Customer Reviews

Fatman iTube Valve Dock

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

 

 

I have had this remarkable device for 2 weeks and love it,,,,I have had numerous ipod players,stereo hookups for ipods etc.., but nothing compares to this. As soon as I saw it in the audio shop, I had to have it. I have had nothing but positive compliments about its appearance and its sound capability. Besides looking exceptionally high tech,it easily drives a pair of Reference 3A speakers to the top end. Ehe glow of the tubes at night adds to the ambience. The only downside is that the remote only controls the ipod, and not the amplifier volume or the amp on=off switch.

The Fat Man I-tube dock is worth while investment if want to bring your i-pod up notch in audio play back quality. I purchased for a second system in my bedroom and partnered with a pair Wharfdale Diamond 9.1 which is nice match for classical,jazz or rock/pop if you do not want loud volumes. The only things to pick at are as follows I wish the remote controlled the amplifer instead of just the I-pod dock and rember the amp is only 13 watts so your not going to be able to get window rattling volumes or partner with anything more than effecient bookshelf sized speaker other than that its fun and neat little amp that easy on the eyes.

I have owned the thing for a few years now and it has performed ok generally, that is if you dont mind the hummmm that it begins to emit after a hundred or so hours - and beleive me its the internals not the tubes or a ground loop - I have been through all that and have 6 figures of stuff (Krell etc) down in the real audio room.

The soudn is fine for a third maybe your second second system, office or game room defintiely not a serious listening device.

but as it sells for almost nothing now ~$350 it is worth what you pay.

This is little set is a very good value for the money. I use it in my office, I pair it with a couple of S-20 from Cambridge, the sound is very good. It easily beats the apple Hi-Fi that I used to have, the sound is clearer, warmer and with much more detail. Since this system connects two separate speakers you get a true stereo image, that is a huge difference with other docks you find in the market.

You should be aware that there are two versions of this system, the first released to the market delivers an output of 13W and the newer version with a 25W output. This newer version also includes a usb and jack inputs, the older has only two rcas. I got the 13W version and it is enough for my office (in an academic environment) but you might want to check the 25W version if you are thinking to use it as your main system in a larger room. Both sell for the same price, little research and you will find the seller.

This system is good-looking, makes compressed music (mp3) sound much better and it is affordable. I recommend it strongly.

Update: It has been mentioned in several reviews how important is for this amp to pair it with a good pair of speakers . Although I noticed a big difference between my previous system and this one hooked to the S-20, I was not satisfied with the sound. It wasn't bright enough. I just hooked it up to a pair of Audioengine A4 and WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!! The speakers make a HUGE difference so, another advice would be: do not go cheap on speakers, you won't get the most out of this great amp.

Package arrived a day ahead of time!
Out of the box, was missing cleaning brush and glove, but wasn't too worried about that.
At first concerned because could not get a signal via the supplied docking station. I am using a 3rd generation ipod touch, and as it turns out, this is not compatible with the ivalve dock.
Considering the amp is really the key component here, I attached directly from the ipod to the amp's 2 RCA inputs with an ipod AV component cable (just the 2 audio RCA jacks). I am blown away!
I am powering 2 in-ceiling Polk Tc60i's and the 13 watts per channel is more than enough. The sound is warm and enveloping. The bass response is amazing for this small amp.
I have since replaced the dock (not the amp!) with a standard Apple universal dock that comes with its own remote, and am very happy. Great price for this quality amp!