This Dock Has The Rx For Your iPod!

Let’s face it, iPods are here to stay. I would dare say that if many of us lost our trusty music companions, we would replace them in a New York Minute. Frankly I take mine everywhere from the car, in my briefcase, luggage and until just recently had wrestled with what player I would buy for home use. One recent afternoon I had taken a serious look at a number of home docking units and despite some really attractively priced units I decided on the Bose Sound Dock for a number of reasons.

Just Another Sound Dock?

The Bose Sound Dock brings quality from a trusted manufacturer to the table offering the iPod user a high end home docking unit delivering crisp, accurate sound with the capability to pump up the volume with clarity thanks to Bose‘s patented integrated signal processing technology. You can crank the volume to an almost intolerable level and will be amazed at how clean the reproduction is. At more reasonable volumes you can literally enjoy the Bose Sound Dock throughout the house. The Bose‘s has excellent dispersion and power, making it perfect for all the rooms in my house, the largest being 25x40 and the smallest 12x12. THis litttle guy simply kicks it!

During my search, the Sound Dock was one of the few units that didn’t offer tone controls or a subwoofer, not to worry! The Sound Dock’s active electronic equalization provides naturally balanced EQ that is pleasing to anyone who has come into my home thus far. Strangely enough you find you don’t miss the controls or sub. If by chance, you need to make adjustments to your music, generally, it is more a result of poor quality going into the iPod than originating from the Sound Dock and that adjustment can be facilitated on the iPod’s eq adjustment. Bose never discloses technical details relating to power but I can personally attest the Sound Dock delivers plenty of punch!

Included in the package are a series of dock inserts to accommodate all iPods with the exception of the shuttle. A power supply cord, power pack and remote are included. The credit card remote controls volume, fwd, rev as well as power on/off. Powered by a 3 volt Lithium battery, the remote is light and small enough to tuck away in the slimmest of pockets with the added benefit of mobility. You can also turn off your iPod remotely by pressing the play/pause control, very nice!

Some criticisms of the Bose Sound Dock I had encountered were the lack of USB connectivity, as well as the exclusion of use with other MP3 players. While those capabilities may be nice to have it simply isn’t meant to be. This is a dedicated iPod accessory. USB connectivity simply makes no sense. Think About it; to what end would you benefit having a USB connection?

Available in white or black, the Bose Sound Dock‘s footprint is modest at 6.5” high11.91’ wide and 6.48” deep. There are two volume controls on each side of the dock in the event you misplace the remote.

No, this is not just another docking station for your iPod. I dare say it defines the standard for these units.

Impressions

Some of the complexities of jazz, midrange frequency response particularly, don’t translate as crisp as you may hear them in through your ear buds. Miles Davis’s “Maze" sounds vibrant but Robben Ford excellent guitar parts weren’t as prominent as heard on my iPod. Toni Braxton’s “Unbreak My Heart” has some really subtle upper register vibrato, a signature of her style, that was somewhat muted over the Sound Dock. They were however, still pleasing to the ear. Both, incidentally were 2nd & 3rd generation downloads transferred from friends with questionable degrees of compression. I did find that on favorites such as those, adjustments to your iPods EQ can improve them considerably, so some manipulation and tweaking is in order. It is reasonable to expect the old adage “garbage in, garbage out to apply, though I would say 95% of the time I am more than pleased with the Bose’s output. Generally speaking direct transfers from cd content into your iPod translate nicely to the Sound Dock Over the years my impression of Bose speakers are that they generally scoop out mid frequencies anyway, which will makes it a matter of relative personal preference and I am certain the Sound Dock will not appeal to everyone.

Worth $300.00?

Absolutely, it’s a Bose, made to last and deliver high end quality for the long haul. Pricey, perhaps, but it is a relative issue when you consider what is costs to have a unit that will stand the test of time, and deliver the standard of performance few others can deliver. While it ranks among the most expensive(double to triple the cost) of the sound docks in the market, you have to bet on Bose quality to last for the long haul. Other less expensive players offer more in the way of extras and compatibility, not to mention tone controls, subs etc, but while the Sound Dockmay be considered minimalist in itsfeatures, you quickly overlook that facet of this fine player in the results it delivers. Granted, our tastes are all different and we may gravitate towards different products. As I mentioned earlier, I have received many compliments on the Bose Sound Dock‘s sound and that cannot be minimized. It’s rich and full sound reproduction is equally impressive for all genres, which I find astounding. I purchased the Bose carry case which will protect the Bose Sound Dock as I take it to the shore for the summer! Simple and sweet, you gotta love it!

Yes, the Bose Sound Dock is worth the investment!