The Bose SoundDock digital music system was specifically designed to expand and enhance your enjoyment of the music stored on your iPod or iPod mini. Just slip it into the docking cradle for the Bose sound your favorite songs deserve. The iPod charges as it plays, so you enjoy music without interruption. Its sleek, slender design fits almost any rooms dˇcor. And the included remote lets you control the SoundDock system from across the room. Bose performance meets your iPod. Enjoy the songs on your iPod or iPod mini like never before. The SoundDock system is designed to play your favorite tracks with crisp clarityallowing you to discover subtleties in your music that used to simmer beneath the surface. A host of proprietary technologies adds vitality and realism to your tracks. With Bose proprietary acoustic design, you enjoy a full, rich sound thats greater than youd expect from a system this small. Easy to use. Easy on the eyes. Easy to love. The SoundDock system is easy to operate. Just plug it in, pop in your iPod and play. Your iPod works as long as it has a dock connector on the bottom. There are no extra wires or adapters. The included remote allows you to control your music at the push of a button. And a stylish, sophisticated look means it can be the center of attention or blend in wherever you place it. The SoundDock system and your iPod share a commitment to simplicity, quality and above all, music. Now just introduce them and watch this pair become best friends.
1 Incredible sound!
I ordered the Soundock online and received it within 5 days. It is unbelievably easy to set-up - just plug in the adapter for your size iPod, plug in and enjoy! The sound from the notebook sized speaker is amazing! The remote doesn't have a ton of functions available, but I find it's not really needed. Overall, I would definitely purchase again and am considering a second unit to keep at the office. Excellent sound quality!
2 Sound Loud or Sound Low, Bose does it Best
My gal Sara and I are music people. We're writers and photographers and we have music all around the house. However the darkroom and the kitchen have no speakers, are not wired for sound. Enter the Bose SoundDock. Yes, it's expensive, but we listened to all of the others out there before we plunked our credit cards down and bought two of these. The sound is absolutely incredible, just what you'd expect from Bose. Drop your Pod in the Dock and you're good to go. Nothing made by the competition comes close. Sound loud or sound low, Bose does it best. The tiny remote works like a champ and the dock keeps your Pod charged. Sara's lives in the darkroom, unless she's out and about with it and mine lives in the kitchen, it seems it's found a permanent home there as I got an iPod Shuffle for our anniversery (she got flowers and won't forgive me), but that's another story.
Jack Priest, Writer from the Darkside
3 yet another pretty joke from Bose!
This SoundDock system is the worse Apple iPod speaker accessory I've ever seen, and I've seen quite a few of them. Even the lady at the Bose store was wincing when I turned the volume just over the halfway mark, that's how bad they sounded.
HOWEVER like all Bose products, these are very pretty. They look good. Nice compact and clean design. Yes. Very pretty.
BUT like all Bose products, sound quality is mediocre at best, and absolutely ATROCIOUS when compared to competitors' products in the same price range---difficult to do because very few competitors use the outrageous 800% markup Bose does.
To the uneducated listener, they SEEM to have less distortion than other speakers only because Bose speakers are designed to reproduce only 60% of the sound spectrum (up to around 13KHz, whereas the spectrum of human hearing maxes out at 20KHz), and also they simply don't go very loud, so voila, you THINK these are "clear" when in reality they are simply LIMITED. But when compared to some truly decent quality speakers (which often cost less, much less) you'll immediately see that Bose speakers have a tinny, castrated and closed-off sound.
Highly respected names in audio like JBL and Harman Kardon also make similiarly small-and-pretty iPod speakers that cost 1/2 to 1/3 of these which sound much better. Still, keep your expectations low---you can only get so much sound out of lousy 2-3" drivers. The ONLY justification for buying ANY of these tiny "iPod speakers" is if you ABSOLUTELY want to have speaker sound while on the road for some reason.
Otherwise if you are looking for something to play your iPod out of at home, you are much better just buying a simple $3 Y-adapter cable and connecting your iPod to your home stereo or mini-system, or even a cheap boombox that has auxilary-input connections.
The cheapest and far better sounding solution is just to use a 2.1 computer speaker system (self-powered computer speakers with subwoofer) like the Logitech Z2300 or Altec Lansing MX5021 or Klipsch ProMedia 2.1, all of which are LIGHT YEARS better for ***HALF*** the price!
4 Best way to listen to IPOD
I bought this product from Bose and, like all Bose products, it's winner. I had read several reviews here. SOme were favorable, some not so favorable. Well, I am here to tell you, this is worth every penny I paid (well, actually it was a b'day gift). The bass sounds like you were playing on a $1000 speaker system. The remote control makes it handy to change the volume up or down and one can also shut it down remotely. Bottom line: I am enjoying it tremendously. No complaints here.
5 Two stars for the concept and design.
Before I write anything here, I'd like to say that I believe people should buy what they want, especially when it comes to sound systems. I've worked in a music store for over five years. What people do or do not hear musically varies widely from person to person.
I have to say my experience with the Bose SoundDock was not good. After about two weeks of owning mine, the speaker was rattling and the bass was (literally) nauseating even at low volume. I was told by a rep that it was broken and the frequencies were obviously out of whack. They promptly shipped me a new one.
Strangely, the imaging was actually better on the first one, the one that was broken. The bass was still overpowering, and changing the EQ settings on my iPod did nothing but make the overall sound quality worse. My Peggy Lee album sounded like it was recorded in the early '30's. I tried a Delius piece that's almost entirely for string orchestra -- all midrange frequencies. I heard static over the strings. I tried a flute piece. The highest notes actually broke up. A U2 remix from four years ago sounded one-dimensional.
To make a long story short, after spending an hour talking to Bose and Apple, Apple kindly gave me my money back. (Bose refused.) I was told by both that the problem was my iPod Photo. I have a hard time believing that. I know of people who have used their iPod Photo with the SoundDock and have not had problems, and there are published articles with quotes from Bose reps saying the iPod Photo will still work without the still-awaited new plastic adapter. Draw your own conclusions with that information.
After all that, I bought a new Sharp shelf system to replace my dying Aiwa (The loss of a stereo had been my motivation for buying the iPod). I bought that backup stereo *and* a pair of HK II Soundsticks for *less* than what I paid for the Bose. The sound quality of both betters the SoundDock, especially the HK's.
If you're a parent looking for speakers for your teenager's IPod, I genuinely recommend investing in the HK's. There is no reason to spend $300 on the Bose SoundDock when there are better speakers for half the price, unless you fall for the convenience factor and the design, which I did. So much for that.
Or if you've got line-out jacks, just buy an RCA Y-plug and hook up your iPod to an existing stereo. You'll be spending only $3.00 as opposed to $300.00.
6 Best sound in a stand alone system.
Between my wife and myself we own a JBL On stage, an InMotion IM3 and this Bose SoundDock. They each have their advantages and purposes:
The Bose SoundDock has, by far, the best sound of all three: Absolutely beautiful, clear and rich, with powerful base. Note that it's too big to easily throw in your suitcase for a 2 week vacation, but is small enough to easily move between rooms. If you want great sound, are OK with generally leaving this home, and are OK with the price, this is the one to get. IMO the remote is just the best for these kinds of systems: It has an instant off button that will turn off your iPod backlight and screen while it continues to charge (this issue is a bit of a hassle on the other systems), as well as buttons for next/previous track (or scan within track) and volume control.
The InMotion IM3 is the only one I have which will play on batteries, is extremely portable and includes a decent remote. It's the most cost effective and portable of the three, and it has really decent sound.
The JBL On Stage is a nice compromise. The sound is quite noticeably better than the InMotion, most significantly in the low end. For a very small room, this unit is so good that you might not miss the Bose. It's small and light, so it's very portable, but unfortunately does NOT play on batteries, and has no remote. Note, we did have a problem with this unit as others have described (don't put your iPod in its cradle while the sound-stage is powered on.) It went bonkers, and the nice people at the apple store replaced it on the spot. No problems since. If you want this kind of portability and sound but feel you need a remote, you can buy the $50 navipod remote, which works with the on-stage for switching tracks. (It works with volume too but not if you put your ipod in the dock cradle, instead you'd need to use the on-stage's separate audio cable.)
I think one could be happy with any of these, depending on their usage and need for portability.
Pete
7 Best iPod Speakers out there
I did my own field review of all Apple iPod speakers (inMotions, JBL, etc)
Sound quality wise, the Bose clearly outperformed all other speakers
However, this unit is pretty big, so for portability, I wouldn't recommend it, in comparison to many others
However, if you're looking for a stereo replacement, then look no further - this unit will provide you with sound that rivals most stereos
The price is pretty high, but if you're big on music, then its well worth it
Despite user complaints, I have found the remote to work pretty well
And yes - iPod Minis work great in this thing
8 Unit came broken, replacement broke after first use
The first unit that was shipped to me did not work at all. It did not charge the iPod or play sound of any kind. I was dissappointed for what was essentially a $300 speaker. I called up Bose and after some conversation (yes, its plugged in, yes I'm sure the outlet works, yes, I matched the symbols in the back) they shipped a replacement while I shipped the old unit back. A new one came promptly, worked once quite nicely. When I moved it into the office, again it didn't work. Moved it back to where it did work. Still no sound or charging. Now I just want to return it, but its complicated because it shipped from Bose though was purchased through Amazon.
Just to be clear, our home does not have electrical problems. All our electronics and computers work fine.
9 Many more highs then lows
The Bose Sounddock is quite good if not amazing. I ordered it at Apple.com after the holidays and it came in 3 days with regular shipping. It is ridiculously easy to set up, and fits nicely anywhere, because it has a nice small size that can seem at times underwhelming. I say this because the sound is great, yet it is amazing it is coming from a little speaker. The remote is small like all bose remotes are... but it only has six buttons and you'll probobly end up just controlling the sounddock from your ipod anyway, considering that an ipods screen is so small. The one bad thing is that the bass is not good at all, and neither the treble. As an explanation, Bose says that their machines do not play them as well because they are not 'real noises' and that it 'takes away from the experience'. Just the fact that they feel like justifying themselves in a note they ship with the machine is dissapointing. All in all, however, it is a good machine, if not a little expensive at $299.
10 Amazing
I recently bought this speaker at the apple store in my town after several weeks of saving up and I could not be happier with my purchase. I have a 15 gig 3rd generation ipod that i use all the time and now that I have this speaker I use it more than ever. I have it placed in the corner of my room and it sounds like I have an enormous sound system in my room but its just a tiny speaker. I love bose and I love the soundDock!
11 Bose Ipod Speakers
I'm so disgusted with Bose right now! I recently ordered this SoundDock System and a several days later received an e-mail from Amazon saying they were refunding my money because they couldn't get information on my order from Bose.
What a great marketing scheme.
Actually, I'm happier now because I bought a set of Creative Technology Speakers and they sound quite good for $185.00 less.
I've never been a Bose fan and I will continue that feeling.
12 Great sound and easy setup
Great sound, especially bass. Easy to set up (just the power cord and appropriate adapter for your "size" iPod). Small size and nice appearance, so you can put it anywhere. Don't know why the power cord and power adapter "brick" have to be so large, but you can hide them behind the unit. I wish Bose marketed a little less: its annoying to know that so much of what you pay for it goes into those Bose stores, direct mail campaigns, etc.
13 Solid sound, great range remote control
The Bose system sounds fantastic. When comparing it with bookshelf systems (that I previously used with my Ipod at work and on my desk at home), the Bose Sound Dock literally blows them away. The sound is rich and accurate, allowing you to hear all instruments clearly. The remote has a great range and is easy to use. Remote control does not allow you to move through Ipod menus, but only advance / skip tracks (forward and backward); adjust volume; play/pause and turn the unit on or off. This is fine by me as you can't typically read the Ipod menus from more than an arm's length away.
I love this unit and will use it in my office and when I need to throw a party (anywhere).
14 Great Sound, Simple Design
This is a simple docking station for your iPod (mini or older version)with amazing sound! I walked into a Bose store and this thing was playing and I was expecting some serious speaker set-up and instead found this simple, relatively inexpensive item (Bose had for $299). It's an amazing "accessory" for your iPod and worth every penny! I'm so relieved...I'm selling my huge CD player now with it's 5 mini speakers and replacing it with this. Makes intelligent use of your iPod investment.
