Bose SoundDock Portable digital music system (Gloss Black)

I'm usually behind the curve when it comes to electronic gadgets.  I happily lived for years without an iPod or fancy cell phone, but as soon as I saw the iPhone, I knew I had to have one.  It was nice having all of my music to carry around with me and listen to on plane rides, in the car, etc.  When I saw my father's Bose SoundDock, I thought it was the perfect "accessory" for my phone and told my husband several dozen times that I wanted one.  He's a good egg and gets me what I want, so I received this SoundDock Docking Station for my birthday a few months ago. 

About The Bose SoundDock

Basically, this is a speaker for you to plug your iPod or iPhone into to play your music.  There is a little "tray" for your i-whatever to pop into and this piece can be pushed back into the body of the SoundDock when not in use so you can transport it without worrying about snapping the thing off.  This machine has an internal lithium-ion battery and also a power cord for you to plug it into the wall.  A nice little feature is the fact that your iPod/iPhone will be charged as it sits in the tray and sends music to the speakers.

The only two buttons on the actual body of the Sound Dock are "+" and "-" which are used to control volume.  The rest of the controls are on the included remote and can be used to play/pause music, skip forward and backward through songs, turn the power on and off, and also shift between playlists.  The whole thing is relatively small and fits easily on a coffee table, shelf, of a chair if need be. 

My Experience

I first saw the Bose SoundDock last April when my father brought it along on our 16-person family vacation to Cozumel, Mexico.  He charged it with the power cord at night and had it sitting on a table under one of the many palapas that we occupied during the day.  It played stereo-system quality sound hour after hour as we lounged in the sun and pool.  No matter how loud my sister or mother decided to crank it (after a few drinks of course), this music that this system pumped out sounded great.  We literally had it running from 10am until 5 or 6pm at a pretty loud volume and it worked beautifully each day. 

Once I received my own SoundDock, I knew exactly where to put it: in our newly-finished basement! We spend several hours down there each week, usually on a Friday or Saturday night in the company of many friends, and actually tossed our old stereo system in favor of playing the music on our iPhones through this system.  It is nice to be able to just pop the iPhone into the Bose SoundDock, hit play, and let it run through a playlist.  It is also fun to have our guests put their phone into it and skip through their music library. 

The sound quality is excellent and actually better than what our 10+ year old stereo could produce.  There is no way to actually adjust the different treble/bass levels on the Bose, so you need to change them directly on your iPod/iPhone.  That being said, thus far I haven't seen the need to mess with those settings.  Volume truly isn't an issue whether you are on a breezy beach or in an enclosed basement, and I've had to tell my husband to TURN IT DOWN!!! many times because I was afraid that he'd blow up/out the speakers. 

One thing worth noting is that the Bose SoundDock Docking System is not designed to work with iPhones.  This is the second generation of this product, but it still isn't completely compatible with the iPhone.  Sure, you can play/pause your music, flip forward and backward between songs, move through playlists and adjust the volume through the remote control.  Apparently there is the potential for some interference when the iPhone is fully activated, so every time you dock it on this device, it asks if you want to use "Airplane Mode" to minimize it.  Sometimes I say yes which turns off the phone/texting/internet functionality of the phone, and sometimes I say no which allows me to keep using the thing while it is docked.  In the past two months, I haven't noticed any interference or diminished sound quality from leaving all of the phone and internet functions on. 

Price and Availability

The suggested retail price for the Bose SoundDock Docking Station is $399.  The Bose company has some kind of contract or agreement with the vendors who sell their products because they are NEVER discounted or on sale.  If they want you to pay $400 for this thing, then that's what you are going to have to shell out if you want it badly enough.

Bose products are sold online, in the big box electronics stores like Best Buy, and even in a mass merchandise store like Target.  Again, they are the exact same price no matter where you decide to buy them.  My husband bought my SoundDock at Target and paid the full $399. 

Overall Opinion

I've been extremely happy with this system.   It is easy to use, sounds incredible, and works well for hours upon hours even when just relying on its internal battery.  The Bose SoundDock is compatible with iPods and iPhones, though you may have to turn your iPhone to "airplane mode" if you get interference during use.  At $400, this isn't an inexpensive item, but I am very happy that my husband bought it.  Aside from being spoiled and being happy to receive what I wanted, I know that we will get tons of use out of the SoundDock.  We entertain basically every weekend and will be using this product on the beach, by the pool, in the backyard, and in the basement this summer.  My father tried to convince me to bring my system down to Cozumel last month but I said no way! I have big plans for it here in my house and I didn't want to risk having it stolen out of my bag or damaged.  I love my Bose SoundDock!