PURE i-10 Powered iPod Dock with Remote Control

Ian Spencer

at 2:49 pm

I use this with an iPod Classic. It performs a similar function to a standard docking station or a simple headphone cable for connecting to an amplifier but with the following advantages:

* Remote control allows access to all menu functions – the iPod version did not control the Classic – plus a couple of extra direct functions like shuffle and repeat.

* Volume is good through the hi-fi and seems to be properly matched so the tone is right, (headphone socket is reduced volume and muffled which is why it is worth having some form of docking station that takes the output from the iPod connector).

* Uses own power supply so don’t need an iPod charger and iPod cable which are separate purchases with the iPod dock.

* Leaves volume setting on iPod alone which means can use headphones without blowing ears off or use hi-fi without fiddling around first – and blowing ears off when changing to another source.

Comes with a 3.5mm cable so you may need to get a 3.5mm to RCA phono adapter to connect to your hi-fi (I’ve acquired oodles of these over the years).

So it works out cheaper than the iPod dock for connecting to hi-fi and works better. (Note that it does not connect to a PC like the iPod Dock).
Rating: 5 / 5

J. R. Hale

at 6:49 pm

Right I’ll be honest, new to the whole iPod thing but have an iPod touch 2G 16GB and was looking for a cheap way to get a decent line level (not headphone level, which is lower) to my surround sound system which for those of you who are interested is Pioneer with Celestion pod speakers and a sub. This unit does that very, very well, none of the flabby bass and sibilent treble you get going through the h/phone socket. The sound is surprisingly good, presenting a clear and tight soundstage. For £30 or whatever the price is today you can’t go wrong with this, the remote works well but that’s a bonus really, it’s the sound that counts. Only gripe (which is a very unfair one really) is that if you have a protective case on your iPod you can’t use the adaptors that Pure supply as the Ipod wont fit snuggly into the dock, but this would be true of any dock I guess. I leave my iPod in it’s protective case and just plug it straight in without an adaptor – works fine. Genuinely – a great and cheap-ish solution to the problem, yes you’ll need a 3.5 h/phone to 2x phono lead for a hi-fi connection but that’s no problem. Great little product.PURE VL-61119 i-10 Powered iPod Dock with Remote Control
Rating: 5 / 5

Alexander Calvados

at 11:50 pm

This is a really economical way to make your existing stereo i-Pod friendly. It’s a compact unit which connects to the input(s) on your stereo, and has a remote control which allows you to navigate the iPod menus. The sound quality is very good, making it a very convenient addition to my current audio set-up. I have it connected to my 5-year-old Panasonic micro system in my bedroom.

A 3.5mm to 3.5mm lead is supplied to connect the dock to your stereo. I actually have 2 x phono inputs on my stereo, so I replaced the supplied lead with a phono to 3.5 mm lead which cost me £1.50 from my local hifi store.

The dock also charges the ipod, which is brilliant – I can just leave it in overnight to charge and then grab my ipod as I leave for work in the morning.

It’s much better value than Apple’s equivalent which costs roughly the same but doesn’t include the cables you need, and has a tacky white plastic design with a remote which only controls a couple of functions. Apple Universal Dock

One minor grumble: There are about 10 differently-sized black docking adapters included, which help the ipod fit more securely over the docking terminal. An adapter for my ipod model (4th gen nano) was not included – instead I had to use the white adapter which accompanied my iPod when I bought it. Not a major problem, but the white adapter just looks a bit naff.

Rating: 4 / 5