Altec Lansing Speakers and iPod

Aeneas

I recently started playing my iPod Classic through an old Altec Lansing Acs 295 set of speakers (2 x 14 amp satellites and a 20 amp powered subwoofer). I think the sound the sound is pretty impressive if not quite as good as my abandoned Hi Fi (Pro Arc speakers, X-A1 Musical Fidelity amp, Arcam CD player) which has been languishing in a cupboard because the system is too big and cumbersome for my current living room. But it’s certainly better than the several docks that I have used – the latest a JBL model. At the moment I connect the iPod to the Altec Lansing speakers through the headphone jack using the AL system’s 3.5mm connector. Does anyone know if there is a gizmo that would enable me to connect to the speakers using the Apple connector on the iPod instead of the headphone jack. This would need an Apple dock for the iPod with a 3.5mm jack to take the speaker connector. And would it give me better sound?

cnocbui

The Apple universal docks have a 3.5mm socket you can use to connect it to other devices. The dock also has an IR receiver which allows you to control the iPod with a remote.

http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC746LL/A

I use an iPod as the main source in my system. I have a dock connected to a preamp.

Aeneas

Thanks, that's very helpful. My iPod Classic is an early 30GB version so I'm not sure that the remote would work with it. This is not a major problem I think, because there is a volume control on the AL speakers themselves. But I'm sure the dock itself would be fine for connecting the iPod to the speakers. ( At some point I may try to link the iPod to my Hi Fidelity amp and Pro Arc speakers but I imagine I will need a pre amp to power the system?) in the meantime I'm trying to get the best sound out of my Altec Lansings. The general view on various sites I've looked at is that the Apple connector gives better sound than the headphone jack.

cnocbui

Take a look at the link, there is compatibility info. If it's compatible, you should get volume control via the remote.

You wouldn't need a pre-amp, as the X-A1 has aux inputs which you could use.

The headphone socket vs line-out wisdom may be a bit suspect. Once the internet develops a collective opinion about something, it can be near impossible to counter it. It probably harks back to the 3rd gen iPods like mine, which had an issue with insufficient coupling capacitors on the headphone output which made them sound bass shy using cheap low impedance headphones like the ones bundled. The problem went away with high impedance loads on the output - which is likely what you would get hooking it to an amp. It's probably also the reason for the still in vogue nonsense that the output from an iPod is inferior to other MP3 players and other sources. A lot of people judged them by what they heard using the stock buds, rather than high quality phones or speakers.

Still, the dock is such a neat solution, using it's output is a very convenient way of doing things, possible sound quality issues aside.

Aeneas

If there is no great advantage, sound wise, between the headphone jack and the Apple line out then I will need to think about spending almost 60 euros on the universal dock. As I say I'm impressed by the sound as it is and I would only fork out for the dock if I thought it would make a significant improvement. Sometime I may get around to connecting the iPod to my old Music Fidelity/Pro Arc equipment. I guess the main piece of new kit I will need is an adaptor with right and left channel connectors for the amp and either a headphone connector or an Apple connector for the iPod. I imagine these are available but I haven't done any searching yet. I'm a complete novice in this area but I have read that there are issues about the capacity of an iPod battery to power large size speakers. Does the battery size matter when you are using an amp?

cnocbui

The capacity of the iPod battery is not an issue. An amp would take care of that anyway. The dock also comes with a mains power supply so the iPod charges while in the dock and is effectively mains powered anyway. Amazon have a wide variety of connectors, though would probably find them in Tesco as well.

Aeneas

If I understand you correctly you connect your iPod to your amp using the Apple dock. I presume you have a cable with left/right connections at one end for your amp and a 3.5mm or Apple connector at the other end for the dock. You've been very helpful and I don't want to prolong this exchange, but grateful to know if there are major advantages in doing it this way rather than connecting the amp directly to the iPod? Or to put it another way are there audio/technical disadvantages in connecting the amp directly to the iPod?

cnocbui

You are spot on about the cable.

The major advantages are that it is easier to pop the ipod in and out of the dock. When it is in the dock it acts as a charging station so not only does popping it in connect it to the amp, it connects it to the power supply so it charges. The dock also gives you control of the iPod via the remote.

The dock doesn't provide a technical advantage really, but it does provide a huge usability advantage.

I use my iPod as the source in my car as well, so I am frequently taking it out of the dock and popping it back

I also use my phone via the HiFi as well, and just pull the plug out of the back of the dock and plug it into the phone, but then I have to crank the volume right up and remember to lower it again when I unplug it. The iPod via my older style dock just does line level without any volume control and that is easier in my setup.