Creatures or Soundsticks..or what?

[gregd]

I'd like to hook my IPod up to some speakers in our new conservatory. I don't currently have a Hi-Fi in there so I'm thinking about the Creature II's or the Soundsticks II as a cool looking / cost effective solution (ie cheaper than a decent looking/sounding amp and speakers. I have a couple of Mini Systems in the house I could use but I'm after something a bit different.

Which would you guys recommend? Are the Soundsticks worth the extra over the Creatures? Also, do you think a set bought in the US would work in the UK? Will I need to factor in the cost of an AC adapter (assuming I can get one to fit) or will a figure of 8 cable & UK plug fit into the supplied AC adapter? I'm in the States in a couple of months and I'm guessing they'll be much cheaper.

Finally, I like the idea of buting an extra Dock to sit the Ipod in by these speakers (and permanently connected to them with the docks Line-out), will I also need to buy another charger/AC adapter for the Ipod (I'd like to leave my other one upstairs) or does a charger come with the spare Dock?

Any help/suggestions much appreciated..

[AndyH]

Originally posted by gregd
I'd like to hook my IPod up to some speakers in our new conservatory. I don't currently have a Hi-Fi in there so I'm thinking about the Creature II's or the Soundsticks II as a cool looking / cost effective solution (ie cheaper than a decent looking/sounding amp and speakers. I have a couple of Mini Systems in the house I could use but I'm after something a bit different.

Which would you guys recommend? Are the Soundsticks worth the extra over the Creatures? Also, do you think a set bought in the US would work in the UK? Will I need to factor in the cost of an AC adapter (assuming I can get one to fit) or will a figure of 8 cable & UK plug fit into the supplied AC adapter? I'm in the States in a couple of months and I'm guessing they'll be much cheaper.
If you can get your hands on the latest edition of MacAddict (June 2004 edition, I believe), they have a small review of three speaker systems, with the HK SoundSticks being one of them. While they liked the looks of them, they felt the bass was lacking and the highs were a bit "piercing". Off the top of my head I can't recall the brand that they liked the best, but I'd recommend reading the review.

Originally posted by gregd
Finally, I like the idea of buting an extra Dock to sit the Ipod in by these speakers (and permanently connected to them with the docks Line-out), will I also need to buy another charger/AC adapter for the Ipod (I'd like to leave my other one upstairs) or does a charger come with the spare Dock?
No, the charger does not come with the dock...you need to purchase another one separately.