Review: Klipsch iFi
iPod-based home speaker system
By Dan Frakes
Summary
Rating: (out of 5) **4**
Pros: Best sound of any iPod-specific speaker system we?ve tested, including excellent bass and midrange; convenient iPod Control Dock; RF remote; exceptional satellite build quality.
Cons: Dock base doesn?t sync iPod; poor remote layout; treble slightly recessed.
Price as rated:
Company: Klipsch,
www.Klipsch.comMany of the portable and ?desktop? speaker systems we?ve reviewed at Playlist provide a special dock-connector base that lets you dock your iPod to sync with your computer, charge your iPod, and obtain higher-quality audio (via the dock connector?s line-level audio circuitry). However, as we?ve noted in these reviews, portable/desktop systems rarely sound as good as full-size speaker systems such as the various subwoofer/satellite packages we?ve tested. On the other hand, because these latter systems are generally ?computer? speaker systems?made to be compatible with any audio source?they don?t provide the same dock-connector port benefits. If you want to use your iPod with one of these systems and get these benefits, you need to use Apple?s $39 dock base, which provides a dock connector port and a line-level audio output.
At least, that was the case until now. Klipsch?s new iFi speaker system is the first full-size, sub/sat audio system specifically designed for the iPod, complete with a dock cradle. But it?s also the first in a few other areas, as well. It?s the first iPod-specific home speaker system from a traditional loudspeaker company?Klipsch has been in the business for nearly 60 years and has a reputation for producing quality home audio speakers. And at $400, it?s also the first iPod-specific speaker system to break the $300 barrier set by Bose?s $300 SoundDock.
As a result of all these ?firsts,? the iFi has received a good amount of attention, and been the object of much speculation, since its announcement in January of this year. Does it live up to the hype (and the price)? We got one of the first units off the production line; read on for our impressions.
Note: Playlist has a policy of reviewing only the version of a product that consumers will be able to buy. The iFi unit we received was part of a pilot production run of 25 units; Klipsch has assured us that the pilot production run is identical to the mass production run in every way?sonically, electronically, and cosmetically?except for one cosmetic marking on the included speaker cables. (Specifically, a black mark indicating which wire is for the left channel and which is for the right.) Nonetheless, we?ve requested a final shipping version, as well, and if it differs in any way from our current sample, we?ll update this review accordingly.
Big Package
The first thing that struck me when I received the iFi package was the size?apart from the Logitech Z-5500 Digital, a 5.1-channel, THX-certified home theater system, the iFi comes in the largest shipping box of any ?computer? speaker system I?ve seen. Granted, the iFi came triple-packed, but the actual iFi box is still a monster. The reason for this is, of course, that the iFi system itself is larger than most iPod/computer speakers.
The iFi is comprised of four main pieces, all silver/gray in color: a subwoofer, two satellite speakers, and a Control Dock. The largest piece, the 14.5" x 10.5" x 11.5" subwoofer, houses an 8" speaker driver (protected by a silver-colored metal grill) and a 200-Watt class-D amplifier that powers the sub and the two satellite speakers. The back of the subwoofer includes left/right speaker terminals, an AC cable jack, a 1/8" auxiliary audio line-in port, and the port to which you connect the cable for the iFi?s Control Dock. It also includes a vertical port for the vented sub enclosure.
The iFi?s two satellite speakers (left and right) are silver versions of the company?s new Reference Series RSX-3 satellites. At 8.5"H x 4.75"W x 5.5"D, they?re larger than the satellites found on most iPod/computer sub/sat systems, but even more significant is their weight?at over 4 pounds each (not including the speaker grills), they?re much heftier than you would expect. Just over 10 ounces of that is due to the weighted base, but the rest is the plastic and metal speaker itself, which includes a 3.5" midrange woofer (made of Klipsch?s ?Cerametallic? material) and a .75" titanium dome/horn tweeter. I was surprised by how solid the satellites are?certainly more so than other ?computer? speakers I?ve seen.
I also like the integrated stand found on each speaker. The 5.75" x 4" oval base is connected to the speaker via a metal ball-and-socket joint that allows the base to be rotated to virtually any orientation?the base even has slots for wall mounting. And unlike most removable speaker grills, which connect to the speaker via plastic posts, the RSX-3?s wraparound grills connect via seven small magnets. Finally, unlike the inexpensive spring-loaded clips most computer speakers provide for connecting speaker cables, the iFi?s satellites use quality five-way binding posts (although the subwoofer?s speaker terminals are spring-loaded clips).
Finally, we come to the feature of the iFi generating the most buzz in iPod circles: the Control Dock. Approximately 5.25" deep and just over 4" wide, with a solid rubber base to keep it from sliding around a desk or shelf, the plastic Control Dock provides a dock connector slot towards the rear that holds your iPod. Five inserts are provided to accommodate 10GB and 15GB; 20GB; 30GB; and 40GB models, as well as any iPod mini. (The Control Dock fits the 60GB iPod photo without an insert.) When your iPod is in the Control Dock, it provides a line-level audio signal to the iFi, and the iFi returns the favor by charging the iPod. Unfortunately, unlike some of the other ?dockable? systems we?ve reviewed, the iFi doesn?t connect to your computer via USB or FireWire, so your iPod isn?t synchronized with iTunes; you need to sync your iPod with your computer separately. (Since the iFi is designed to be a full-size home speaker system, rather than a computer accessory, this isn?t a major shortcoming, in my opinion?the iFi isn?t likely to be near your computer.)
The front of the Control Dock provides a Volume dial, Subwoofer button, Mute/Standby button, and what Klipsch calls the ?Light Bar??a Knight Rider-like row of indicator lights. (If you didn?t watch TV in the 80s, this means the lights are arranged in a horizontal line.) The Volume dial is silver, just like the Control Dock, and is recessed inside the Dock so that only a smile-shaped section of the edge is showing, which you turn with a finger or thumb. As you increase the volume, the Light Bar?s illumination shifts to the right to indicate the current volume level. The Volume dial is also used to adjust the subwoofer level: You press the Subwoofer button and then turn the dial; the Light Bar displays the current sub setting. The Light Bar is clearly visible from across the room when using the remote (described below), so it?s easy to keep track of the volume level?and avoid accidental volume blasts.
