When putting together your audio system, please bear in mind that speakers are not the only audio components you should focus on. Subwoofers can attract your attention, along with amplifiers, mixers and other components, with each component having its band of supporters and detractors. But don’t forget about the audiocables, they are often overlooked, and using poor quality cables will take down the sound quality of your entire system.

The cable is probably the most vital piece of your entire audio system. Sure, it sounds unimportant, but without cables your system cannot possibly work. Cables physically connect the pieces of your system and provide electricity to all of the components. So when you are building you system, make sure that each audiocable that you use is in good working order and of the best quality.

There are several things to consider when you are purchasing cables. Among these considerations are; wire gauge, connector type, and brand name. There are other important factors but they are more for the extremely adept technical people. If you are uncertain about anything, ask a professional for help.

The term wire gauge is a measure of the width of the cable, which in turn determines the amount of current it can carry. (Remember that a higher wire gauge actually refers to a wire with a smaller diameter.) You don’t need a high gauge audiocable; in fact, a thicker cable is a waste of money if the wire carries far more current than your speakers need.

You will want to make certain that the cable you buy has the proper connector type. There are numerous different audio cables connectors available, however they will not work with all products. Examine your speakers and other devices to see which connectors they need. When you find what you need, make sure it is not flimsy, it needs to be well constructed.

Finally, it is always best to choose audiocables made by a respected manufacturer. This is a common sense precaution. While less widely known companies are not necessarily bad, major companies have spent years building up a reputation for selling quality products. Luckily, there are several reputable brands, including toslink audio cables.

Does this sound daunting, well don’t worry it is a great deal simpler than it sounds to find that good cable for your system. Once you’ve chosen one don’t forget to test it to make sure that it measures up to what you need, if it doesn’t end up meeting your needs you can always replace it at a later time. You will find that perfect cable and when you do, good luck!

Though speakers, subwoofers, amplifiers and the like in an audio system get the most attention, a high quality audiocable is also equally important for superior performance. Some of the factors to consider when buying audio cables are wire gauge, brand name and connector type. The audio cables connectors should be of the right technical specifications. The wire gauge is the cable’s width, which should be selected based on the current carrying capacity needed by the audio system. Well known brands like toslink audio cables offer a wide range of quality products to choose from.

- Mark Green

Case Logic True Sport Armband Case for 80 120 160 GB iPod classic 6G iPod touch 1G iPod touch 2G Silver

User Ratings and Reviews

2 Stars ehhhhh……..
Really nice….but not well thought out at the end! MY Ipod slides right out!!! The opening to place the Ipod does not close….no velcro or snap to secure the Ipod. Therefore who ever developed this novelty forgot ONE simple thing…SECURING the IPOD in place!! Very annoying because if your running, workingout or whatever…the slightest angle and your Ipod will FLY out of the pocket! This is a HUGE design “defect”…the “GENIUSES” were too focused developing hidden pockets and FORGOT the PURPOSE of the this product!!

4 Stars Ipod Touch 2g
I hae a Ipod touch 2g and it fits BUT,after you put inon it will not slide out, maybe a cover will help.

3 Stars only one flaw in the design.
I use the Case Logic True Sport Armband Case with my Ipod Classic to work out at the gym.

I like the design. It feels comfortable and it’s easy to wear.

the ony flaw ib the design is that it does not have a strap otr clip to secure the ipode inside the case. If I lay down to bench press the ipod falls off the case. I added a safety pin to keep it inside the case.

4 Stars good product for larger ipod models
this armband stays in place during exercise and stays flush against your arm. it eliminates some of the weight of wearing an 80gb ipod on your body and also doesn’t get too sweaty.

4 Stars The Almost-Perfect Armband Case
This is the almost-perfect armband case for my ipod. It’s comfortable and secure when I wear it to exercise, it allows me to easily remove my ipod so that I can charge it or use it in my speakers, and the little pocket inside is perfect for carrying my id, debit card, and some cash when I’m cycling. This armband is *so* much better than my awful old silicon armband that made my ipod very difficult to remove, and that split after just a month or so of taking the ipod in and out daily. It loses one star because it’s difficult to use the buttons through the plastic cover, but at least I can easily take the ipod out if I want to change something.

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Onkyo HT S6100 7 1 Channel Receiver and Speaker Package

Includes Receiver - 7 Speakers - 1 Subwoofer - iPod Dock / Blu-Ray Ready with optional drive / 1080P HDMI Pass Through (3 Inputs) / Room Calibration

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Awesome sound, easy setup
The HT-S6100 is everything I hoped it would be. For the price, this is probably one of the better home theater packages you can get. Some will say that the speakers may be a little bit lacking, which may very well be true, but they more than do the job for my untrained ear. What you are really buying is the receiver itself which is a very, very nice piece of equipment. The nice thing about this “home theater in a box” is that the receiver is separate and you can upgrade the speakers at any time.

The ipod dock is a nice feature that we get a lot of use out of and it’s nice that you can control from the remote as well.

The instructions provided are clear and the system is very easy to set up.

You don’t get much speaker wire with it so, depending on the size of your room, if you plan to run the wires through the walls you’ll need to buy some wire. Also, the wire they include is 22 AWG which is kind of thin so you may want to upgrade to something a little heavier anyway.

3 Stars Great entry level package
Pros: comes with everything; nice HDMI output conversion, great for projector with HDMI input, no need for other wires.

Cons: remote is not designed well; no back lighting; most receiver related buttons disabled when in other mode. i.e. when in DVD mode, had to switch back to receiver mode to change speaker preset.

4 Stars Love this system!!!!!!!
Great system. Auto setup mic set up system with no problems. System sound good and looks good. It hits pretty good but I expected more out of the system. But the good part is that if I want to upgrade my speakers I can add an amp to power it up. Very satisfied.

5 Stars Onkyo HT_S6100 7.1 receiver and speaker package, I love it
After a few dissapointing attempts at true surround sound, This is quite a experiance. simple set up, color coded speaker wires, extreamly easy to set up the inputs, one hdmi to the new samsung 52″, ran the auto set up, slipped in a dvd and when the THX intro music came on…holy crap, shook the guy’s house next door!!! best of all, you can watch tv at much lower volumes in the evening and not disturbe someone sleeping, it is that clear and full. remote controls everything I have and the receiver is very easy to use. I am so glad I waited until they were available again. very fast shipping also

5 Stars Sweet system!
Great sound! Had hoped it would upscale component video and output it via HDMI but it doesnt do that according to the manual. Very nice nevertheless!

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Sony TDM IP1 Digital Media Port iPod Dock

Display your iPod on the smooth and modern TDM-IP1 Digital Media Port (DMP) dock and unleash the power of music. Take full advantage of your DMP compatible BRAVIA home theater system or audio receiver’s sound when you connect an iPod to the DMP.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars I have MUSIC!
I love this DMP. I use it constantly while in my study (with my new Sony surround system) where before I was purchasing speakers that well, stink. I even bought a pair of Sennheisers and they are great for mobile listening/watching but I very much prefer using the dock. I almost bought an AV system I didn’t like as well until I discovered the DMP capability on my Sony HCT100.

4 Stars Great dock, but overpriced
Really nice dock - looks good, small footprint, and so far it works flawlessly with my Sony receiver. There have been many complaints about how the video needs to seen via the iPod, but after setting the video output channel of my DMPort to the standard monitor out, it works flawlessly. This way, I’ve just run the dock’s video cable straight to my receiver and it outputs from the same composite cable that any other composite device connected would use. Simple, clean, and performs well. The only thing that I would hope for would be a way to output directly to the HDMI output so that I wouldn’t need the extra cable at all, but that is more of an issue with the receiver over the dock. Video quality is decent, which can only be expected from the iPod’s res, and the on-screen menu is adequate. A cleaner design of the interface would have been nice, but shouldn’t be a deal breaker.

Even at Amazon’s current price, which is $20 cheaper than most other places, I still think this dock is rather overpriced. I was able to get my hands on a brand new one from a certain online auction site for half of what most people have paid, and I think it’s worth just about that much.

4 Stars good product
This product works very well with our Sony home theater system. It is very easy to set-up and the on-screen aspect is very nice. It allows us to maximize our system.

4 Stars Works well for music, but video is text-only
I’m pretty happy with this little gadget. Its simple “back support” system quickly adjusts for various iPod models, but you won’t want to push the buttons too hard. The audio output is at line level, so you don’t have to tweak the volume on the iPod. Unfortunately, it doesn’t charge the iPod unless the receiver is powered on.

The video output is pretty rudimentary but okay. The device has two modes. The first mode leaves the click wheel on the iPod enabled but there’s no video output. In this mode you can use the stereo remote for Play, Pause, Next, and Previous.

The second mode disables the iPod click wheel but enables the video output. I expected I’d see what was on the iPod screen (e.g., the Now Playing screen, Cover Art, etc.) but instead it’s just a basic text display. While the text display isn’t very pretty, it’s very functional. You can use the stereo remote to maneuver through Artists, Playlists, etc. You won’t find Photos on the menu, however, so you can’t view on the TV any pictures you’ve loaded on your iPod. I presume there’s no support for Videos or Games either. (My Nano 2G doesn’t do those.) As you might expect, there’s no press-and-hold function via the stereo remote so you’ll need to go back to the iPod’s click wheel to create an On The Go Playlist.

BTW, I tried a Nano 4G briefly and got the same video results — text only.

3 Stars Works well, but unnecessary
The device works very well even with the IPOD nano that I have which is not supported. I can play music, it charges, but the control of the music is through the iPOD itself, not the remote of the the SONY receiver. Have been using constantly since I bought. Great device.

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Vestalife Ladybug Portable Speaker Dock for iPod Red Black

There’s simply nothing quite like the Vestalife Ladybug. Flip out the speaker “wings” on this sleek, high-tech device, and you have an iPod-based entertainment system featuring a built-in subwoofer for lots of bass, a digital amplifier, and one of the coolest soft-touch finishes you’ve ever experienced. Sit it on a counter. Take it with you. The Vestalife Ladybug is designed to be part of your life.

Flip out the speaker “wings” on this sleek, high-tech device, and you have an iPod-based entertainment system.

Click to enlarge. Fold-out speakers and controls in front…

…and the subwoofer, battery compartment, input, and outputs in back. Click to enlarge.

iPod Dock
The Ladybug includes an iPod universal dock, which is compatible with any iPod with a dock connector. It also charges your iPod while it’s connected.

Ladybug Sound
Thanks to digital amplifier technology and a built-in subwoofer, this Ladybug has a bark and a bite, giving you full sound in a small package.

Ladybug Motion
Because the Ladybug can run on both AC (US only) or battery power (4 AA batteries not included), you can take it wherever you go. Rock out at the beach, at a picnic, wherever you want to take your tunes. Just throw your Ladybug in the included Tote bag and be on your way.

If you’re forgetful, no worries–the battery-saving automatic shut-off will help you keep from draining those batteries. When you’re at home, stay on the couch, and use the included remote for controlling your Ladybug.

Ladybug Versatility
If you have a bunch of different devices in addition to your iPod, use the auxiliary-in jack to connect them–non-docking iPods, CD players, MP3 players, and more. You also can send video to your TV from video-enabled iPods using the AV output for sharing your favorite clips or photos. Finally, use the USB connector for synchronizing a docked iPod with your computer.

What’s in the Box
Vestalife Ladybug Portable Speaker Dock for iPod (Red/Black), AC adapter, remote control, five iPod dock adapters, audio patch cord, Tote bag, user guide, warranty card.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars love it!!
i am 30+ and i love this little bug! the only draw back i see (or hear) is in higher volume heavy bass songs. it has 5 lit up volume indicators each has a range of 5 sound increases before the next. it is perfect for a small room but not for a large one. it does get surprisingly loud and remains quite clear unless im listenin to biggie or uncle al or nas but my simon an garfunkel beatles and al green del phonics are all beautiful out of this small machine I listen to a lot of different kinds of music and i recommend you put your ipods’ EQ to the OFF position for normal use and with some old school rap or new school hip hop or even buju banton put the EQ on bass reducer and you will get alot of enjoyment outta this little bug for years to come…

4 Stars great look, not too great of a system
people say that the volume is amazing, its not that good, when my friends come over it doesn’t blast enough (im not just saying that because im 17) also it does not work with my ipod that good, i have the nano 4th generation. they said that it should work with it, i don’t know if my ipod is flipping on me because of the speaker or not, the remote is also extremely annoying, you have to hold it a certain way to change the song or whatever, I’m mainly sticking with it because its too cute!

5 Stars Excellent sound from one-of-a-kind device
I had no idea if this device would work with my 3G iPhone, but given the price, and cool design, I decided to give it a try. Upon opening the box, I found a card from Vestalife that says the Ladybug “uses the latest circuitry to make it compatible with your iPhone.” The card also says that Vestalife recommends that one place the iPhone in Airplane Mode to prevent audio interference.

When I docked my iPhone, I got a pop-up message on the phone that informed me that the device (the Ladybug) is not compatible with the phone; the message allowed me to place the phone in Airplane Mode.

The sound the ladybug puts out is terrific! I couldn’t want for a better sound from such a device. It’s cute, it’s cool, it’s small, and it’s portable. Other than the non-compatibility with my iPhone (which I really don’t care about) I have no hang-ups about this device. I highly recommend it.

I bought the Ladybug at Costco for $86.99. I got the blue Element Skateboards special edition model; this model sells on Vestalife’s web site for $125.

5 Stars Great Ipod Dock
For the price, this is a great little speaker system for your Ipod. I have the Ipod touch, and use this docking station in my baby’s nursery to play him music at night, and fun music during the day. It puts out some serious sound for being so little. We will enjoy this for years! I like that we can take it with us, as it is very portable, and doesn’t take up much space on the bookshelf. It’s a cute little system, and very unique in style! We have the red and black one, and it does resemble a ladybug. Very cute!

1 Star Crushed Box
I ordered this item for my mother for Christmas and once it came to me, the box was completely smashed. I guess that the item is okay, but based on the box, I’m not really sure if it will be. It came in bubble wrap, but wow!…the box was really smashed all to pieces. I was really disappointed. I would be embarrassed to give my mother this gift in such shape, but it fits perfectly in the box that it should originally come in. Very disappointed. Have emailed the company, but never heard back.

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