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I’m the kind of person who remembers faces, not names. I’ll notice when you’ve gotten a haircut, and I’ll probably be able to pick out that new accessory that you’re wearing for the first time. No, I’m not your personal stalker; I’ve just got a great eye for detail. When it comes to spotting a product in the Gramophoneshowroom, I’m no different. So today when I was walking through the front room, I had to stop, turn, and face the sleek silver faceplate and rounded edges of the iDecco. This wasn’t your classic, black-buttoned box. No, the iDecco was something different. And once I got the chance to dock my iPod, press the power button, and watch the Class A tube light up, I was definitely never going to forget the face of the iDecco. 
 
What’s it got that I don’t have?
We all have our own way we like to listen to music, right? Whether you’re a fanatic for the perfect headphones or you can’t picture a better evening than to just be able to sit in front of your home stereo speakers, there’s no right or wrong way to listen to music. But there is something that we’re all missing when we listen to our music in its digital format. What we’re missing is the fine tuning, the discrete notes, and of course the depth and range of our audio’s true abilities.

While the iDecco may look simple, it proudly shows off its row of six buttons and volume knob with a nod in the direction of a modern and contemporary design. This minimalist appearance makes the iDecco easy to operate, even for a first time user like me. After placing my iPod in the docking station (the feature that differentiates the iDecco from the Decco²), I pressed the “power” button and the music instantly traveled to the connected pair of bookshelf speakers surrounding the iDecco. I adjusted the volume, and that’s where I fell back in love with my music. 

The iDecco does what?
I couldn’t quite pin the mind-numbing, eyes-widening experience I got from listening to music through the iDecco integrated amplifier to just one thing. Could it have been the tube that glowed a light orange inside the iDecco when my iPod was docked or when my headphones were connected? Better yet, I needed to ask myself what did that tube do? 

After a little research and a lot of help from Gramophone’s Bruce Spivey, a man I’d like to consider my go-to tech guru, I learned that the iDecco does some serious work with your music before you hear the end result. The most important thing to note is that the iDecco converts the digital input of your music, whether it be from your iPod, CD player, or computer library. To complete this process the iDecco sends your tunes through the on board DAC (digital to analog converter), passes it through the Class A tube preamp, and finally sends out through the amplifier. The end result is music clarity way beyond my previous standards of audio excellence. 

The iDecco’s DAC turned my crummy and compressed music on my iPod into something I could enjoy listening to for hours. And the tube preamp took away the harsh and gritty edge that digital music throws at your ears. The iDecco truly made me realize all that I was missing with my music. I can safely say I’m never going to forget the name of the iDecco. I may have a great memory for the remembering faces, but great sound is something I’ll never be able to erase from my mind.

Visit one of Gramophone’s showrooms in Timonium or Columbia and listen to your music through Peachtree’s iDecco for yourself!

-Ela