Digital Trends

Dice Electronics iTPA-220 September 26th, 2007 | by Jason Tomczak

Setup and Use:

Setting up the Dice iTPA-220 iPod Tube Amp is not difficult at all. Remove the amp and speakers from the packaging and set them on a table. Plug the electrical cord from the left speaker into a wall outlet and run the auxiliary power cord from the left speaker to the amp. Connect the left speaker to the right speaker by using the red and black stereo cable built into the right speaker box. Then connect the green-tipped audio cable between the amp and the left powered speaker (audio output to audio input, respectively). Finally, pop one of your iPod dock adapters onto the iTPA-220 and connect your iPod to the top of the amp.

Turn the power switches on the amp and left speaker to "on" and you're ready to listen to music. You can manually select music on your iPod or you can use the remote. If you use the remote, you'll at least need to select a playlist, artist or prep your iPod to play in shuffle mode.

That's it for setup - press "play" and start listening to your music. 

Sound Stage

When playing music through the iTPA-220 speakers, audio seems to be delivered in an omnidirectional manner, more shotgun than laser-precise. Varying the angle and tilt of the speakers has positive effects, but unlike the ultra-precise Audioengine A2 and A5 speakers that can place sounds inside your skull (jokingly), the iTPA-220 just seems to send audio everywhere. Granted, the quality of that broad sound is quite nice - good bass, enjoyable mids and clean highs. 

Sound Quality

Testing the iTPA-220 with 128kbps and 256kbps songs from a 5G iPod, we felt that the resultant output was quite nice - better than some systems, not quite as good as others. The bass from the iTPA-220 was healthy and low with little to no audible distortion, even when cranked up loud. The 40Hz low is certainly impressive, especially when you consider that other 2.0 speakers sets bottom out around 65Hz. The mids and highs (upwards of 18kHz) were more outstanding than the lows, making for a healthy top range. We tested the iTPA-220 speakers with quite a variety of music, from Carlos Vives and Cake to Offspring and Rammstein. Each genre sounded equally good. Even at high volume levels that made other speakers buzz with distortion, the iTPA-220 seemed to hold solid and produce good audio. 

Very Unpleasant Smells

The iTPA-220 that arrived at our offices had a perceptible smell of spray paint. After listening to the sound system for a couple hours, the harsh smell from the back of the left speaker and from the amp itself began to permeate the room. Specific to the amp, the smell seemed to be coming from the Chinese markings painted/stamped onto the tubes. The somewhat acidic odor reminded me of the paint used in old Soviet buildings under "PEMOHT". Folks who have lived in Eastern Europe will know what I mean. It's a very distinct and unpleasant smell (like iodine, sulfur and paste), not something you want in a closed room.

Conclusion:

The Dice iTPA-220 iPod tube amp system is a sexy looking system - from 5-6 feet away. While the sound is very good, the poor physical construction and malodorous fumes made for a disappointing experience. The use of vacuum tubes to gain an analogish sound for your digital music will undoubtedly appeal to some, but audiophiles would certainly decline.

If you don't mind dropping nearly $300 USD on a good sounding product vexed by a terribly cheap plastic housing, the iTPA-220 could be for you. If you want a truly exciting audio experience from high-quality hardware, take your three Benjamins on a trip to the Audioengine website.


Pros:

• Sounds very nice, even at high volumes
• Tubes give hip, retro style

Cons:

• Cheap plastic construction, feels like a toy
• Smells of burning paint
• Tubes have little-to-no noticeable effect on compressed digital audio