US AV company Audioengine has hooked up dockable iPods direct to its wireless music streaming technology, courtesy of an transmitter dongle the plugs right into the player.

Audioengine's W2: iPod not included...

Dubbed the W2, the iPod adaptor uses the same proprietary 2.4GHz wireless technology as the company's W1 set - reviewed here - which work with any device that has a 3.5mm audio socket.

The benefit of the W2 - apart from losing the cable connecting player to transmitter - is that there's no need for the iPod's output to enter the analogue domain before being beamed over to the bundled receiver, which you hook up to your hi-fi.

Uncompressed, CD-quality streaming

Audioengine said songs are sent across the link in an uncompressed, PCM-encoded form that delivers CD-quality output - provided the source has that level of fidelity, of course. Whatever your iPod can play - including DRM'd tracks - the W2 will send it.

The company claimed the system uses "clever" error correction to ensure there's no lag and no interference from wireless noise sources.

There's a price to pay: this set will set you back $169 (£113/€129), but it's available now direct from Audioengine. It comes in a pack that bundles all the cables you need, transmitter and receiver, and a USB power adaptor for the latter.

iPod Reviews...

Touch

Nano

Shuffle

Audioengine W1