Shanling’s $995 iPod dock/CD Player/Tuner & tube power amp may be stupidtacular, but check out the tubes on the thing!

Here are the details:

The Shanling MC-30 Music Center is a brushed aluminum CD player and tuner with 3 watts per channel, single ended tube amplifier section, fully remote controlled with a built in iPod docking station.

Features:

• The top caps of the front pair of feet are in fact, an input selector and a volume control.
• Combining high quality CD player, tuner, dedicated iPOD input and tube power amplifier in one chassis.
• Philips VAM-12 pick-up mechanism coupled with CD-7II servo system for low jitter tracking
• D/A conversion is accomplished by Burr-Brown PCM1738 DAC chip
• High-quality FM/AM tuning system
• 2×6P1 single-ended tube output stage
• Mini multi-functional lever, concealed input selector and volume control
• All aluminum chassis with cylindrical support and internal screening

“We designed the Xdock Wireless so an iPod can easily become the audio platform for your entire home,” said Sim Wong Hoo, chairman and CEO of Creative. “Your iPod goes in the Xdock Wireless to play music through X-Fi Wireless Receivers in as many rooms as you want — all upconverted to Xtreme Fidelity.”

Creative’sX-Fi Xtreme Fidelity is produced with X-Fi Crystalizer and X-Fi CMSS-3D technology. The X-Fi Crystalizer makes MP3s sound better than CDs by analyzing and identifying which parts of the audio stream have been truncated or damaged during compression. It then intelligently and selectively restores the highs and lows from instruments and vocals that are damaged during the compression of MP3s. X-Fi CMSS-3D creates virtual surround sound through speakers or headphones. It expands audio for superior headphone listening so music completely surrounds the listener.

Features:

• It plays music through multiple X-Fi Wireless Receivers, which are sold separately, in different rooms of the home connected to powered speakers or a home theater system.
• It plays music in Xtreme Fidelity — music beyond CD quality.
  A line-out for connection to powered speakers, which also functions as an optical-out to your home theater for DTS surround-sound.
  S-video and composite video-out connections, so digital photos and videos stored on an iPod can be displayed on a TV screen.
  A wireless remote to navigate the iPod menu, adjust volume levels, and activate X-Fi Crystalizer and X-Fi CMSS-3D.
  It docks and charges an iPod and includes line-in for connection of other audio devices.

The Xdock Wireless plays music up to 100 feet away without requiring a wireless network, via X-Fi Wireless Receivers; it’s just as quick and easy to set up as a cordless phone. There are two different modes for music playback: broadcast and individual zones. The broadcast and zone modes allow the user to have complete control of whether music is played through every X-Fi Wireless Receiver in the home, or specific X-Fi Wireless Receivers. In broadcast mode, multiple X-Fi Wireless Receivers can receive music in different rooms of the home. In zone mode, a user can turn on or off up to four different X-Fi Wireless Receivers independently, to listen to music only in desired rooms. Each X-Fi Wireless Receiver can be controlled with its own remote, to activate X-Fi Crystalizer and X-Fi CMSS-3D, adjust volume, and control music playback.

Pricing and Availability

The Creative Xdock Wireless, part of the Made for iPod program and designed specifically for use with the iPod with video, iPod photo, iPod mini and iPod Nano, will be available for US$199.99. The X-Fi Wireless Receiver will be available for US$99.99. An Xdock Wireless with an X-Fi Wireless Receiver will be available for less than US$300. Availability is slated for Spring of 2007 at www.us.creative.com .

Kensington

NXT Chief Commercial Officer, Graham Ryan, said, “the Kensington SX 2000 is a great example of where NXT technology can really add another dimension to a product. The SX 2000 Speakers for iPod is the most visually striking iPod docking station available, and the excellent sound quality ensures that users will be able to get the most our of their digital music collection.”

Launching in November and priced around $159.99, the SX 2000 Speakers for iPod will be available from Apple Stores across the US, and in Canada, Japan and the UK, as well as from the Apple website.

Source: Kensington