Review The Cambridge audio iD100 is a dock with apparent delusions of grandeur. Brushed aluminium bodywork and a surfeit of serious connectivity signal a determination to squeeze every last drop of performance from any iOS device that comes its way. Clearly it takes the music on my iPod far more seriously than I do.
Cambridge audio‘s iD100 accommodates all but the earliest iOS devices
The iD100 works with Pod, phone, Touch and Pad, and ships with a selection of docking adaptors to ensure all are sitting comfortably. The largest cushion predictably accommodates the iPad, but there are also rubber stabilisers for the iPhone 3G/3GS, iPod Touch (generations one to three) and Nano (3G-5G). Read the rest of this entry »
Review Sound quality isn’t always the first consideration in the world of digital music, where songs tend to be compressed for convenience, rather fidelity. That’s where Brit hi-fi brand Cambridge audio hopes to make its mark with the NP30 (Network Player 30), which offers better-than-CD hi-res 24-bit audio playback for music files and Internet radio over your home network.
Lacking an amp and speakers, the NP30 has been designed to fit in with the company’s swish-looking Sonata range – such as the AR30 amp (and CD30 and DVD30) – but it can be connected to virtually any set-up using its standard Stereo analogue outputs. You can also use digital S/PDIF and optical outputs for connecting to higher quality DACs and there’s a trigger connection that allows the NP30 to automatically power up when the amp it’s connected to is switched on. Read the rest of this entry »
Geek Treat of the Week Anyone who’s tried wireless tech over the years knows how tricky and expensive it can be to get superior sounding audio around the home without wires. Step forth Swedish hi-fi brand audio Pro, that has come up with a user friendly package that gives you a wireless transmitter/receiver duo.
In this era of compressed MP3, these devices aim pleasingly high with delivering lossless CD quality sound. The transmitter can be attached to any audio device with a line out – not just the obvious computer to hi-fi option. Accordingly, the wireless receiver unit picks up the audio and attaches to any suitable hi-fi or active speakers. Read the rest of this entry »
Geek Treat of the Week Let’s get the negative out of the way right from the start: the iCade is a bit on the crap side.
But then that’s kind of how it should be.
Ion’s iCade: beep, beep, beep…. schboom
As if you couldn’t guess from the pics, the iCade is an iPad stand that mimics the arcade game cabinets of yesteryear. Like them, it’s made out of cheap chipboard with big plastic stickers on the front and sides that are easy to peel off. Read the rest of this entry »
The Eminent 7195 is a monster of a media player. It towers above diddy streaming clients like the Apple TV and WDTV models, and would doubtless win a brawl with its HDD media player Netherlands neighbour A.C.Ryan.
All-encompassing: Eminent’s EM7195 HD server
To emphasise its size, compatibility badges are writ large and loud across its substantial aluminium casing. But then it does have a reason to shout. It’s extremely well specified. Not only is the EM7195 a media player/server, it has two integrated DVB-T terrestrial TV tuners on-board, as well as some nicely thought out file management and web services. Read the rest of this entry »
