing on the other side of the pole! :lmao:


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## heebie (Dec 28, 2007)

I used to have the mm50, and then one of the legs broke  so I thought it was a good excuse to go and get some new speakers in the same line .

I got the Logitech AudioStation Express










because they are very similar to the mm50, have no breakable parts, are portable, have a 3.5mm jack to plug in your laptop, and do not look too stupid without an iPod in them.

All in all, a good buy!


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