Finally!

[updawg]

I got to see them for the first time at the mac store! They had them next to the JBL spaceship looking speakers (kind of neat looking) but they blew every speaker system away there. I had them cranked up with a bassy song and it drew everyone's attention. It filled that huge store with music and I think I had the workers there nervous, haha. Anyway I think I know what I'm asking for christmas

[lb19984]

i was checking my local circuit city to see em but they didnt have em there :-(

I especially wanted to hear the sub

1 day....

[TheEAR]

The sib on the iFi uses a single woofer like the one used in the Ultra 5.1(if not the same,very close).

What makes the iFi stand out from the ProMedia line is not the sub,it is the SATS! Clearly a full step up from Promedia sats.

[007]

The sub is a lot better too, less distortion than the ultra or SWS. My fav part is the crossover smoothness. Because the rsx-3 have more mid punch and dont fall off like a rock below 120, they can aid in the transition to the subwoofer. The sats are definitely better. Considering the pm sats run for about 18 bucks a piece and the RSX-3's go for 130. Yes you can say thats the biggest difference by a long shot. Most don't appreciate the sats who hear it. I have even seen one person claim the GMX was clearer. I rightfully disproved his claim. I also read another review about how the THX 2.1's were better than the iFi. Again, I got my fire suit on and ripped him up on the review page. I'm sick of these newbies who are used to Harmon kardon soundsticks or JBL creatures who get a brief taste of the iFi incorrectly set up on a terrible acoustic environment inside some store.

Most people have not heard the iFi. People are still buying the sounddock 50 times more than the iFi and people are still buying those crappy soundsticks and creatures over the Klipsch GMX and 2.1 THXs because they were not in the right isle at the time. Most people dont know how to buy speakrs. Im trying to give as much advise for the few smart ones that read the ipodlounge forums, but its a losing effort. Most people there already own some terrible accessory like the sounddock or soundsticks

[thxsubwoofers]

----------------

On 7/13/2005 7:54:15 AM updawg wrote:

I got to see them for the first time at the mac store!

Hehe every 2 weeks I go to the Mac store to test the iFi system. To bad I already have the creatives 2.1 system.

[007]

our mac store is too cocky to put it on display because ther is limited space. There has to be 4 feet of table space betweenm each ipod, lol

[OoTLink]

The GMXes and such are awesome (I have GMX speakers myself) -- that doesn't make the soundsticks crap though

For their size/design they're REALLY neat. Tell ya the truth, I never thought a sub made entirely out of plastic could sound so good.

Of course Klipsch GMX or THX or even iFI speakers will blow the daylights out in sound quality, they also have more wires and a MUCH heavier box. My old isub + pro speaker kit was so small in comparison I took it on trips with me and snuck it in one of my suitcases.. well yeah, sticking a 6" sub in a suitcase is kinda funny, but it worked.

I could NEVER take a klipsch setup like that.. they're too heavy and too "pro". I'd feel bad if I damaged my GMX setup and its box is the size of a mini fridge, whereas my isub is well, not that heavy, I can shove it in a suitcase, and the box for the speakers I had for it was rather small too, so no big deal. The soundsticks have bigger satellites, and well, yeah they DEFINITELY DO NOT have the mids/lows qualities of klipsch speakers, at this they're also overpriced.

But if you like stealth audio, they're pretty good. With my HK setup nobody would have guessed they sounded like they did until I turned the volume up, and then they had to make sure it was the speakers and not something I had hidden away lol.

http://www.talesmud.com/610.jpg

Admittedly, the speakers were janky. The connector's wire eventually went wonky and well, yeah, that's why I got the GMXes Funny enough the sub works with anything and just adds itself in as a USB sub (OS X uses a driver for it that strips lows from the main output and gives them to the sub).. kinda funky but yeah.. handy on my laptop lol.

[Andy W]

I was recently at an Apple store, where along one wall they had a number of computer systems set up with different accesories that showed off the use of apple computers for all kind of different work. One computer system was set up with a GMX A-2.1 and other equipment that appeared to be set up for A/V production or video post processing (or something like that).

I would think that system would be perfect to display the iFi with the iPod docked and with a video setup for A/V production.

[Larry1]

Andy -

There is no standard 6 foot 3.5 mm male-male mini-stereo

cable supplied with an iFi! It as simple as that! In every

Apple store I have seen the iFi is located on same side as the standalone cheap

speakers for iPod's. The iFi is missing from the computer speaker listings on

Apple Stores site; it is only shown under Apple-iPod-Accessories. Perhaps

Klipsch needs to market an iFi tailored for computer use? Ultra 2.1 :-)

[OoTLink]

That'd make sense. GMX for low klipsch (mid "computer speaker") end and Ultra for mid klipsch (high end computer end)... the iFis could still be whatever they are

[Andy W]

Perhaps Klipsch needs to market an iFi tailored for computer use? Ultra 2.1 :-)

Please note I am not speaking for Klipsch, I'm just doing a "what if" here.

In concept, an iFi tailored specifically for a PC user is simple. I think this is where you're going with the question -- Take the dock and make a new cover and remove the docking connector, and throw a 3.5mm cable in the box.

The different cover for the dock isn't any cheaper, in fact it would require a new tool (mold) which would cost tens of thousands of dollars. The cost saved by taking out the docking connector would be offset by placing the 3.5mm cable in the box. Then there is engineering, marketing, sales, and administative resources and the cost of certifying, marketing, warehousing, and selling another model.

So the design of the iFi accommodated the PC user (not by accident) by including a "Line In" jack on the amp panel.

The economics of a PC-centric iFi system are not so simple, and you have to ask a lot of hard questions.

Some of the hard questions I can imagine are...

Will the public buy a PC 2.1 system for $400? Would they buy it for the same price as the iFi when all we really did was remove a "feature" (the iPod connectivity)? Klipsch fans and educated customers know that the iFi can be connected to the PC, will they choose the PC 2.1 instead of the iFi, and will iFi sales suffer as a result?

From another view, if the customer is interested in the iFi for iPod use and asks, "Can I connect it to my computer?" all the sales person has to say is, "Yes, here is the cable you need to hook it up."

Will mass retail stores put a $400 2.1 PC speaker set on their shelves? In other words, what is the opportunity cost? Would they carry both the iFi and the iFi-like PC-only system? (not likely) Would they create shelf space by replacing another product? (maybe, if they though it would mean more to their bottom line) Would they trade the space on the shelf for the current $150 ProMedia 2.1 that has been the number one PC 2.1 system (in Dollars)? Would Klipsch want to give up the PM2.1 shelf space (and the revenue) for the $400 SKU?

I'm sure there are many more questions that would have to be answered for a system such as you describe.

[Larry1]

Andy -

Thanks for the response. I agree that creating another iFi like

product for computers would be money down the drain. Forget about my

Ultra 2.1 comment. []

My intent was to point out that

without a typical 3.5mm cable included Apple types won't hook the iFi

up to a computer. Apple rep's don't want to setup any equipment any

differently then it was kitted. To them its a hassle to break

open a 3.5mm cable accessary to promote the iFi being used with a

computer. Also you have to sell two things for a customer who additionaly wants

to use a iFi with a computer. Perhaps at the $399 price point a potiental customer expects

everything []

Redesigning the Dock is expensive...no

argument...but including a 1 to 2 dollar cable isn't.

Cheers

[Andy W]

Thanks for the response.

Likewise!

My intent was to point out that without a typical 3.5mm cable included Apple types won't hook the iFi up to a computer.

Understood. Thanks for the observation.