![]() Quizzed about why anyone would ever want to deactivate the feature given that iP1’s audio sounds completely flat without it, iHome told us that it provided a clear sense of the benefits offered by Bongiovi’s tuning. The iPod and iPhone dock is adorned with four buttons-two more than the SoundDock, one more than On Stage-that provide an white glowing power control, intermittently white illuminated volume controls, and a blue “B” button that is designed to activate and deactivate the Bongiovi Acoustics audio processing feature. If iP1 has any aesthetic flaws, they’re small and admittedly picky ones. ![]() The resulting all-in-one unit is larger than the Bose SoundDock Series II and JBL On Stage 400P, but packs more audio and video hardware than both it also comes with two types of detachable front speaker grilles so that you can either shield its larger cones with metal mesh, or leave them exposed. ![]() Though iP1 is similar to both of the other speakers in concept, it bests them in execution: iHome’s nearly 1/2”-thick plastic is beautifully rounded at the edges, matching the speakers mounted inside, and solves the problem of how to cleanly incorporate the iPod or iPhone into a system of this sort-something neither Lars & Ivan nor Altec Lansing really did. Like Altec Lansing’s Expressionist Classic and Lars & Ivan’s BoBo, iP1 uses a flat sheet of transparent plastic to suspend speaker drivers above the surface of a table or desk, here mounting a total of four drivers inside black cans, along with a matching black platform that houses both electronics and an iPod/iPhone dock that protrudes through the unit’s face. It should be hitting stores in the middle of July for about $299.Consequently, iP1 is as aesthetically close to the ideal iPod and iPhone audio system as anyone has yet come, a design that mightn’t be the very first of its kind in the speaker world, but is the first made specifically for iPod and iPhone users. The included remote can handle custom EQ in addition to switching Bongiovi on and off, and there's also component video out and full iPhone support. The dock itself packs a 100 watt amp, two 4-inch woofers and two 1-inch tweeters. It also had the unfortunate effect of turning a Bob Marley song into a bit of a banger (a "Could You Be Loved In The Club," if you will) but can thankfully can be deactivated at the press of a button. Sure, the result isn't an "accurate" picture of what was recorded - you still need studio monitors to do that - but it makes most things sound "good" without adding the ruination of many digital audio enhancement techniques, and we even picked up a couple details in a favorite song of ours that's received heavy rotation on our home system. The upshot is that the iP1 brings volume and clarity to the low and high end of the audio, especially in older recordings that haven't already been compressed to high heaven, where details and oomph would be absent given the limited hardware. ![]() Tony Bongiovi, audio engineer and cousin to Jon Bon Jovi, developed the DPS technology to improve sound in "compromised" environments like cars (it's currently used by JVC in car stereos), planes and low-quality speakers, and is specifically tuned for its output device. We're not what you'd call audiophiles - we've stood dangerously close to a 128kb MP3 or two in our lives, and even tried internet radio once - but we still seem to prefer things that "sound good." That cuts out most iPod docks on the market, which due to price, size and know-how constraints tend to do few favors for the low-bitrate music they usually serve up.Įnter the new iP1 dock from iHome, which kicks off a new "Studio Series" for the manufacturer, and features "Bongiovi Digital Power Station processing" to bump up the quality.
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