Over the past 5 days I have been using a very cool iPod accessory, that allows you to hook up your iPod to your home entertainment system with little fuss. Since I gave my wife my Generation 3 iPod she has complained that she usually only listened to it while it was plugged in via the earphones jack to some speakers we had in the office, and that she wanted to be able to take the iPod with her and plug it into our home entertainment system in another area of our home. So when I received the xitel HiFi-Link for review, I installed the correct docking piece on the universal dock and wired it up to my entertainment center.
The entertainment system I have is modular with some aux inputs so install was a snap it took me about 5 minutes to get everything plugged in. With the Gen 3 iPod docked I handed her the remote control and told her to go for it no instruction manuals just the remote control. She spent a couple of minutes in front of it, then walked away with the remote in her pocket playing some Japanese music.
I went about my business but noticed from time to time she would advance a song after it started and thought well this is going to work out ok. The xitel HiFi-Link comes with a base unit and adapters for various iPod’s. The base unit has gold plated audio and composite video outputs with a power plug for an external provided transformer, to supply power and recharge the iPod, along with a nice remote and high quality gold plated cables. xitel include everything you need to get it hooked up.
The base unit also has a feature called Trubass built in, which through knob on the back of the base unit you can enhance the lower frequencies. I played with it a for a while on various songs and could notice a differences in the audio output. I do have a relative high end modular system, with Bose 901 Series VI speakers so it was pretty easy to get the trubass adjusted where I wanted it. This device will work just as well with a small stereo in a bedroom or kitchen and is a great way to extend the use of your iPod.
The package retails for $99.00 and is a good value. The only item that I was a little surprised on was the remote control as it is a bit thicker than what I expected, the remote works great but looses a couple of points on style. Check out the xitel HiFi-Link and many more products at [www.xitel.com]
This product was reviewed with no guarantee of a favorable review and was provided to the staff of Geek News Central for the sole purpose of providing a objective product review.