A good dock for charging and plugging the headphones?

[pascal.bourque]

Hello,

I've had my iPod Touch for a week now, and have used it at the office for the past 3-4 days.

At first, my intention was to put the touch on its little plastic stand while using it at my desk. But I quicly found out that this did not work because the iPod automatically switches to cover flow mod when its in landscape orientation, and I can't control the volume or skip tracks when in cover flow. :(

Because the headphone jack is on the bottom of the iPod, I cannot put the iPod in portrait orientation on its stand, unless I put it upside down...

So I ended up leaving it flat on my desk. But then there is the problem of auto-lock vs backlignt (http://forums.ilounge.com/showthread.php?t=206755) that "requires" me to keep my iPod plugged in at all times.

So my current setup is: keep my previous iPod's wall charger and USB cable on my desk, plug the cable and headphones when I arrive in the morning, and unplug everything when I leave.

What I would like: a dock that stays on my desk, with power and headphones always plugged in the dock. But I am wondering which dock I should get... I don't really care for video output from this dock, as it will be used only for audio at work.

But my concern is this: from what I have read, the sound that comes out of the iPod's dock connector is not amplified. Does this mean that if I plug my headphones in a dock, I will not get amplified sound and will not be able to control the volume via the iPod?

If this is true, is there any dock on the market that allows me to do what I want?

Thanks!

Pascal

[DerekVOF]

I think it's kind of early for there to be docks on the market - heck, we're still waiting for most cases to be released. Hopefully they'll be coming out soon - be nice to have them before Christmas.

[blink4life90]

apple does have a dock for the touch, i dont' know if thats what you are looking for but check it out at their website..

[bhauke]

But my concern is this: from what I have read, the sound that comes out of the iPod's dock connector is not amplified. Does this mean that if I plug my headphones in a dock, I will not get amplified sound and will not be able to control the volume via the iPod?

What you have heard is true: the output from the dock connector is a fixed level, meant to be connected other audio equipment which then is responsible for amplification and volume control.

One option would be to buy the dock and a small headphone amp. You would then connect the dock's audio output to the haedphone amp by whatever means necessary, and then drive your headphones with the amp. Of course, this adds a bit more cost to the whole deal.

I'm not sure if there are any docks that provide the feature you're looking for, but scan through the reviews here at iLounge and you might find something.

Butch

[zardoz66]

Apple Universal Dock (http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=E634369C&fnode=home/shop_iphone/iphone_accessories/cables_docks&nplm=MB125G/A)

[pascal.bourque]

Apple Universal Dock

I had checked this one, but was not sure if the sound coming out of this dock is amplified or not for the headphones.

Re-reading through the Universal Dock's description on the Apple site, I saw this that I had missed the first time:

The Apple Remote offers play/pause, volume control, and forward/back buttons for easy control.

This would imply that it is amplified, but:

What you have heard is true: the output from the dock connector is a fixed level, meant to be connected other audio equipment which then is responsible for amplification and volume control.

So there is some contradiction here...

Can anyone who owns a Universal Dock confirm if plugging headphones in the audio jack of the dock works?

If so, do I need to use the remote to change the volume or can I change the volume on the iPod itself? Having to keep a remote on my desk just to change the volume would not be ideal...

Thanks,

Pascal

[blink4life90]

isn't the back of the universal dock a line out? a line out is going to sound much better than something comming out of the headphone jack

[zardoz66]

oh dam yeah thats a line out... mmm

[mooble117]

Well, i have the new dock, but no touch.
When testing it with my 5G video the headphones work, and the volume can be controlled by the remote/click wheel.
I would assume the same is true for the touch, but you should probably have someone confirm.

[pascal.bourque]

the headphones work, and the volume can be controlled by the remote/click wheel.

Then, if I my understanding is right, that would imply that the audio jack on the Universal Dock is not a line-out. This makes it the perfect fit for my needs!

But it still seems strange that the output of the dock is not a line-out when Apple mentions that this dock can be used to connect an iPod to a stereo...

I'm still a bit confused, but as long as I can use my headphones with this dock and control the volume, I'm happy! :)

Thanks!

Pascal

[The Cos]

I just tried using the previous generation of Universal Dock (with the round IR port) to listen to my iPod Touch when docked, and it will allow you to adjust the volume on the iPod Touch. When connected to my 5G iPod, changing the volume on the iPod has no effect, but it works on the iPod Touch for some reason. I have to turn the volume up pretty high in order to hear anything, but it does work. It sounds just like what you're looking for...give it a try:)

[mooble117]

Then, if I my understanding is right, that would imply that the audio jack on the Universal Dock is not a line-out. This makes it the perfect fit for my needs!

But it still seems strange that the output of the dock is not a line-out when Apple mentions that this dock can be used to connect an iPod to a stereo...

I'm still a bit confused, but as long as I can use my headphones with this dock and control the volume, I'm happy! :)

Thanks!

Pascal

well, i should add, it does say "line out" right above the port.

[pascal.bourque]

Hmm... Those past two replies imply that it is indeed a line-out. The fact that the volume has to be turned up pretty high in order to hear anything in the headphones is not a good sign... And the line-out label above the port confirms the fact.

So I'm back to my original question: is there's any dock out there that will allow me to listen to music via headphones plugged into the dock?

Many thanks!

Pascal

[pascal.bourque]

I'm bumping this thread, in case that someone has found something in the 2 months it has been since I last posted...

The question was: is there's any dock out there that will allow me to listen to music via headphones plugged into the dock?

Thanks!

Pascal