Amazon.com Product Description The Logitech Pure-Fi Elite stereo system creates a full-functioning stereo from your iPod, filling any room with high-performance digital sound. Charge your iPod while you enjoy favorite tunes from selected playlists or from the built-in AM/FM radio--and control it all from across the room with the included backlit remote. The remote also provides easy one-touch access to shuffle and repeat functions, and even allows instant access to preset iPod playlists without navigating menus on your iPod.
The Pure-Fi Elite and your iPod combine to provide a full-function stereo system. View larger.
The Pure-Fi Elite immerses users in high-quality acoustics. The system features two 1-inch high-definition soft-dome tweeters to ensure precision and clarity from even the highest notes. The two 4-inch high-power long-throw woofers are capable of filling the room with deep, powerful bass. Meanwhile, DSP-controlled, dynamic, digital EQ, and advanced filtering features minimize distortion to create true-to-life sound. Also included is a bi-amplified transducer design with digital electronic crossover for studio-quality audio that plays louder and sounds better. The onboard StereoXL technology dramatically widens stereo image, creating an immersive audio experience.
Composite and S-Video output jacks are included for when you want to view iPod video files on a big screen while enjoying outstanding audio pumped through the Pure-Fi Elite.
The Pure-Fi Elite supports all iPod models with dock connectors--including iPod nanos and fifth-generation iPods. The Pure-Fi Elite supports 1G through 3G iPod models (and other portable music players) via a 3.5-mm auxiliary input. With an easy-to-read digital clock, the Pure-Fi Elite measures 17.6 by 10.6 by 5.7 inches and comes backed by a two-year limited warranty.
Audiophile Performance
- 1-inch high-definition, soft-dome tweeters: Get precision and clarity from even the highest notes. - 4-inch high-power, long-throw woofers: Fill the room with deep, powerful bass. - DSP-controlled, dynamic, digital EQ and filtering: Minimizes distortion to create true-to-life sound. - Bi-amplified transducer design with digital electronic crossover: Enjoy studio-quality audio that plays louder and sounds better. - StereoXL technology: Dramatically widens stereo image, creating an immersive audio experience.
Convenience
- Digital AM/FM radio: Increases your musical choices while giving you a complete stereo solution. - Digital clock: Watch where the time goes. - Charges your iPod: Doubles as an iPod charger.
Control
- Backlighted wireless remote: Control and browse your iPod from anywhere in the room with a remote that's backlighted for use in the dark. Enjoy one-touch access to Shuffle and Repeat. - Presets for iPod playlists: Enjoy instant access to your favorite music, without having to navigate menus on your iPod.
What's in the Box Speaker system, AC adapter, backlighted wireless remote and remote holder, universal dock adapters, quick-start guide, and user's manual.
The Pure Fi Elite is the Audiostation from last year with a few minor tweaks and a major quality control issue addressed, mainly the horrible button controls from the Audiostation that didn't work in the first few batches of that earlier product. The Audiostation units got a terrible rep (especially at Best Buy) and many retailers stopped carrying the product and / or steeply discounted it. The revised Elite is therefore hardly a great surprise, but be reassured that the button issue is now fixed.
The Elite's main strength is as an Ipod dock system, and it does a credible job here. The twin 4" woofers and 1" tweeters do a nice job of producing clear and well-differentiated sound, and the 80 watt power of the system means it will be able to get loud enough for most users. There is no distortion even at high volumes, but there is also virtually no stereo separation. The stereo expander DSP does very little, but doesn't hurt anything either. The stereo expander in Altec's IM600 is a lot more effective at increasing the soundfield.
Speaking of comparisons, the $130 Elite sounds roughly similar to the Griffin Amplifi ($100). The Griffin has better bass, while the Elite offers better treble detail. These tendencies are directly related to driver design, with the Amplifi's 2.75" drivers muddying treble a bit but with it's 5" woofer giving better bass extension that the Elite's 4 inch drivers. The Elite has a lot of extra features though and can get a bit louder. It also charges your Ipod even when turned off, a feature which the Griffin lacks. Both units have minimal stereo separation effect, and the Amplifi has no stereo DSP, while the Elite has one that barely works at all.
The Bose Sound Dock ($300 list) generally sounds a bit louder and stronger in mid-tones than the Elite. The bass sounds roughly comparable, and the Elite gets the edge in treble. The SoundDock has much better perceptible stereo separation and the remote also works more reliably and at longer distances, though the Elite has many more feature. The Elite also has a huge price difference, at least in "real world" prices.
The Elite has many unique features. The remote has access to both shuffle mode and up to 6 playlists. It does not offer full Ipod menu control, but unless you have the eyes of an eagle, you probably can't see the Ipod screen details from more than six feet away anyway. The Elite has a sleep timer, a video pass through for most Ipods, an auxiliary input jack, and adjustable bass and treble level. The remote is adequate with access to most features, and a pretty good range, though it needs to be aimed precisely.
What does the Elite lack? The radio sadly is a miserable effort, really an afterthought. The tuner is grade D quality and can barely tune in even strong FM stations and I could not get any AM at all. (This in NYC, admittedly a tough interference environment, but this hardly explains the incredibly bad tuning performance.) Even when you can tune in a station, the reception is usually not clear with annoying hiss and static bursts. A $20 clock radio can tune in more stations. My own Panasonic clock radio can indeed tune in far more stations more clearly, as can my stereo receiver, my Tivoli PAL, and my Sangean table radio. The Elite's tuner is truly incompetent in comparison. As far as dock radio combos, the Altec IM600s tuner is far far better, and the two units go for roughly the same price.
Because of the lame tuning capability, the RDS feature is rendered useless. To get RDS info, you need to have a strong clear FM signal, and the choppy tuning of the FM tuner on the Elite meant that I could get no RDS info at all from the stations in the area that broadcast that program info. Scratch one special feature!
Finally, the presence of a clock and the absence of an alarm indicates feature stripping by Logitech to make sure that you need to spend extra money to get their separate overpriced Ipod clock radio. Not sticking a basic alarm function in a >$100 system which already has a clock is just pure cynical "product differentiation" of the most annoying sort.
Anyway, if you want a decent performance Ipod dock, the good detailed and amply loud sound of the Elite recommends it. The terrible radio tuner will frustrate and disappoint those who want a multi-function unit, and the lack of stereo separation in the sound is an expected though unfortunate deficit. This is definitely a better bargain than the Bose SoundDock, but the Amplifi is a tough competitor, especially since the radio function on the Elite is so poorly implemented. The Griffin has a somewhat less loud sound though richer bass, and is also about 20% cheaper. The Amplifi sounds better with rock and electronic music. The Elite is more stylish and has a few more useful features on the remote like Shuffle and Playlist and also sounds better with classical and acoustic music.
One caution though: the list for the Elite is in theory $300, and paying anywhere near that level would quickly evaporate any of the Elite's advantages. Get the Elite for $150 and you'll be happy, but pay $200 or more and you will probably be paying more than the system is worth, especially with the Griffin consistently selling at or near the $120 price point.
This product works with any kind of iPod. Logitech includes a set of adapters that snap on to the docking port. My mini works in it beautifully (although you do have to remove any clip attachments or covers you have on your iPod first).
Set up is pretty much idiot proof and takes about 5 minutes.
Includes a "sleep" function so that you can set it to go off when you want. Sadly, there is no alarm feature.
Light enough to carry from room to room if you want to.
All iPod functions work either through the iPod controls or with the remote, which is really clear and easy to use.
AM and FM radio antennas are included. You'll need a fairly strong station signal for them to work. I live in the hills so I can't get most stations, but at least 3 stations I like I can get, which is more than I can say for my regular stereo unless I add an antenna.
Display is clear and easy to read. Adjustable for brightness in both "on" and "off" settings, for 12 or 24 hour clock, iPod backlighting level and language. Displays RDS station and song info where available on FM stations.
You can adjust the treble and bass (see "the bad" for discussion of sound quality) and can turn on Logitech's propietary "StereoXL" feature which greatly improves the sound when you get more than a few feet away from the unit.
Can be used with an A/C power source or connected to your computer port.
Has video pass-through feature so that you can display photos/video on your t.v. if your iPod has these capabilities (mine doesn't, so can't say how good that feature is).
THE BAD:
The sound is about what you'd expect for a "bookshelf"-type stereo system. Not horrible, especially considering that the input is an iPod, but all the adjusting in the world can't keep it from sounding muddy. it would have been nice if there had been a midtone setting in addition to bass and treble. In other words, this won't replace your regular stereo system, but if you buy songs by download and have no other way to play those, or can't afford a full stereo system, or just need something to take to parties, the office or rooms that aren't hooked up, this is pretty sweet.
THE UGLY:
The smell! Has a nasty chemical/plastic odor that will give a headache to those senstive. Hopefully, this is going to fade pretty quickly. Otherwise this is going to be my outdoor stereo.
CONCLUSION:
Overall, I quite like this unit. It won't replace my CD collection just yet, but it's a nice addition to my bedroom, which doesn't have room for a stereo system and isn't wired up to run off my main stereo. This is great for playing podcasts before bed and definitely good for parties. Anyone can take turns loading in an iPod. Overall, a pretty darn good product if you need the kind of flexibility a player like this can give you. But it certainly isn't a replacement for a full stereo system or even a good set of computer speakers and iTunes or internet radio.
Right out of the box, you realize there's nothing flimsy about the Pure-Fi Elite. The unit is heavy relative to size. It's a sleek, solid black. The display pictures show it without the speaker covers. You don't see the woofer and tweeter when you're looking at the actual unit. The front of the base is at a 30 degree angle, which makes it easy to see the controls and the display screen. The display is large enough to see comfortably with either white on black or black on white, depending on your angle.
The Pure-Fi Elite is a docking station with some nice features and a few gaps. When the iPOD is in the docking station the base charges the iPOD. To hear your music, use the iPOD's menu to select the songs you want to hear and press play. The Pure-Fi Elite will turn on the iPOD, switch to iPOD input, and start playing music. Navigation buttons on the base or the remote control will let you move through your playlist. You can also make six of your playlists into presets. There is a video pass through feature to connect a video output jack (not included) from the back of the base to a TV to display photos or video from the iPOD, too.
The base has a Universal Dock and comes with nine separate adapters, so you can use it with 4th and 5th generation iPODS. There is a chart that shows you which adapter fits your model. If you have a 1st, 2nd or 3rd generation iPOD you'll need to use the aux input connector on the back of the base. (1st and 2nd generation do not have a dock connector. 3rd generation are not supported by the Universal Dock.)
The remote control uses two AA batteries (included). The remote is slim and fits into a holder that can be snapped onto the back of the docking station. I found it much easier to program this from the remote than from the control panel on the front of the unit. You can set the time with either a 12 or 24 hour clock. There is a sleep timer, but no clock/radio or clock/iPOD wake up feature. Radio and iPOD navigation is easy with the remote. You can also adjust the bass, treble, or Stereo XL for your own sound preferences.
The base has AM/FM radio, which is easy to navigate and external radio antennas are included. There are six presets each for AM and FM. If your FM station utilizes RDS, you can see the station's call letters and slogan as well as the dial number. With the external antennas in place, one or two FM stations came in beautifully. Other local FM stations didn't come in very well at all, although they sound fine on other radios around the house. None of the AM stations came in very well. The radio isn't the main attraction of this unit, but since it's included it would be nice if it picked up the stations better.
I played the Pure-Fi Elite at full volume and it did fill the room without sound distortion. At full volume on the Pure-Fi Elite doesn't seem as loud as it does on other units I've owned, although it beats ear buds hands down.
The unit comes with a power cord, power supply, and wall cord. It's an awkward arrangement that I've come to accept on laptops, but I was surprised to find it on a small stereo unit. The power supply seems unnecessarily large and heavy - it's only slightly smaller than a brick. I unplug devices when they aren't in use; when I plugged the base back into the wall outlet a day later, I found it had lost the time and other presets.
The Pure-Fi Elite would have been perfect if the radio came in better, if it also functioned as a clock/radio, or if it didn't lose the time and presets when unplugged. I think it's a three and a half star unit, but since we don't have the half star option, I'd round it up rather than down. Overall, this is a solid piece of equipment. It's easy to set up, and music from the iPOD fills the room with good sound.
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