Cons: Only compatible with I-pod. Cant control I-pod functions via the remote.
The Bottom Line: For those committed to I-pods already, buy it.
If you use another MP3 player, consider the Wave system as a possible (albeit more costly) better featured alternative.
scotiaguy's Full Review: Bose SoundDock® (Black) Docking Station for A...
Why Did we buy this?
My wife and I made a conscious decision to decision to tidy our lives up a bit, and so we decided to get rid of our large seperate Hi-Fi system, as well as the large amount of vinyl, and CD's we possessed.
To facilitate this I bought an Ion turntable( I have reviewed it, and one of these days, I really need to get the hang of putting links to other reviews in!), and began converting our vinyl to MP3 format (which is still an ongoing process, as it takes so long).
Then we spent an entire weekend using multiple laptops ripping our CD's to MP3.
Once we had gathered enough to call a collection onto a hard drive, we began to search for a replacement system. Ideally, what I wanted was a small unit with a decent hard drive capacity with good speakers that sounded great, and was loud enough to fill a room.
As of yet I have been unable to find a unit such as this, but one day I did see the SoundDock in Circuit City. Fortunately, they had it set up with a loaded I-Pod, and I was able to put it through its paces.
It sounded great, and even matched our current décor. If it had a built in hard drive & control/display unit, it would have been exactly what we wanted, but we could use a player for that, couldn't we?
Only one problem........it's only available for I-pod, so neither my Zen, or my wife's Gigabeat are compatible. We figured it was too good to pass up, so we had to bite the bullet and get an I-pod.
As it happens, Holiday Inn Priority Club came to the rescue, and with my points I purchased a 30Gb I-pod video to go with the unit.
Description
The unit stands just over 6.5" high, almost 12" wide, and is just under 6.5" deep overall.
Small enough for most shelves, and fitted perfectly onto one shelf of the display unit the previous Hi-Fi used 4 out of 5 of.
Styling is simple, sophisticated, and sleek.
On the base plate, either side of the docking cradle are plus and minus volume control buttons, with all the other controls being on the supplied remote, or on the I-Pod itself.
On the rear of the unit is the connector for the power cord. A remote power pack, with cord, is supplied with the unit.
On the remote itself, are buttons for play/pause, next track, restart/previous track, volume up, volume down, and an off button.
All mode selections and playlist controls are done through the I-pod, and there is no remote functions for these.
The color (we got black) is a perfect match for the I-pod coloring, and set-up is simplicity itself.
You simply fit the correct adaptor for whichever I-pod you have (a full set are supplied with the unit), plug the unit in, and put your I-pod in the dock.
Next, remove the insulating slip from the remote, and you are hot to trot!
Just a minute or so to set-up. Excellent.
Living with the unit
This unit has been our primary music system for several months now, and we are very pleased with it.
We keep the I-pod on "shuffle", and if we hit a song we're not in the mood for, we hit the track forward button on the remote, and onto the next one.
The sound quality is exactly as you would expect from a Bose system, with crisp clear reproduction throughout the audible spectrum, and no trace of harmonics. Having experimented with various recordings, I'm convinced that any niose present, is coming from the original recording, not the reproduction of it.
The decibel level of sound that a unit of this size can put out without degradation is simply amazing.
We have everything from Aerosmith to Zeppelin on the I-Pod, passing through an eclectic variety such as Christina Aguillera to Beethoven in between. Against my better judgment there is even an extensive collection of my wife's country music, and my daughters "System Of A Down", & "Godsmack" (the noise I was mentioning earlier!).
I also have plenty of my own eighties & nineties stuff on there too.
With the exception of some of my daughters music (and that is not the fault of the system, it is either just crap, or I'm getting too old), evrything sounds clear, resounding, and beautiful through this system.
There aren't enough superlatives to express the quality of the sound relative to the price for this unit, you have to experience it.
I can't speak for every branch, but my local Circuit City has one on display, complete with an I-pod loaded with a wide variety of music (all with lyrical content suitable for a general audience).
If you take your own I-pod, I'm sure most suppliers will let you test one (at least if they want to sell it to you they will).
If you do this, please be aware of the sensibilities of those around you, and only use "G" rated music for the test.
The Good
Sound quality
Ease of set-up & use
The Bad
You cannot fully control the I-pod from the remote
It is only available to be compatible with I-pod
A counterpoint to think about
At the time of purchase, the Wave Radio with CD didn't have an MP3 input, so I never thought about it.
Had I been in possession of crystal balls, I would have waited a couple of months, then purchased a Wave Music System, with the MP3 input jack, and connected the charging dock for my wife's Gigabeat to it. This would have saved us from having to go to I-pod, and given us an FM radio capability on the system as well.
Hindsight is always 20-20. We didn't have that option at the time, and I don't regret buying this system.
However, it is an option potential purchasers who are not already committed to I-pod may want to think about.
A final plea
If anyone from Bose reads this....please manufacture this system, or something just as aesthetically pleasing, with an internal hard drive, that's MP3, WMA, & WMV compatible, and put a display on there. As long as there is full remote control, you'll be onto a winner.....or just put a hard drive into the Wave music system, and make it more attractive!
For an unparalleled portable listening solution, the Bose SoundDock is specifically designed to get every ounce of performance out of your iPod. The B...More at eBay
The Bose SoundDock digital music system was specifically designed to expand and enhance your enjoyment of the music stored on your iPod, iPod photo, i...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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