Bose SoundDock (white)

Summary: Let me just say, for those know think Bose is high quality and fine audio, I will tell you that I don’t and most audiophiles (people who know a lot about speaker) don’t either. But let’s not lay on assumptions about before giving this product a real evaluation. By itself, it’s not half bad. It makes adequate sound to fill a mid sized room (provided people are not yelling as in a party situation) It’s easy to use, simple, and elegant. It even comes with its own remote and a Bose logo slapped on the front, but that’s about where it ends because the way I review products is how they compare to other products in either their same respective class or appropriate price range. The fact is you would not have a hard time finding a $50 pair of PC multimedia speakers that would not outperform this system in SPL (loudness) frequency range, distortion, bass, midrange and treble. In fact, basically what I saying is, for 50 bucks you can have a superior audio system. Well then, what about comparing a 300 dollar product? I propose this: I give anyone a chance to find a 300 dollar product that is inferior in sound to the SoundDock in any possible way! I claim it can NOT be done! For 300 bucks you can have a multimedia system that will blast sound in your room with far more clarity and far less distortion than this little SoundDock. There is nothing magical about the "Bose" name. The only difference with other audio products is you don’t have to pay for name brand markup. Furthermore, most any other audio brand relates to far higher quality standards than Bose. I’m not saying a multimedia system is high quality, but for 300 dollars, there is not one that I know of that can’t blow this Bose clean out of the water. Sure there is not much to choose from if you want an iPod exclusive speaker system with a dock, but you can still spend your money on a better speaker system and have more then enough left over for an iDock.

There are many shortcomings to the SoundDock. For starters it doest even offer stereo soundstage. For a system that claims to be a “stereo,” this is borderline fraudulent. The left and right speakers are stuck together, so how can this be true stereo imaging? The fact is, the SoundDock is mono. You can buy yourself an inexpensive pair of Klispch 2.0s’s ($100) which give you stereo soundstage, four midrange drivers that provide far more accurate sound midrange and deeper bass, and two 1” tweeters than actually give you frequency response up to 20,000 Hz. The Bose speakers only go up to 10,000Hz. That’s literally 1/2 the actual sound that is stripped out of your recordings by the Bose SoundDock. It’s unacceptable for a 300 dollar product to represent only 1/2 the human hearing frequency range! This is why the Bose soudndock is dull and lifeless next any other speaker for its price, and even ones 1/3 of its price as I just demonstrated.

If you have an urge to spend a lot of money on an ipod system (ie such as 300 bucks), go with the Klipsch iFi, its so far superior to the Bose, I can’t even begin compare them. Just go ask or a side by side demo in your local apple or shaper image store. Other that that, you can find 150 dollar solution from Altec, Cambridge Soundworks or Swans that could all make the SoundDock sound like a pair of tin cans getting kicked around.

The SoundDock is a fine system by itself. Take it home in your own bedroom and it will sound even better due to room acoustics. There is really nothing wrong with it other than the fact, that everyone else makes a superior system for less money! If you can live with that fact, and you really must have the Bose, then I’m sure you’ll love this system. Just don’t ever listen to anything else or else you’ll regret wasting your money. If the SoundDock was less than 100 dollars, I would say it’s a good product, but for 300, it’s a bloody rip-off and don’t let any armature who owns it convince you otherwise. Would you pay $75,000 for a Honda Accord? If you bought the SoundDock, you already did. (metaphorically speaking)

For most inside about Bose, please read this thorough article.

http://www.intellexual.net/bose.html