The three iPod docks below have each won awards and have been rated highly by What Hi-Fi for their excpetional sound quality, so you know your tunes are not going to be spoiled by tinny treble or super-weak bass!

Arcam rCube iPod Dock

This brilliant iPod dock goes further than any other. It’s made by Arcam, who are well known in hi-fi circles, so it sounds crystal clear. It’s got 2x50W amps on board, so can pump out sounds loud enough to get your neighbours complaining. It’s completely portable, so you can put it wherever you want, inside or outside, and have it play for up to 4 hours on a single charge. And it’ll even stream your tunes wirelessly from your PC (with the addition of a streaming dongle), meaning it’s not limited to the tunes on your iPod.

Best of all, though, it’s all completely controllable from your iPhone.

If you’re looking for the ultimate gadget for your Christmas or New Year party – or just the ultimate gadget for the ultimate iPod lover – this is it.

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KitSound Boom Dock

The gloriously named Kitsound Boom Dock is a much simpler beast than the previous iPod docks. It is, as its name implies, an iPod dock and nothing more, but one that can deliver a real – well, boom!

In fact, that’s the reason this little beauty features in this list. It may be simply, but you won’t find a better iPod dock for this price. It produces deep, deep bass in glorious quality that simply can’t be beaten by any other iPod dock less than £150 – yet the Boom Dock is less than £80!

With 22W of power, it’s plenty loud enough, and with an AM/FM radio, line inputs for plugging other sources into it, a clock radio feature and even a remote control, it’s the best value iPod pressie you’ll find if you want an ipod gadget on a budget.

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Epoz AktiMate Mini

These glorious white speakers are active, meaning you don’t need to plug them into an amp to get your tunes sounding nice and loud. Instead, the come with an ampl built-in, so you can plug your PC, MP3 player or iPod directly into them via their 3.5mm line input connectors or buillt-in iPod dock, and get immediate 40W per channel punchy sound.

Great bass, plenty of detail and loads of simplicity – perfect for the iPod music lover who wants their tunes sounding glorious.

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Not only does it come with the usual equipment you’d expect of a Marantz receiver – CD, radio and amp – it’s also got dozens of features you’d never expect from a Marantz system just a few short years ago.

For example, it has an Ethernet socket and WiFi, both of which can be used to stream your tunes from your PC. It has DAB+/DAB/FM and AM radio tuners, and will let you control an iPod via its front-panel USB socket.

If you want even more musical control, for £40 you can buy an add-on that will turn the Melody Media into an Apple AirPlay client, which will then stream your iTunes music whether it’s on your iPod, iPad, iPhone or even your PC.

If Apple’s not your bag, plug the Bluetooth adaptor in the back, and stream music from any Bluetooth-equipped device, such as your mobile phone.

The Marantz Melody Media really is a sign of the hi-fi companies at last adapting to the changes being made to the music scene via digital media and the Internet. Along with the equally-strong Denon Ceol, the Melody Media is one of the best Network Music Systems on the market now, featuring the perfect combination of sound quality, connectivity and price. Networked audiophiles will love it!

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Best of all is the sound, though. With 40W per channel speakers, it’ll blast your tunes out with impressive clarity, while the built-in DAB radio, CD player and USB port gives you access to music from loads of other sources, not just your iPod.

Although not as fully featured as Network Music Systems such as the Denon Ceol or Marantz Melody Media, the Onkyo CS545-UK isn’t as expensive either. In fact, it’s less than half the price, yet still sounds glorious. All it lacks is the network connectivity.

So if you need a great sounding Hi-Fi mini system that will have your iPod sounding better than it ever has done, but you’re not too fussed about wireless streaming, give the Onkyo CS-545UK a whirl. It does exactly what you want it to in a classy, simple and great sounding way. Which is all you really need at the end of the day!

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Featuring an iPod dock, as you’d expect, the Ceol will also stream your tunes wirelessly from your PC or laptop, hook up to your Network Attached Storage device and play tunes from that, and even play tunes from an ordinary MP3 player via USB.

If that’s still not enough, you can listen to Napster and Last.FM, Internet Radio, classic radio (i.e. FM/AM), and even CD, as it has its own built-in CD player.

Add to this huge list the ability to control your tunes via an iPhone or iPod app, a mighty 65W per channel of power, and Denon’s legendary sound quality, and you might just have the best network music player on the market.

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But tracking down the best of these Internet Hi-Fis is not easy. Some are simply gimmicks, with sound quality that doesn’t match the promises offered. Others offer no more than a simply USB port.

But some offer much more. Of the five we’ve tracked down, some will let you stream your tunes from your mobile phone as well as your PC; others will let you stream your tunes wirelessly from your iPod or iPhone; and will even act as an extrenal sound card for your PC!

All these Internet Hi-Fis have several things in common, though – they’ll all connect to the Internet, they’ve all got great quality Hi-Fi sound, and they all come with built-in amplifiers, so you don’t need a Hi-Fi to plug them into – they are your Hi-Fi!

so if you’re looking for a hi-Fi that does more than just play tunes, check out these 5 Internet Hi-Fis.

Sony CMTMX750Ni DAB WiFi iPod Micro System

What is it: Possibly the best social Hi-Fi ever invented – at least in terms of features!

What you’ll love: This beast does everything. Stream tunes from your PC over WiFi? Check. Listen to 1,000s of Internet radio stations including SHOUTcast radio – without even switching your PC on? Check. Stream tunes from your DLNA-equipped mobile phone via DLNA? Check! How about iPod dock, USB port, CD player, DAB and DAB+ tuners and 100W amp? Check! It even looks great!

What you won’t like: The sound quality isn’t as good as some of the other systems here, but the features are superb.

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Marantz M-CR603

What is it: The ultimate Hi-fi to free your music, hoovering it up from your PC or the Internet, and pumping it out loudly in perfect audio quality.

What you’ll love: The Marantz’s sheer versatility. You can stream tunes from your PC via (wired) Ethernet, plug in your iPod or MP3 player into its front-facing USB port, listen to your old CDs via its CD player, or just listen to DAB and DAB+ radio. At 60W per channel, it’s also twice as powerful as the Denon. It’ll even work as a sound card for your PC, giving you superior quality sound for your music and your games.

What’s not so good: Wired-only Internet connection, plus it’s not cheap, but its sound is better than most.

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Yamaha MCR-140

What is it: A micro system in many colours with great sound, wireless streaming, and a good price.

What you’ll love: The MCR-140 comes with Yamaha’s high-quality AirWired wireless streaming technology. Plug your iPhone or iPod into the supplied transmitter, and you can stream your tunes from your mobile directly through the MCR-140′s 15W amp.

What you won’t like: Great for bass, but not so good for vocals. Wireless streaming only available for the iPhone/iPod.

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Denon D-M38DAB

What is it: The award-winning Best CD system of 2010.

What you’ll love: The D-M38DAB is a 30W per channel CD system with iPod dock and USB port. It’s not the cheapest hi-fi here, but its sound is beaten only by the UnitiQute – which costs over £1,000 more! So if you want the best sounding Hi-Fi for your iPhone or iPod, this is the one to buy.

What’s not so good: Although you’re fine if you own an iPod or iPhone, there’s no streaming options on the D-M38DAB, making connecitivty to other devices and services limited. Which is a bit of a problem for an Internet Hi-Fi, but there aren’t many good ones around!

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Naim UnitiQute

What is it: it’s a top-end audiophile Hi-Fi from legendary Hi-Fi company Naim.

What you’ll love: The gloriously-named Uniti-Qute can pull music from any source you care to throw at it, including DAB, Internet radio, network streaming from your PC (wired or wireless), an MP3 player via USB, or your iPod or iPhone. You can even control it using an iPhone app. Best of all, though, is the sound. No other machine here will beat it, so if you want the best sound quality you can get, you need to get the UnitiQute.

What’s not so good: The price! It’s £1350 and there’s no CD player, but it did win What Hi-Fi’s Systems Product of the Year.

Summary

It took me surprisingly long to pull this list together. Hi-Fi manufacturers seem reluctant to boast about their Internet Hi-Fis and Hi-Fi review sites seem reluctant to review them! Maybe both are too worried that network-connected Hi-Fis will be too easily dismissed by audiophiles and that they won’t be taken seriously enough.

If so, then the entry of Naim with its stunning UnitiQute should certainly start to change that. Naim is a big name in the audiophile world with superb quality products. The UnitiQute is one of the coolest Hi-Fi products around at the moment, but at £1350, it’s unfortunately a product I can only dream about at the moment!

At first glance, it seems to be just a normal CD player and amp, albeit with an iPod dock on top of it – but that in itself is nothing unusual. Scratch under the surface, though, and you’ll find a surprising list of connectivity features that make the RCD-N7 one of the most connected hi-fi systems you can get your hands on – and as it’s from Denon, you can bet the sound’s extremely impressive as well.

The Denon RCD-N7 features

OK, so what’s so special about the RCD-N7? Well, in addition to its traditional role of being a CD player, it’s also got a 65W amp, an iPod dock, a USB input for plugging your MP3 players into it, a radio, and support for a wide range of audio formats, including FLAC.

And then it has something just a little bit special.

Like built-in Wi-Fi, DLNA, and support for Windows Media Player version 11, Apple AirPlay and Internet Radio.

What this means is that you can stream your tunes directly from your PC, Mac, iPhone and iTunes, and have the tunes played through the RCD-N7′s crystal clear audio circuits, before being pumped out by its beefy amp.

Better still, you can download an app for your iPhone or iPod that controls the RCD-N7 remotely, letting you use your iPhone or iPod as a remote control.

In short, the Denon RCD-N7 is what all small hi-fi units should have been for the past five years! Happily, Denon at least have caught on, and so hopefully this will be the start of an increasing number of ultra-connected, socially aware Hi-Fi systems.

[Source: Akihabara News]

All this is controlled through the dedicated Sonos touchscreen control, or if you want to put some money towards some cool speakers, then there’s free iPad, iPod, Mac and PC apps too.

Now Spotify has been added to Sonos, it really is a fantastic way to listen to practically any tune you can imagine (well, as long as it’s not The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin or, oddly, King Crimson, nne of which are available on Spotify). I live in a small flat but even I want one!

Sonos isn’t a cheap option, but its combination of great quality sound, wireless freedom, and now an unlimited range of tunes to listen is pretty unbeatable for the audiophiles amongst you.

What is Last.FM?

Last.FM is an intelligent radio station that tailors itself to your musical tastes by examnining your mp3 collection. Using the oddly named system of ‘scrobbling’, every track you play though a supported media player (such as Windows Media Player) is logged and sent to Last.FM to build up a picture of what you like.


Then you select your ‘channel’ and you’ll hear a stream of tracks that you have scrobbled, plus new ones the system thinks you will like. If you don’t like one, you can tell it so and it’ll further tailor your taste. You can also select the easier way of putting in an artist’s name and the system will stream tracks it thinks relate to that artist.

For example, put in Depeche Mode and you may also get Yazoo and Nine Inch Nails in the stream. All very clever and all very free for the basic package, and there is a £3 per month premium package with extra features for those wanting more customisation and additional use with media streamers.

In addition, there are thousands of “radio stations” based on a particular artist that feature tunes that are similar in style and genre to that artist’s music. Again you can tell the system which particular tunes you love, helping it to build up an even more complete picture of the tunes you like.

The end result is a continual stream of tunes that focus more and more on your musical tastes, and all without having to do any kind of searching yourself. The more the system knows what you like, the more it can pick the tunes for you, until you get an Internet Radio that’s absolutely perfect just for you.

Getting Last.Fm in your Living Room

All this is great when you’re at your PC or using Last.FM through a phone app (yep, you can do that too!), but let’s face it: good music deserves a proper sound system.

So how can you get Last.FM into the living room? With the following five devices, each of which will hook straight into your stereo or home cinema system, so your bass can kick and your guitars can rip!

1. Revo AXiS

Like a space age lunchbox, Revo’s top of the line Revo Axis is a radio for the 21st century.

Part DAB radio, part iPod dock and part touchscreen media centre, the AXiS is certainly a one stop shop for all your digital audio needs. The AXiS boasts a touchscreen interface controlling the internet radio, the DAB radio and for the old school it also has FM radio too. It has wireless media streaming from a Mac or PC (including artwork) and hooks into Last.FM, allowing you to choose an artist or band and the AXiS will stream a unique station tailored to the listener.

It’s no sonic slouch on it’s own either, with NXT’s ‘Balanced Radiator’ speakers and a class D amp but you can still hook it up to a big system for an even bigger sound. Revo have been doing this sort of thing for years with great success, and come October 1st, when the AXiS is launched, they’re success is sure to continue.

Best for: The music-loving gadget fiend who wants a cutting edge design and great sound, but without the price tag.
See more details and check prices of the Revo AXiS

2. Logitech Squeezebox Touch

One of the original music streaming systems, Logitech’s Squeezebox has evolved into the touch generation with the release of its Logitech Squeezebox Touch.

Unlike the AXiS above, the Touch is designed from the ground up to be connected to a larger system, as it has no speakers or amplification of its own. Looking like a very sleek digital photo frame, the Touch is, as the name suggests, a touchscreen device using Logitech’s dead simple Squeezebox interface.


Taking more than a few cues from the original iPod interface, the Touch’s interface is simple and intuitive to operate and connects not only to your mp3 collection but to internet radios and the all important Last.FM. It’s very snappy and smooth to operate (although those with a large collection may experience some occasional jerky scrolling of titles) and the unit has a capacitive screen – far more elegant than a resistive solution.

Of course, you can use the supplied remote too for use at a distance, and cleverly it puts the display into large text so you can read it from over on the sofa. The Touch also has a selection of outputs including digital optical, so if you are lucky enough to own a high end system, you can use its superior DAC instead of the Touch’s own.

You will need a PC or Mac to stream music from using the proprietary SqueezeServer software but coming in at a shade under £250, the Squeezebox Touch is a keenly priced device that looks good and works great, and with Last.FM, it boasts a never ending supply of music.

Best for: The musical perfectionist, looking to mix the range of tunes from Last.FM with the audio quality of their existing Hi-Fi
More details and check prices on the Logitech Squeezebox

3. Sonos Bundle

Like the Squeezebox Touch, the Sonos system is a wireless streaming system. However, unlike the Touch it doesn’t require a PC or Mac.


The Sonos system is a high end audiophile product that can stream music to any room in your house and comes with a 15″ touchscreen server. You can also add powered or unpowered satellite devices to bring the music to other rooms, all controllable from the very cool CR200 capacitive touchscreen remote control. You can also control the system with an iPhone or an iPad, with each having their own separate app for full control and interactivity.

Not only is the Sonos an extremely elegant audio solution but it also seamlessly integates Last.FM into your playback. It’s the same idea as the desktop versions – select an artist and it’ll find similar tracks. It also scrobbles your own music so over time it builds a picture of your tastes, so when you can pick what to listen to, let the Last.FM feature read your mind!

As the remote has a full colour 640×480 display, you can also access Last.FM’s artists biographies and even if they are touring nearby. You can also see what others who share your taste in music are listening to, broadening your horizons.

The Sonos package is a serious bit of kit but not only does it play back music superbly, it’s very impressive to use. From the large 15″ display of the main server to the lavish remote control, the Sonos system screams quality.

Best for: The Audiophile sound-smith, for whom nothing but total quality will do (irrespective of price!)
More details and check prices on the Sonos Bundle

4.Roberts Stream 83i

Roberts seem to be making an art of putting cutting edge technology into classic boxes that look as at home blasting out Test Match Special as they do Interpol or LCD Soundsystem. The Roberts Stream 83i though is their first device to incorporate Last.FM along with a wealth of internet radio stations and both DAB and FM radio.


Stylistically a world away from its peers in this list, it nevertheless still puts out a good sound with its “bass woofer housed in an acoustically tuned cabinet” and it’s simple to operate with the raft of buttons on the front.

Talking of the front, it’s also got a USB input for either an MP3 player (not an iPod) or a memory stick and it’ll happily play music from it. It’ll also pick up uPnP servers too (some other devices like the Squeezebox will only talk to their own servers) which is great to plug and play if you already have something like that set up at home.

While the Stream 83i’s looks are not to everyone’s taste, it offers so many ways to stream music it simply can’t be ignored by anyone looking for a comprehensive playback unit.

Best for: The go-anywhere music person who wants their tunes wherever they are from a gadget that looks great wherever it’s placed.
More details and check prices on the Roberts Stream 83i

The Alternative Choices

5. For Bedroom Rhythms: Revo Domino D3

Ok let’s say you love having Last.FM so much in the living room you want the same in the bedroom but don’t want to have to do the hooking up to a sound system bit. Well how about another box from the makers of the AXiS?


The Revo Domino D3 is a neat little WiFi-enabled sound system with a natty OLED screen and the bonus of an inbuilt iPod dock, all in a deep black or cool white package.

Best of all, it offers Last.FM in a portable format so your carefully scrobbled music that has taken so long to build up can sweetly send you to sleep (or violently wake you up if that is your want!). It is quite small so some may find the little screen difficult to navigate but once set up you just need your ears, and the Domino is generous to them with a good sound from a good source.

Revo have designed another interesting device that certainly catches the eye and gives a wealth of sources in a neat little package.

Best for: those who want the features of the AXiS on a budget
More details and check prices on the Revo Domino

6. For Audio and Visual: Microsoft Xbox 360 S

Did you know you can get Last.FM on the humble Xbox 360? From November 2009, Last.FM has been available to subscribers of the Xbox Live Gold service, and brings the full Last.FM experience to the big screen TV.

Hooking into your Last.FM account, it’ll show you the last stations you listened to on any device including your own, and selecting any will start the stream just like on any other Last.FM client. The screen will then show images of the artist or band playing (which move and change to prevent screen burn), with the full biographies and links to other stations all present.

It’s excellent at parties, really showing a multimedia experience – streamed from the net, displayed on a HDTV and played through a surround sound system. The new slim black 360′s themselves are much quieter and smaller than their older cream forebears, and re-engineered to prevent failure. Coupled with the inbuilt optical or HDMI outputs for digital sound direct to your amplifier,this really could be the time to get a sleek, black 360-shaped media hub for your living room.

How will you listen to Last.FM?

So there you go, some ways to bring the power of music and the power of the internet together, giving it the sound it deserves. With your collection fully scrobbled you can use Last.FM to bring you music anywhere and in great quality. With these devices you can explore its rich features to show you new music you may like or find out if the band you are listening to are touring.

Or you can simply use these Last.FM gadgets to listen to great music and show off a bit when doing so. Never before have we had so many of sources of music and any of these devices will help you get the best sound possible from them.

Go on, turn it up to 11!

Here, in no particular order, are just some of the best JVC iPod products on offer at CES 2010, complete with a video showing them off.

JVC Kaboom

A legend returns! The JVC Kaboom, first released in 1998, became one of the most popular and recognisable boomboxes of all time. Now JVC have updated it with this, the third generation JVC RV-NB50 Kaboom.

What’s different about it? iPod of course! It packs a pair of 40 Watt speakers through which you can blast out your iTunes library, as well as a USB port, CD player and FM radio.

Twin-iPod Hi-Fi System

The JVC NX-D2 Hi-Fi is designed for power iPod users – i.e. those who can’t get by with just one, but need two iPods! The NX-D2 features not one but two iPod docks, because apparently you can never have enough docks to slot your iPod in (WTF?!)

The NX-D2 is also a beefy Hi-Fi system in its own right with 230W output, three way speaker design, USB Host and even a CD. The remote can also operate one of the iPods, er, remotely!

JVC TeleDock HDTVs

Continuing the theme of “no such thing as too many docks”, JVC also added one to their range of new range of HDTVs called the JVC TeleDock. As you can probably guess, the TeleDock is an iPod dock on the front of the TV, which will not only charge your iPod, it’ll also let you view its pictures and videos via the TV itself.

You can even control the iPod from the TV’s remote.

Six Car Stereos with iPod connectivity

JVC also announced six new car stereos that will connect to your iPod or iPhone. You can also control what songs you’re listening to via the stereo head unit, so you don’t need to kill someone while fumbling with the iPod’s controls at 90mph!

The new range also comes with Bluetooth, so you can connect your mobile phone to them, and a USB port, in case you have a non-iPod MP3 player!

In fact, you can pretty much stream music from any device in one way or another to these stereos. If that doesn’t do it for you, there’s always a CD player you can fall back on!

Video of JVC’s new iPod gadgets

Finally, a video of all these gadgets, plus a few more, has been released by JVC to give you a bit more of a feel for them. They’re coming real soon, so if one takes your eye, you should be able to buy it before Easter 2010.

That would be fine if they worked OK, but once you start travelling across the country, you soon find yourself having to retune them as you stray into an area where the local radio station is broadcasting its warblings over the frequency you’ve selected for your MP3 player or mobile phone.

Fortunately, help is at hand with the new Sony Ericsson AB900 wireless car speaker phone.

The AB900 is, as you’d expect, yet another FM transmitter that lets you plug your mobile into and broadcast your music wirelessly on an FM frequency, where it’s picked up by your car stereo.

Where the AB900 differs from ordinary wireless transmitters, though, is that it uses RDS to automatically locate a spare frequency, and then locks onto it so the transmitter doesn’t drift as you drive around. Even better, should you stray into an area with a competing transmission on the same frequency you’re using, the AB900 will automatically retune itself.

The result – uninterrupted music broadcast from your mobile phone or MP3 player to your car stereo.

Mobile phone features

It doesn’t end there, though. Because the AB900 was designed for mobile phones, it also integrates tightly with your phone’s features. It’ll pair with your phone via Bluetooth, and let you take calls completely hands-free. Better still, it’s battery operated (it offers 26 hours of talk time between recharges) and clips to your sun-visor, so you can take it from car to car – no messy installation problems.

The Sony Ericsson AB900 – the perfect audio streamer?

In many ways, the Sony Ericsson AB900 is the perfect wireless audio streamer. There’s no annoying wires between your phone or Bluetooth MP3 player and your stereo; no power cords needed to your cigarette lighter; no more fighting the frequency selector of your car radio; and great portability and hands-free functionality to boot.

Makes you wonder why no-one else came out with a wireless audio streamer like this years ago!

[Source: Sony Ericsson]