Customer Reviews

Apple Stereo Connectivity Kit for iPod (White)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

OK - here's what you get:

1 power supply brick

1 iPod dock

1 3-foot cable to connect power supply brick and dock

1 3-foot cable to connect dock and stereo

This version of the kit is compatible with 3rd and 4th generation iPods (those with a dock connector on the bottom) and with the iPod mini. Although the dock connector is electronically the same for all these iPods, the dimensions of the iPod itself differ by model. Thus, the dock comes with different plastic tops for the different sizes of iPods and you snap on the right-sized top for your iPod (check the size carefully before snapping on the cover - it goes on easily, but it doesn't come off easily).

The cable that connects the power supply brick and the dock is a special Apple firewire-to-iPod-dock cable, but the cable that connects the iPod and the stereo system is nothing special, just a standard stereo minijack plug on one end and two rca phono plugs on the other. You can get a compatible cable from many different vendors and in many different lengths; which in my case was a good thing because the 3-foot length in the kit was too short.

Is the kit a good buy? Well, it depends. If you price all of the components in the kit separately, you will find that the kit is cheaper than the individual parts, even if you have to replace the stereo cable as I did. But, the question is, do you need to buy all the parts. Let's assume for the moment that you do in fact want to attach your iPod to your stereo and consider what you might be able to do without:

(1) Power supply brick. Your iPod and dock will in fact work fine without being plugged into the power supply. The trade-off is that without it you will drain the battery of the iPod while it is plugged into your stereo. You can get a dock and a stereo cable for substantially less than this kit, so if you're OK with the battery issue, you can save money by not getting the kit.

(2) iPod dock. You can plug the iPod into the stereo without the dock. The same stereo cable that connects the dock to the stero will also connect the iPod to the stereo. There are two disadvantages to this: first, the dock gives a true line-out, meaning that the volume control on the iPod doesn't affect the volume coming out of the dock, so you just use the stereo's volume control to control the playback volume. The audio-out jack on the iPod, however, is affected by the iPod's volume control, so if you connect it to the stereo, you have to be careful about the fact that there are two volume controls in the system, which is annoying at best, and there might be some risk to your stereo if the iPod's volume is too high. It is also worth noting if you have a power supply brick, you do not need the dock to recharge your iPod - the brick can plug into the iPod directly. If you are OK with the audio-out thing (and whether and how to keep your iPod upright without it) you can save money by not getting the kit and doing without the dock.

(3) Power-supply brick to dock cable. If you don't have the brick, you don't need the cable; if you do have the brick, you need the cable or the brick isn't going to do you any good. If you have decided you can do without recharging the iPod while it is connected to your stereo, you can skip the brick and this cable both.

(4) Dock-to-Stereo cable. This is the thing you can't do without if you want to connect your iPod and your stereo, but you have a lot of choices on vendors if this is all you're getting. Even if you aren't getting a dock, the cable that would connect the dock to the stereo is the same one that would connect the iPod to the stereo directly.

One more thing to consider is that your iPod might have already come with one or more of these pieces, and if you aren't using them elsewhere, you could use them as part of your stereo set-up and just buy any other pieces you need and not get the whole kit.

For me, I didn't have any extra pieces and I wanted the works - to recharge the iPod and not have to worry about a double volume control, so I got the kit. I also got the NaviPod IR Remote (which you can get right here at Amazon) so that I could control it remotely like the rest of my stereo gear.

To make your decision, just figure out what you want to have, what pieces you have already, and what you might be willing to live without and then make your decision. Hope this was helpful.

$99.99 list price? Over $70 actual price? You've got to be kidding! I'm glad we are free to choose what we buy and how much we spend, but this smells of taking advantage of consumer ignorance. If you want to connect your iPod to your home stereo, get a $7.00 "stereo mini-plug to RCA plug Y-adapter" at Radio Shack. That's all you need. You already have a recharger (it came with your iPod), so the only advantage this kit has over the inexpensive Radio Shack option is holding your iPod upright. I have this item (it came free with my 40GB iPod) and, although it offers a slight convenience over not having it, I think the price is outrageous.

This is basically a 1/8" male to RCA cable for $73; you could get the same exact cable for $5.99 at Radio Shack. Yeah you get a dock and power brick too but price it out; not worth it. Buy the cable at RS; it'll work EXACTLY the same.. don't be fooled. If you want the dock and power brick buy them seperately; you'll save major $$$...

This stereo connector is fabulous. I already had a very good Kenwood stereo system with great speakers. Now I can play any of the 10,000 songs from my IPOD through my stereo. The wires from this kit just plug into the back of the receiver in an open slot, I use the "Video 2" slot on my receiver. The connecting wire goes into the IPOD cradle. Then simply put the IPOD in the cradle, select Video 2 on the receiver and ta-da all of my music at my fingertips without getting out hundreds of CDs. Also, because the IPOD will shuffle, now my stereo shuffles too, either through all of my music or through any genre. Finally not only does it play the songs but it also charges the IPOD as well. This is absolutely the best accessory I've purchased for my IPOD. It's well worth the investment.

I purchased this and am not impressed. Note that "works with all click wheel iPods" isn't true. It does NOT work with photo iPods (at least the 60 GB model). I'm on vacation and had to remove the cover to get it to fit. I'm ordering a 'photo dock' since I can't see any way to get a cover that is made for the 60GB/photo model.

If I'd known this, I'd purchased only the stereo cable and the photo dock separately, since I already have a charger (came with it...). Grr. :-)

Is it expensive?, yes it is!!!

However, I was conecting my Ipod mini to my speakers with two cables, mini jack cable and power cable and it was very unconfortable to do every day. The dock is a great solution for this issue. Now, I just insert the Ipod mini in the dock. Easy, fast and confortable. Additionaly, I can read easyly the song I am listening to.

I don't know what those other reviewers are talking about when they write that the price is outrageous, but if you are looking for a solution that includes the dock, power brick, and cables than this will save you about $5 - $10. I don't know about the retail price being $99 as listed here, but from what I've been able to find, this is an OK deal for what it includes.

Just place the iPod Dock in a convenient spot, plug in the iPod Power Adapter and connect it to the dock with the supplied iPod Dock Connector to FireWire Cable. Plug the Monster Cable into the mini-stereo line out connection on the back of the dock and then into any available audio input on a home stereo receiver. Dock your iPod and rock the house!

This kit includes everything you need to connect iPod with Click Wheel or iPod mini to a home stereo system.

Includes:

iPod Dock

iPod Power Adapter

iPod Dock Connector to FireWire Cable

Monster Cable Mini-Stereo to RCA Cable

Bring your music library into your living room. This kit includes everything you need to connect your iPod to your home stereo including a Monster Cable audio cable. Supports iPod models with Dock Connector. Does not support iPod shuffle.

I bought this amazing product and now it is easy to have high quality music. Just plug the iPod to your music equipment and you are done.