14.2 Speakers

14.2 Speakers

You can hook up your iPod to a home or car audio system to share your sounds, as noted in Chapter 12, but sometimes, it's more convenient to get the iPod a set of speakers to call its own. Most speakers designed to take input from a portable CD or MP3 player work fine with the iPod, but here are a few notable options.

14.2.1 inMotion Portable iPod Speakers

Portable, self- powered , and supremely Podly, Altec Lansing's inMotion speakers let you blast your playlists all over the room with style and ease. The lightweight, folding speakers, shown in Figure 14-5, can run for 24 hours on four AA batteries. Plus, if you have a 2003 or later ( dockable ) iPod, the included AC adapter can charge up your iPod.

Figure 14-5. Altec Lansing's inMotionPortable iPod speakers quickly go from flat and folded to proud and loud. The speaker unit is about eight inches wide and weighs about 15 ounces, making it easy to take almost anywhere . It works with all full- sized models of the iPod and costs $150 at http://www.apple.com/ipod/accessories.html.

NOTE

Want a personal trainer to help you get into shape, but don't want to pay those personal-trainer prices? Try the MP3 Gym Personalized Workout Sessions, a set of 60 prerecorded exercise routines that you download to your iPod as MP3 files. You can order the $20 CD at http://www.mp3gym.com, where you'll also find some free samples.

14.2.2 Cambridge SoundWorks PCWorks

The PCWorks Amplified Multimedia/Computer speaker system was designed to offer big rumbly sound to computers at an affordable $36. A compact subwoofer booms from the floor; two desktop cubes handle the higher frequencies. The PCWorks system and other audio components for portable players are available at http://www.hifi.com.

14.2.3 Sony SRS-T55 Folding Travel Speakers

Whether your journey is long or short, these speakers won't take up much room in your bag, because you can fold them in half and tuck them away until you want to turn on the music. The speakers take four AA batteries or an optional power adapter. They're at http://www.sonystyle.com for $50.

14.2.4 JBL Creature 2.1 Speakers

It may look like a family of alien turtles creeping across the desk (Figure 14-6), but the three-piece JBL Creature speaker set for desktop computers can also give your iPod its own voice.

Figure 14-6. The three-piece JBL Creature set ($130) has a large domed subwoofer and two small satellite speakers. It comes in several colors, including white to match the iPod. You can get Creature speakers at http://www.harman-multimedia.com , audio shops , or the online Apple Store.

14.2.5 Sony SRS-RF90RK Wireless Speaker System

If you have enough cables in your life and seek to zing your iPod's music through the air no matter where you are, consider Sony's SRS-RF90RK 900 MHz RF Wireless Speaker System. The battery-powered speaker can last about 3.5 hours between recharging sessions and has a range of 150 feet. Both the silver receiver and transmitter have a futuristic design and blue illumination . Available at http://www.sonystyle.com for $180.

NOTE

Truly discerning audiophiles can adjust the iPod's sound with the Koss eq50 three- band stereo equalizer instantly and without interrupting the music. The small black equalizer, with controls for bass, midrange , and treble levels, plugs into the iPod's headphone port and has its own jack for the iPod earbuds or speakers. It runs on two AA batteries and costs $20 at http://www.koss.com.