Love my ipod! I take it with me whenever I travel and like forhtv enjoy being able to withdraw from the crowds. I have also found that I will walk for a longer time if I have it with me. Besides music, I have loaded webinars, seminars and recordings from various radio talk shows. I like the idea that I can listen to a recording at anytime anywhere and rewind if I miss out on something that was said. One thing that has worked very well for me are the upgraded earplugs from Apple. The ones that came with the ipod hurt my ears and did not fit well. The earplugs were pricey ($79) but when I had damaged them on a flight, Apple replaced them with no questions at all. Don't seem to listen to much music at home. Chris

Ok from an earlier post- did anyone ever try to convert cassettes or records by using any of these two items? 1- By Computer Products Unlimited called SPIN IT AGAIN a software program. 2- Behringer U-Control UCA202 this is a cassette/like equip.that fits into your USB port. I want to get either one but don't really know what is involved. Appreciate any imput before my cassettes and records fade away lol. Thanks much especially to regus_patoff for the quick reply I just need a little more info. Bill

We have this one and recommend it to everyone we know, it's awesome. We primarily use it by our pool in the summer but have used it indoors too. We've used it with batteries when we had to but love that it has a plug option too. Edit to add: Ooops, sorry. It doesn't work with an iPod. I missed that in your requirements. Here is a link that might be useful: Brookstone Speaker This post was edited by emeraldisle624 on Sun, May 18, 14 at 15:57

The short answer is yes you can. Look for a stereo a/v receiver. You will want a seperate system so that you have enough connections. Recommend looking at Harmon Kardon for around $500 you can buy a decent one. Harmon Kardon sells an IPOD dock that will integrate with the receiver and in some cases allow viewing of music on a connected video monitor/tv. All laptops can be connected via the line out/headphone jack using a mini to RCA connector. In addition you can also buy a USB device to allow digital connection via optical cable to the receiver. Depending on your XM radio you will likely need to get a dock, most all of the portable radios have a home dock option that will easily allow connection to the receiver. Most XM radio channels are broadcast in 2 -channel meaning you only get left/right sound, that being said all modern receivers will have a built in sound setting to give a simulated surround sound effect coming out of 5 to 7 speakers.