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Posted on: November 1, 2005

Portable Music Cozies Up at Home

Even the go-go iPod generation wants to sit down and listen to music at home now and then …

By Erik J. Martin
CTW Features

While the iPod has revolutionized the way we organize and listen to music, the fact remains that it’s a portable device designed primarily for listening on the go with headphones.

Enjoying your digital music library doesn’t have to mean being tethered to a pair of white earbuds, however. There is an ever-expanding array of devices, from humble to high-end, that enable you to play MP3 and other digital music files throughout your home.

While it’s not the only portable digital music player out there, Apple’s iPod “met the needs of a huge cross section and cross generation of people,” says Cat Fowler, vice president of marketing for Elan Home Entertainment, Lexington, Ken. “They created a fast, easy to use, stylish, tiny and perfectly priced product that meets the lifestyle and needs of millions. People love music, and they made it easy for people on the go to have a soundtrack with their life.”

Thanks to products like the iPod, “We are becoming an on-demand world,” says Michael Stein, director of research at Russound, the Newmarket, N.H. manufacturer of home-based media servers.

Portable devices are not ultimately designed to replace a home sound system. But music fans that have archived big collections of music for life on the go also want ways to play the “soundtrack of their life” at home.

“No longer can the home entertainment system, personal PC, cell phone, car and portable players be thought of as distinct, non-interaction islands,” says Kevin Hawkins, marketing manager for the portable audio division of Texas Instrument, Dallas. “They are all now getting linked together by various technologies.”

Quick home stereo hookups

You can, of course, play digital music files on your computer by outfitting it with a pair of small PC speakers. Another low-tech route is to burn your dozens and dozens of MP3 files onto a CD-R disc that is compatible with your home CD player. A more elegant, but still easy and cheap way to pump up the digital jams, is to use an RCA stereo cable, a type of coax connector used for audio and video devices. Simply connect the cable (which can be purchased from Radio Shack or any electronics store for a few dollars) from the back of your receiver to the headphone jack on your portable MP3 device.

The next step up is to invest in an add-on like Kensington’s stereo dock for iPod ($90 MSRP), which produces cleaner sound and includes a remote control and a built-in charging unit.

If your home audio system is located near the home PC, you can connect them both to play digital music directly from software like iTunes using FXSound’s MP3 connector cables ($25), yielding audio from your PC speakers as well as your stereo speakers.

Big boom in the room

If you don’t have a home stereo system, or you’re looking to create an iPod boom box for another room, consider devices with built-in mini-speakers and a docking cradle included, such as Bose’s Sound Dock ($300), JBL’s OnStage ($200), Digital Lifestyle Outfitters’ iBoom ($150) and Altec Lansing’s inMotion ($180).

One of the hottest iPod add-ons to hit the market in the last year is Apple’s AirPort Express ($129), which lets you wirelessly stream music from iTunes software on your wired Ethernet or WiFi wireless networked computer to your home stereo or powered speakers. The unit plugs into a wall socket and connects to the back of your receiver with a mini-to-RCA cable.

Server solutions and beyond

Portable MP3 players aren’t the only devices that can deliver room-filling digital sound. More discerning audiophiles on a flexible budget may want to consider a hard-disc music server like Elan’s Via DJ series ($2,000 to $4,500). This audio component comes with a CD-drive/ripper and a hard drive (160-250 GB) that allows you to choose your music instantly from any connected television in the home or an optional touch pad. Think of it as a non-portable iPod with touch-screen capabilities and a TV-sized display. Russound’s SMS3-250 Smart Media Server ($3,400) is a similar system.

Another high-tech digital audio gizmo gaining popularity is the audio gateway, a device that sends multimedia content from your computer to your home stereo, such as Slim Device’s SqueezeBox 2 ($270). Using server software on your PC, music files and Internet radio station signals stream over a wired or wireless home network to the small SqueezeBox unit, which converts the signal to play on your receiver. A worthy competitor with similar features is the Roku SoundBridge M1000 Network-capable digital music player ($250).

The Sonos Digital Music System, from startup Sonos, Inc. in Santa Barbara, Calif., works with your computer’s existing wired or wireless network to “stream” music to multiple rooms. Sonos requires a standalone audio unit, called a ZonePlayer, to be wired directly to your home network’s router. Software loaded on the computer allows the audio player to distribute, play and amplify music. A wireless handheld controller allows the user to access, customize and control the music. Sonos can stream music via an iPod, too. Sonos is costly – the starter systems sells for $1,199 but has received top reviews since its introduction in early 2005.

On the digital horizon

The market for digital music file players is growing, and with new products emerging quickly it’s difficult to predict which devices will ultimately prevail as the gizmo of choice in the home.

“The key will be compatibility and what works best for that individual person,” says Elan’s Cat Fowler.