Customer Reviews

Denon ASD-1RBK iPod Docking Station (Black Finish)

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

This unit is fabulous if you have a 5G or earlier iPod. Apple has deliberately made the latest iPod incompatible with lots of earlier equipment and this unit unfortunately will not work with it.

I use this dock with my Denon AVR-1707, and the sound quality is very good (much better than my previous no-name dock). I bought this when I got the receiver so that I could use the control and track read-out info provided through the receiver, but I have decided that for me the convenience of having the information on the receiver's screen is outweighed by the slowness of navigating using the Denon receiver (vs. the iPod's built-in navigation). Luckily, the receiver lets you choose between the 2 modes of operation, so I have switched back to manually controlling the iPod and letting the receiver just act as an amplifier. If you have a lot of music on your iPod, you may want to consider whether controlling the iPod via remote and having track info available via the receiver is more important than quickly accessing your music.

As mentioned by others, carefully check whether this dock is supported by your receiver, and what functions are available.

I would have rated this as five stars based on sound quality alone, but the interface really disappointed me, so I have to knock it down to three stars.

I bought the dock for my Denon 1707 receiver. It was easy to plug in, but that was it. I had to go through a few different steps to set the receiver up. I got all the functions to work with the exception of the iPod text to work on the monitor. I got it to work on the receiver display (it works like a ticker) the video on the iPod played on my monitor (don't forget to turn the video on the iPod to VIDEO ON on the iPod). One downside to it, is that on the remote for 1707 (which has 50+ buttons on it) you only use one toggle for most functions and just a few buttons for everything else. Also the way Denon has programmed it, there is a function called "Browse mode" that toggles with "Remote mode" (you have to hold down a button for a few seconds for it to toggle). It's a little of a challenge. Denon explains it this way:

In Remote mode, you can operate the iPod while viewing the iPod's display screen. To operate the Slideshow or video functions, set the device to Remote mode. Direct operation from the iPod is also possible. Depending on the iPod model or the version of software, some functions may not work correct.

In Browse mode, you can operate the iPod and enjoy music while viewing information from the iPod on the display screen or the display section of the connected device. (Functions related to video images on the iPod cannot be operated. Also, functions cannot be operated directly from the iPod.) Depending on the iPod model or the version of software, some functions may not work correctly.

Got it?

All in all, not as easy as I expected, but once I learned all the ins and outs I got to control my iPod with the receiver's remote, why you should by this. I still have not got it to display the iPod text on my monitor!

Some tech info:
I have a 60GB 5th gen. iPod.
Panasonic plasma TV.
Denon 1707 Receiver.
I'm using composite video cables to connect my receiver to my TV.

Unlike the other reviewers, I've had no problems at all. It plugged into my Denon 2807 with the included cable and worked just fine. Granted, I did have to refer to the original instructions from the receiver (and remember to both select the iPod function, enable an input source, and finally to turn enable Video on the iPod itself).

The only real failing of the design is that you have to switch "mode" to get into the video section of your iPod (assuming it is a video iPod). Once there, you can't watch the menu on your monitor, only on the iPod's screen itself.

I hooked mine into a new DHT-487DV home theatre system. Followed guide and fiddled with Setup -> Inputs which recommended audio going to DVR component jacks--big mistake as to screwed up playback for the DVD player. Switched it to AUX audio and the conflicts disappeared. Excellant sound quality, especially on my 192kbps MP3s and better. Worked with 4GB Nano and 30GB iPod with Video. Navigation via remote tricky, with no skip-forward/backward or song display on receiver, but everything else works. Caveat: tech support informs me this unit not firmware upgradable and some functionality with newer iPod (9/2007 or later) lost--he recommended ASD-3N (networked) or ASD-3W (wireless networked) that is firmware upgradable.

I have a Denon 2807 which supposedly is one of the few Denon receivers that support this Denon iPod docking station. The problems that I encountered,
1. It displayed only 66 of my 118 playlists. I saw no logic in which playlists were not shown - it was not cut off at the end, only those with long titles, etc. It just decided that certain playlists were not to be displayed on the TV. It did not show any of my video playlists...but I got at them by selecting under "Genre" rather than "Playlists".
2. I have a 60G video iPod. I could get audio output only. I could get video only output if I selected a source other than the iPod and assigned it the iPod video input. For example, assign video source to iPod and audio source to Tuner and I could see the iPod video output while the tuner played a radio station. Weird.
3. It is too expensive...but I was willing to pay it because of compatibility with my Denon receiver.
4. Denon support is unavailable. I called support twice - once I stayed on hold for 142 minutes and gave up. The second time I only lasted 91 minutes before giving up.
I am packing this up for return this afternoon. At this point the best substitute appears to be the Griffin Tunecenter Home Dock, but it is not due to ship until August 2006.

If you own a Denon receiver and are intrigued by the onscreen text display capability of the ASD-1R, review the associated blog on Denon's website before purchasing and/or installing the iPod Control Dock. Buried in the blog is a chart indicating which Denon receivers support OSD of iPod text. As you'll see, not all of them do. This is about as forthcoming as Denon is on the topic -- and may save you some hassle/frustration...

I typically at least try to reasonably research most items before purchasing. The product description for the Denon ASD-1R seemed to be what I was looking for to access my iPod through my Denon AVR-2807, but the mixed reviews had me expecting frustration. I decided to order anyway, and work through any potential difficulties.

I received the product promptly, and had it installed and working as described literally in minutes. The only shortcoming I find is the loss of the on-screen iPod display in video mode, which is more an issue of the AVR-2807 than it is the ASD-1R.

This item works as advertised, and is simple to set up and operate. If you got through the AVR-2807 setup OK, this is a breeze.

At the more recent price reductions, I recommend it.

The Denon ASD-1RBK ipod docking station has everything you need to quickly connect your ipod to a video projector or a TV using either the yellow video out cable or, what I preferred and the reason I purchased this, an S-video out. You can also easily connect the docking station to a component stereo using the RCA (white, red) out plugs.

Denon includes the different docking adapters for whatever ipod you have. I have the Classic Ipod 160g and it fit great. I highly recommend it. It is a bit pricey, but Apple does not have the docking station with the S-video out anymore so I really didn't have a choice.

The unit is well made and looks very classy. The only thing I wish it had was a remote. Other than that no complaints.

I received this item in a timely manner. It was packaged very well. The hookup to my Denon receiver was easy and after working through the programming, it works very well. It is nice to enjoy all my ipod tunes through my stereo system!