NAD Viso 1 Music system
I block out the cows truck that is filled by listening to music from my iDevice. Collapsing at home afterward, I plug it into my hi-fi - the NAD Viso 1 - to keep listening.
I'm illustrating a point here: I don't actually do any of this! But I suspect that is the idiom into which the Viso 1 slots, alongside many rivals including the seminal Zeppelin from B&W and the Monitor Audio i-deck 100. In other words it's a quality iPhone/iPod dock that tries its hardest to mimic a full scale hifi, with no of the paraphernalia - especially cables - of high fidelity as we all know it.
The Viso 1 is another dock which is peculiarly inextensible: it has no way of sending the signal it assembles out to some full size hi-fi, not even one. As any upgrade course is blocked off by it, this I do not understand. There's no analogue output, nor an electronic one. And so the question is: how does it fare as a stand alone mini hi-fi, one you might want to utilize in a bedroom, say?
IPod docks need a USP or Unique Selling Proposition to differentiate themselves. Without it they'll not be able to rise above the fast growing herd. The Viso 1 has an excellent one: you do not need to dock your iPhone or iPod onto it. Take out your iPhone as I did (for real this time!), press Play and music issues forth in the Viso 1 even if you're in another room. It connects by Bluetooth aptX, a short range wireless link. This overcomes the problem of being unable to view your player's menu across a space, something that blights most players. Your iPhone or iPod becomes a the Viso 1 a straightforward slave, a controllable source. So it is a dock unless you need to view video where docking is not a priority. Well, there needed to be a snag!
Video is ignored by many docks, but like Cambridge Audio's iD 100, this one has a video output signal. The idea is you can see a music video - and you can with the Viso 1 but only when the iPhone is docked. Bluetooth does not transmit video from your iPhone.
The Viso 1 is picked up by you in an awesome, plastic managed simply- carton that is portable. NAD pack a straightforward Quick Start Guide on an A4 sheet of paper, and it tells an owner they are able to download a complete manual in PDF from their web site at www.nadelectronics. com/ products/ made-for-ipod/ VISO-1 -iPod-Music-System. An easy remote control is supplied, with button battery, plus electricity leads. The remote is used as NAD don't anticipate it to be utilized often like this it's plasticky and small and when the Viso 1 is docked. As NAD say, you plug in and switch on and Viso 1 is willing to go, after removing a blanking plug from the upward facing, 30 pin Apple connector of the dock. I got music straight away, but the remote volume control was tardy occasionally and appeared not to operate one minute, then work fine the next.
Source and volume selection could be altered on the player using a little control panel, useful in the event the remote gets lost.
The rear carries an optical digital input signal (TOSLINK) so a Mac Mini may be linked in, acting as a music server. There's no analogue input or output signal, a curious omission that prevents the Viso 1 being used as a terminal able to feed a hifi.
It performed a handshake, including exchange of an encryption key to a recognised client with Bluetooth and recognised the Viso 1 promptly after changing on Bluetooth in the phone. Afterward the Viso 1 functioned perfectly, and volume may be corrected on the iPhone. Via Bluetooth merely seem played from a music video. The iDevice has to be docked to carry analogue Component video from Apple's 30 pin connector to the Viso 1's three Part output sockets. As video quality was poor from a high definition video I played, likely to due to constraints of the iPhone's on board video DAC, the provision of one Composite output signal could have made more sense, as on Cambridge Audio's iD 100. On the Viso 1 its Component video outputs are just feed-throughs it seems, as Part (RGB) is what is on the 30 pin output outlet, at least in later players. Still, better that video is accessible than not at all modern TVs will accept Composite video along with Component in the end. Simply older / more straightforward devices use Complex alone. A 'near field' alternative can reduce treble.
There was lots of bass, considering the unit's small size 500mms long, 300mms deep (inc cables) and 270mm high, but it absolutely was inevitably a bit boomy, and no match for the managed low end of Monitor Audio's i-deck 100 with its auto-tune system. The midband was not unfair in terms of balance if tinged using a little muddle Monitor Audio's was clearer and cleaner when placed at ear height. The Viso 1 had a big, simple sound, one that was treble that is due to reticent that is warm, our measurements reveal. At best, on its central axis, treble was down, but off-axis it was worse. The Viso 1 was not insightful or especially analytic because of this.
JUDGMENT
The Viso 1 does exhibit a great method to work with any mobile player - as your own source. It's like having a CD player in your pocket - although iTunes will not transfer 24/96 files to the iPhone, saying they're an "unsupported format" (on the 'telephone), so to play high res. you must use the visual input.
The Viso 1 should offer more snappy sound quality and a little more extensibility to entirely warrant it is so large price. NAD have come up with an imaginative dock here and I guess we'll be seeing more of the idea from them, although so I'll not be utilizing it after the commute home just yet. It needs up a little tiddling, that is all.
