The iPod Speaker market has changed quite a bit over the years as number of brands and options have grown in line with the popularity of the iPod, iPhone and other Apple gadgets. In the beginning functionality was mostly the same on all of them, with the ability to dock, charge, and play music from your iPod through the speakers. These days there are a lot more options, both in terms of functionality as well as design.
Some of the key questions to ask yourself before buying an iPod speaker or sound system are:
- What type of iPod speaker should i be getting? What are you looking to use it for?
- Am i looking for high-end sound or low cost?
- What is my budget?
- Is brand important to me?
What type of iPod Speaker are you after?
These days there are several categories of iPod speakers depending on what you are looking to use it for. Are you looking for a main home sound system, or perhaps an iPod speaker for the office? Do you need to be able to dock your iPhone or perhaps iPad with it as well, or perhaps you need to use it as a bedside alarm clock to wake you up in the morning? It is important to have an idea of what type of solution you are looking for so that you can start narrowing down your search.
Here is an overview of some of the main categories of iPod speakers.
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| Best iPod speaker docks | Best iPhone speakers | Best iPad speaker docks | Apple AirPlay speakers | Bluetooth wireless speakers |
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| Best DAB speaker dock | Best iPod alarm clocks | Best portable speaker dock | Budget iPod speaker dock | High-end iPod speakers |
Home iPod speaker
A quite broad category that generally covers iPod speakers that are stationary for use at home, and often in the living room or other rooms where you tend to listen to music and want to have a better sound quality. The price range can vary a lot depending on how much power you want and brand.
See home iPod speakers >>
Portable iPod speaker
A portable iPod speaker is one that supports running on battery or even to be powered by the iPod/iPhone itself. They will range from tiny systems that plug in using the 3.5mm audio jack to more advanced system with a docking station and rechargeable batteries. The most popular ones tend to be rechargeable and small enough to easily transport.
See portable iPod speakers >>
Wireless iPod speaker
These have become more popular and of improved quality over the years, both in terms of bluetooth based ones as well as the new category of Apple AirPlay speakers now in the market that is built to specifically work well with the Apple iPod/iPhone/iPad. You can find these systems both in the home and portable iPod speaker category.
See bluetooth wireless iPod speakers >>
See Apple AirPlay speakers >>
iPhone speakers
Although most iPod speaker docks can accommodate the iPhone, not all of them support the iPhone fully, which means that you have to put your iPhone in flight mode to avoid disturbance. So if the iPhone is your primary source of music then you want to make sure that your speakers have the necessary network shielding.
See iPhone speakers >>
iPad speakers
With the size of the Apple iPad it means that a lot of older iPod speakers and docking stations can not support the iPad, either because of lack of stability support or because the docking station itself is crated (usually with adaptors for different iPod/iPhone models). There are however more and more options in the market for iPad speakers these days.
See iPad speakers >>
DAB iPod speakers
Digital radio DAB & DAB+ has become a popular feature to integrate with iPod speakers these days, so if you want the option to add radio as well as the music from your iPod/iPhone then DAB speaker docks might be for you.
See DAB iPod speakers >>
iPod alarm clocks
Bedside iPod alarm clocks serve many purposes other than just providing you with your music in the bedroom/kitchen. Most of them will allow you to retire your old school alarm clock, and of course they ensure that your iPod/iPhone is fully charged for the day ahead when you wake up in the morning.
See iPod alarm clocks >>
iPod speaker brands & manufacturers
If you already have an idea about what brand of iPod speakers you are going for, but want to see what options the different brands have, then find your brand here to see what iPod speakers we have listed for each brand.
How much to spend on iPod speakers – price ranges
iPod Speakers come in pretty much all price ranges these days, from around £10 to £1000+ depending on design, brand, style, and how much oomph you want them to have. You are likely to find that most systems sits around the £100 mark, but as more functionality is added the prices are coming up as well.
As with most products, price also often reflect quality (although not always), so if you have a high quality music collection that you enjoy to listen to you might want to look at the high-end iPod speakers instead of the more budget friendly solutions out there.
Select your price bracket below to find some of our favourite iPod speakers at different price ranges.
- iPod speakers under £50
- iPod speakers between £50 – £100
- iPod speakers between £100 – £300
- iPod speakers over £300
We hope this guide and the links within it has helped you find the right iPod speakers for you and always we appreciate both positive and negative feedback, so feel free to get in touch on Twitter.
Latest iPod speakers news
JVC’s NX-BX3 redefines the table-top speaker dock
With the JVC NX-BX3 you get a lot more than just a speaker dock. This is a piece of furniture that you can rest a book on, your coffee mug, or perhaps a gold fish bowl (depending on weight tolerance of course). Just be careful when you crank up the volume and things start shaking!
Teac NS-X1 AirPlay network player finally available
Like so many other AirPlay speakers over the last year, it has taken Teac a few months to get their Teac NS-X1 slimline AirPlay speaker dock into the market, but now it is here, a mere 55mm at the thickest and with a low price tag for an Airplay speaker dock.
Sharp DK-KP95P AirPlay speaker dock – the first from Sharp [CES 2012]
Sharp has launched their first ever AirPlay speaker dock at CES 2012 in the Sharp DK-KP95P AirPlay speaker dock, a compact home sound system that in addition to AirPlay streaming features DLNA, docking station, and a CD player. Find out more about it here.
Ferrari teams with Logic3 to bring AirPlay speaker docks and headphones [CES 2012]
This year Ferrari has moved from outside on the road to inside CES, teaming up with Logic3 to bring us Ferrari inspired Airplay enabled speaker docks, as well as headphones. Meet the Ferrari by Logic3 Cavallino and Scuderia collection.
Pure Contour 200i Air goes AirPlay at an affordable price
Pure is at CES 2012 waving the flag for British audio and for Apple AirPlay with their first AirPlay enabled speaker dock in the Pure Contour 200i Air, joining the growing ranks of manufacturers embracing wireless streaming over Apple’s AirPlay technology.
iHome iW4 brings AirPlay to the bedroom
iHome has announced the release of their latest AirPlay enabled speaker dock in the iHome iW4 alarm clock speaker dock for the bedroom, one of three new alarm dock models to be featured at their CES stand next week.
Samsung DA-E750 & DA-E670 Audio Docks does it all, including AirPlay streaming
With the Samsung DA-E750 and DA-E670 they are delivering their first two speaker docks with hybrid vacuum tube amplifier technology, a docking system supporting both iOS devices and Samsung Galaxy devices, as well as streaming through Airplay, AllShare, and bluetooth.
Maroon 5 rocks out with JBL OnBeat Xtreme iPad speaker dock [video]
Superstar band Maroon 5 have teamed up with JBL to promote their latest iPad speaker dock, the JBL OnBeat Xtreme, designed for the iPad, including running tv ads showcasing both the dock and their latest single “Never gonna leave this bed”. See video here.
Bayan 7 speaker dock is set to bring high-end audio to iPhone and iPod
With the Bayan 7 iPod speaker dock Bayan Audio has set out to heighten the quality of sound, and in the process likely splitting us on the design of the speaker dock itself. Personally i kinda like it, and i definitely like the audio specifications of the system.
Behringer iNuke Boom speaker dock goes big in all ways
Behringer are going consumer audio with a 10,000W iNuke Boom speaker dock that will be displayed at CES 2012 as the company launches a new Eurosound product range, that will include other speaker docks and wireless speakers as well.
