From iPod to living room
Round-up reviews let you compare four related products and find out which one is best for you
Round-up by: Mary Lojkine
Last updated: 05 Feb 2007
Although it's dull to start a round-up of music gadgets with an iPod, there's no denying that Apple's stranglehold on the MP3 player market has strengthened over the last couple of years. Pre-nano, we saw competition from other manufacturers in the flash-based sector of the market, but now Apple has the leading hard-drive player and the leading flash player (it's also number one in the 'clip-on players with no screen' arena, but there aren't any competitors there). We favour the nano over the 5.5G iPod (aka the iPod video), because it's smaller, cooler and better looking, but if you have a large music collection or want to watch video clips on the go, the bigger 'Pod is the one for you.
When you get home with your shiny new iPod, the first thing you should do is throw out the headphones that came with it. Listening to music with the bundled earbuds is like trying to hear birdsong from the shoulder of the M25. For a good-value upgrade, consider the Sennheiser CX300 earbuds, which give you significantly better sound at a reasonable price (there's something faintly ludicrous about spending more on your 'phones than you did on your Mp3 player, but if money really is no object, take a look at the Shure E500PTH earbuds).
Earbuds aren't exactly optimal when you're relaxing on the sofa, and they certainly don't work for dinner-party music, so you might also want a speaker system. The big white brick that is the Apple iPod Hi-Fi provides surprisingly good sound for a one-box system. For excellent tone and accuracy in a compact and elegant package, we remain fond of the Eclipse TD 307PA system, which combines two egg-shaped speakers with a conical amp.
Alternatively, you could beam digital music from your computer to your hi-fi using a pair of Sonos ZP80 ZonePlayers. Sonos' system transfers music around your house wirelessly, enabling you to listen to music and Internet radio wherever you want. If you don't have a hi-fi, the Sonos ZP100 ZonePlayer (reviewed as part of the Sonos Digital Music System) includes an amp, so you just need to connect it to a pair of speakers.
Compare Products
 Eclipse TD 307PA |
 Apple iPod nano (2nd generation, 4GB) |
 Apple iPod Hi-Fi |
 Sonos ZP80 |
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| Review date | 14 Feb 06 | 18 Sep 06 | 30 Mar 06 | 3 May 06 |
| Editors' rating |
8.0
|
8.0
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8.0
|
9.5
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| Price range | £400 | £129 | £249 | £269 |
| Review summary | Speakers are so often a relatively boring proposition, but the 307s consistently surprised us. The elegant styling and solid build aren't the only thing these units have going for them -- they sound like small gods. High praise for a pair of speakers barely bigger than a tennis ball? Audition them and hear for yourself. We were blown away Read full review Full specification |
The second-generation Apple iPod nano is like the successful offspring of an iPod Mini and a first-generation iPod nano. It's small, stylish, user-friendly and competitively priced -- an all-round great player and suitable for a variety of users Read full review Full specification |
If you're short on space, or you don't want a stereo system dominating your living room, the iPod Hi-Fi makes a compelling alternative to a full-blown separates system. It's loud, and it's clean-sounding. Fixed stereo speakers like these are always a compromise, but auditioning the Hi-Fi with acoustic tracks proves its mettle Read full review Full specification |
Easy to set-up, a joy to use and a good-looking unit to boot. There's not much to criticise here apart from the lack of support for DRM-protected music. Most audiophiles will be dealing with higher bit rates than any DRM music comes in at the moment, so for some it may be a moot point. The original ZonePlayer set the standard, the ZP80 steals the show Read full review Full specification |
| User rating |  10.0 |
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