GINI iTube & iConec iPod Tube Speaker System

GINI iTube & iConec First Impressions

I approached the review with an open mind and a ton of curiosity.  But from the minute I opened the box, I found this to be a product of contradictions.  First, let's start with the concept of a tube based audio system.   High-end, right?  It conjures up images of snooty audiophiles sitting in uncomfortable chairs occupying the sweet spot of acoustically treated rooms, listening to overrated jazz music, debating the sonic qualities of tubes and ridiculously overpriced interconnects.  But then you say "iPod-based desktop speaker system," and I think low tech, or even computer speakers.  At its worst, this can fall into a category I call "Flea Market Audio."  So, on the one hand I feel that GINI wants to position this product for audiophiles who have iPods, yet as I began to unpack the system, I started to worry that I should have been looking for the word “DIGITAL” printed in a bad sci-fi font on the box somewhere.

First Impressions

In agreeing to review the system, some emails were exchanged with the kind folks at GINI, and we were told that "It'd take at least a week to have a system properly broken in," but they would send it out as soon as they had one ready.  And I must admit, I was relieved, because I would really hate to be forced to review a brand new $350 product right out of the box.  (Not to mention the fact that my minions are busy breaking in my new iPod earbuds, which will take them several weeks.)

After a week or so of anxiously waiting for the system to arrive, I finally received an email that it was READY and was being shipped!  I got home one night and there it was, all boxed up just sitting in the foyer waiting for me. After dinner, once the kids had gone to bed, I cleared the kitchen table.  There was no way I was gonna wait another day until I could transport it to my secret underground Audioholics testing lab lair to dive into this.  It was go-time.

GINI sent me two products: the iTube, which includes the sub and two satellite speakers, and the iConec, which is an iPod docking/charging station.  The iConec comes in very typical Chinese packaging - cheap, thin cardboard.  Oddly, it has an AC adapter packaged outside of the box, placed next to it in a brown cardboard box.

But once I took it out of the box, I found it to be a nice unit with good build quality and overall appearance.  It was heavy, which means it must be good, right?  (If I ever decide to produce a piece of A/V gear, I will make sure that it is HEAVY.  Heavy is good.)

Next up was the iTube box.  This packaging looked much better, although the box is very thin cardboard, and the styrofoam inside the packaging is not custom fit - it is just thin pieces cut and fit together to give the unit protection (which it does a fine job doing).  Just don't ask me to figure out how to pack it back up for shipping.  The power cord was bundled up and stashed up against the tube in the top of the subwoofer, which was funny, because as I opened the box I was curious to see what type of packaging was going to be used to protect the "fragile" tube.  Not what I was expecting!

After setting the system up on the kitchen table, my wife immediately commented that it looked like a bad middle school science fair project.  As for aesthetics, it should rate NEGATIVE points. It is styled to look like a white ipod.  (A first generation iPod, to boot!)  That seems to be limiting.  I mean, sure, it would look okay next to your iMac, but what about the 95% of people out there who have a black or beige PC on their desk?  But then I considered that it probably is my age - I am getting too old to understand what is hip with the kids these days.  Sadly, even my 12 year old daughter made fun of the way this thing looks.

And there lies the contradiction - GINI seems to want to position it as a pseudo high-end product, yet it looks and is packaged like a Times Square electronics store Chinese knockoff.  The plain-looking, white plastic speakers have big gold five-way speaker posts on the back, but GINI supplies 22 gauge micro-thin speaker wire with no way to determine which lead is positive and which is negative because the other end is terminated with an RCA connector.  There are remotes for both the iTube and the iConec.  Both are incredibly lightweight and, well, very plastic.  The sub/tube/amp unit has a power button on the rear, and on the front has volume up and down, and bass up and down controls.  These are arranged in an iPod scroll-wheel style, with a mute button in the middle.

GINI iTube & iConec Setup, Performance and Conclusion

iConec iPod Docking Station

The iConec is a very respectable docking station for your iPod.  Connections include RCA left and right  channel audio out, a 12V DC power jack, S-Video output, and an iPod docking connector (for use with the USB cable that comes with your iPod).   The remote has ample buttons for controlling most iPod functions.  Buttons include:  PREVIOUS and NEXT playlist buttons, Volume UP and DOWN, PREVIOUS and NEXT album buttons, REW/PREVIOUS and FWD/NEXT buttons, SHUFFLE, REPEAT, BACKLIGHT, MUTE and finally, PLAY/PAUSE.  The front of the dock itself has 2 buttons, VOLUME UP and VOLUME DOWN.  There is also a small IR receiver on the front. 

There are 5 plastic dock adaptors included for the various iPod models, but I was disappointed to find a small sheet of paper with the message stating that for use with the Nano (which I have), you must use the adapter that came with your Nano, which I have long since lost, having never had a use for it.  (It still works without the adapter)  The remote has very little range.  I had trouble from across the room unless I was directly in front of the unit.

Overall, the iConec performed well, and is a good docking station for your iPod.  The MSRP is $69, which is slightly less than Apple's comparably outfitted docking station kit.  It is a perfect companion to the iTube system. 

iTube Vacuum Tube based 2.1 Audio System

A system such as this should come out of the box sounding good, without much fuss with placement, etc.  When I turned it on, the initial sound was very bright.  LOTS of high end - and by lots, I mean TOO MUCH.  The bass controls did not seem to help.  I began to look through the manual, and it clearly stated that "the amplifier will take one to two minutes to warm up.  Music may sound harsh during the warm up period."  And sure enough, soon after I read this, the music warmed up quite a bit and sounded pretty good.  In fact, with the right style of music, very good.

There is a BASS + and BASS - control on both the remote and the sub itself.  I could not find a way to get back to flat other than to turn the unit off.  As with the iConec, the remote has a very limited range.  You need to be level with and dead aimed at the IR receiver to get it to work properly. 

Overall, the unit performed well.  Jazzy and acoustic music (such as the acoustic version of Put Your Records On by Corinne Bailey Rae, Square One by Tom Petty and Annie by Jonatha Brooke) sounded very good. I do feel that the tube was making a difference, as the tone stayed warm and toasty, even as I turned the volume up.

But I could never get rock music (Magnolia Mountain by Ryan Adams, Losing You by K's Choice) to balance out.  I was constantly trying to find the right bass level, and once I turned it up, there was too much distortion.  I even tried moving the sub around - under my desk, on my desk, next to my desk, etc.  The best sound seemed to be achieved with the sub positioned on the desk between the satellite speakers.  I tried lowering the iConec volume level and raising the iTube volume level, and vice-versa, but was never able to achieve a positive experience listening to rock.  The unit consistently performed better for me at lower volume levels.

Conclusions and Overall Perceptions

I have conflicting opinions on the iTube and iConec.  The iConec dock is a very good docking station for your iPod.  It is reasonably priced, and has most features you would want that allow it to be hooked up to a small desktop audio system (such as the iTube) or your home theater rig.  The iTube itself was a bit disappointing.  On jazzy or acoustic music, it delivered a nice rich quality that you would expect from a tube driven amp.  It does not sound bad, but I had hoped it would knock me out with a rich, warm sound that could truly be called unique, regardless of the source material. 

If you love the styling of this system (the cool white glow of the tube will certainly bring attention and questions from your guests), and listen to jazz or acoustic music, this system sounds good and you will enjoy it, as long as you are not looking for a system to play at high volumes.  The biggest thing that it has going against it is the large selection of lower priced audio systems in the market that it must compete with.

The iTube carries a MSRP of $349.  You can purchase the products (iTube and iConec) bundled directly from GINI for $379 via their website.

The Score Card

The scoring below is based on each piece of equipment doing the duty it is designed for. The numbers are weighed heavily with respect to the individual cost of each unit, thus giving a rating roughly equal to:

Performance × Price Factor/Value = Rating

Audioholics.com note: The ratings indicated below are based on subjective listening and objective testing of the product in question. The rating scale is based on performance/value ratio. If you notice better performing products in future reviews that have lower numbers in certain areas, be aware that the value factor is most likely the culprit. Other Audioholics reviewers may rate products solely based on performance, and each reviewer has his/her own system for ratings.

Audioholics Rating Scale

• — Excellent
• — Very Good
• — Good
• — Fair
• — Poor

Metric	Rating
Audio Performance
Build Quality
Ease of Setup/Programming/Integration
Remote Control
Fit and Finish
Performance
Value