Is this the ultimate iPod dock?
Remember the amazing Ferrari Art.Engine speaker system, which we showed you last March? Well, this is the new Art.Suono wireless iPod speaker dock, made by the same US designer audio company, The David Weiner Collection.
It's now available in the UK exclusively from London custom installation specialists The Pleasure Home, and it's yours for £1599.
The Art.Suono is made from a solid piece of aluminium wrapped in carbon fibre, with volume control via an aluminium knurled flywheel "running on Formula One style ball bearings". The unit is turned on with a Ferrari-style 'Start Engine' button, and it sends music wirelessly to your hi-fi or home cinema system, up to 50m away.
The receiver unit uses DWC-Aphex, described as "an audio processing system previously reserved for top recording studios and used by top recording artists and engineers for Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor and Paul McCartney in mastering their albums.
"When the DWC-Aphex switch is enabled, your music immediately ascends into a powerful and spacious audio experience with a more 'live' sound, enhanced stereo imaging, deeper and more powerful bass and clarity. In addition, your audio system will come alive and sound more powerful and dynamic."
The basic system comprises the Transmission Dock and Receiver, and additional Receiver units can be added to stream music to extra rooms.
Comments
If you want the purest sound - record every song in lossless format, extract a digital signal from your iPod connection and feed it into the highest quality 16 bit DAC. In fact why are you using an iPod in this high end hi-fi chain anyway?!...
However, if you're someone where music is just one of your many pleasures, but tactile and visual senses also feature highly AND you are a high earner, you will find this product satisfies on many levels and also makes the best sound that it can with 128kbps compressed audio!
The Pleasure Home
For the ultimate boys toys
There is nothing like the Marx brothers.
So, there are a few docks I haven't seen in What Hi-Fi yet, like the Meridian dock (not the one for the F80, but the standalone iPhone dock).
Doesn't appear to have a remote. Which would make it about as useful, or less useful than my dock that came with my 1st gen iPhone.
On the subject of which, is there a remote control for iPhones, when the dock doesn't have one? It's all that's missing!
VFM with these docks is so subjective. The iPod itself only costs X. Very weird market if you ask me.
Wibble!
[At the resort hotel, looking at a map.]
Groucho:
Now here is a little peninsula, and here is a viaduct leading over to the mainland.
Chico:
Why a duck?
[more back-and-forth between the two ... ]
All right, why a duck? Why a duck, why-a no chicken?
Groucho:
Well, I don't know why-a no chicken. I'm a stranger here myself. ...
just to clarify - is the award mine or Craig M's? And if his, can i have some kind of concellation prize?
Mr dude - see the comment left by Superaintit; its all about the vfm/bang for buck/sound per pound. being so cynical about it at this point, before hearing it, is no more irrational than being well disposed toward it before hearing it, and thats true regardless of price. in fact, at that price, some would say cynicism is pretty wise.
'ridiculous value' sounds like a good thing to me...
Is this the ultimate iPod dock? I guess that depends much on what you compare it with. Don't What Hifi test every product on performance per pound? This dock costs 1599. For it getting 5 stars, would it then have to compete with say Cyrus dac X and Wadia dock, as it amounts to about the same price?
Or is a dock only compared with other docks?
Its predictable because the value of it doesnt matter with what Andrew said. Yes its a very expensive piece of kit (you dont have to buy one), Andrew only indicated he knew there would be one or more comments on its price expressed in the manner that was.
and why is it predictable? cos it's ridiculous value, and only someone with more money then sense would buy one.
...And today's award for the predictable 'How much???' comment goes to...
Yes. And they have people on hand to make sure the door does kick you in the bum when you leave.
£1599 for an ipod dock, do you get a free clown hat with it? or a big sticker that says "SUCKER"?