Review: Audio Systems Aim to End IPod Isolation by Amplifying Sound From Their Own Power Sources
NEW YORK— In subways, at the gym and on sidewalks worldwide, millions of people seal themselves in an iPod cocoon. Not anymore.
Several recently released audio systems, including one from Apple Computer Inc., are now lifting the cloud of iPod isolation, making it easy to fill a room with sound that was once mostly limited to earbuds or headphones.
As a longtime audio geek, I auditioned the iPod Hi-Fi, Apple's own entry for its market-leading portable music player, and two of its more competent rivals, the SoundDock from Bose Corp. and a new two-speaker system, the Audioengine 5.