Get bigger sound out of Apple gadgets with iWow

The iWOW 3D adapter from SRS labs

 In this age of the iTunes and MP3 audio, hi-fi has turned into lo-fi. In exchange for having thousands of songs at our fingertips on our mobile phones and iPods, we settle for compressed and often lifeless audio.

There are plenty of back-end remedies that attempt to breathe some life back into digital music. I have a cradle that connects my iPod to my home theater system. And I've tried several sound docks that pump tunes from an iPod through amplified speakers.

But none of those solutions was as satisfying as the iWow 3D adapter from SRS Labs. The tiny, $60 gadget coaxed better sound from my iPod that what I got from a $200 sound dock or a $600 stereo amplifier.

SRS has been working magic with digital audio for more than 20 years. Dozens of products including computers, TVs, mobile phones, home stereos, and car audio systems come with SRS technology built into their audio circuits. SRS typically widens the sound stage and enhances the stereo effect.

I've heard SRS audio on many of those devices, but none of them had the impact of the iWow 3D.

The iWow plugs into any Apple gadget that uses Apple's 30-pin connector. That includes iPhones, iPads and most iPods. When you connect headphones, earbuds or a cable to a full sound system, you immediately hear cleaner, richer and more detailed sound. Bass tracks have more definition, vocals are more separated from the music, and high notes don't get clipped.

Everybody on my iPod, from Sugerland to Sinatra, was in better form than I had heard since I consigned them to an MP3. The improvement was obvious and dramatic, whether I was listening with high-quality headphones, cheap earbuds or with the iPod connected to full sound system.

The iWow works straight out of the box with an iPod. Users of other igadgets — anything that has access to the Apple store — can download and install a free app that gives you more control over the iWow. It lets you adjust the sound for three different listening environments: Headphones, Speakers or Car.

You can also tune the sound for a wider surround effect and tweak the bass and treble. That could be useful for movies and games as well as music.

SRS Labs sells the iWow 3D adapter on its website, www.srslabs.com for $59.99. A version with a set of earbuds and replaceable color faceplates costs $79.99.

Post Source:http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/2011-05-30-iwow_n.htm?csp=obinsite