iPod Which Bose SoundDock to buy?

[kwheeler13]

Hi everyone.
I'm very new to the iPod thing and have no idea about any of this. My husband is getting an iPod for Christmas from my mother in law and I'd like to buy him a SoundDock, but I don't know which one to get. Which one is better - the regular Series II or the portable? Is there any real difference between the two besides the price?

Thanks for your help!

 

[drichards]

The sounddock has impressive sound quality and an elegant design. The portable model's advantage is of course its lithium batteries and from a design point the hideaway dock is very nice. Either model would look great under the tree.

 

[atlanticza]

Just purchased the portable version. Great sound, but it is more expensive. But if portability is what you want (or may later) go for this one. (BOSE claims that the portable "delivers the same quality of sound as the SoundDock Series ll series, even unplugged.)

 

[Night Spring]

I've used both, and the difference in sound quality is neglible. I found I missed the portable's hideaway dock when using the regular dock -- the dock sticking out from the main body can be a nuisance when carrying the dock from one room to the other. So just for that I'd go with the portable, and you never know when being able to play it unplugged will come in handy.

 

[puma1552]

I have the portable one, mainly because it's all I could get where I live (at $500 too, ouch), and I have only ever used it portably once, when I took it to the oceanfront beach outside my apartment.

That said, I couldn't believe how good the sound quality and bass were out there...I really thought it would sound like a tin can out in the open, but it actually still retained really awesome sound.

 

[scubasteve03]

Bose Sounddock 10 is literally the best you can get. I bought mine last week from Amazon and am constantly listening to it. I have the 7.1 Onkyo THX surround sound and seriously I think the sound is very close to this system without the music separation obviously.

 

[Night Spring]

Bose Sounddock 10 is literally the best you can get. I bought mine last week from Amazon and am constantly listening to it. I have the 7.1 Onkyo THX surround sound and seriously I think the sound is very close to this system without the music separation obviously.

Yes, we are using the Sounddock 10 now, and I agree the sound is the best. However it is somewhat pricy, and weighs a ton -- when we first got it, I couldn't lift it out of its box, I had to put the box on its side and slide it out!

 

[Muncher]

Eww, Bose.

 

[Primejimbo]

Bose is overrated crap. If you notice Bose will have there own area in a store because Bose knows if people heard them with other brands, they wouldn't sell. They also sued Consumer Report because they gave Bose a bad rating so CS won't rate them anymore (Bose lost also).
I have friends who do music for a living and won't even talk about Bose.

 

[flynz4]

I have the portable one, mainly because it's all I could get where I live (at $500 too, ouch), and I have only ever used it portably once, when I took it to the oceanfront beach outside my apartment.

That said, I couldn't believe how good the sound quality and bass were out there...I really thought it would sound like a tin can out in the open, but it actually still retained really awesome sound.

RE: Bolded section above.

This is the universal problem with anything battery operated. If you do not use it frequently... then batteries will die. For this reason, I always determine if I really need battery power... and if I will use it often enough to keep the batteries in good shape.

Some examples:

I use my Bose SD only in a plugged in location. I can imagine occasionally using it on batteries... but that would almost never occur. I hence bought the SDII.

I had to decide between the Bose QC-2 or QC-3 for my somewhat frequent airplaine flights. The QC-2 uses disposable AAA's. The QC-3 uses a proprietary battery. I know that over time, the custom battery would lose capacity... and I also know that I will forget to charge them before some flights... so I bought the CQ-2 and carry a few spare batteries in the case.

/Jim

 

[Muncher]

This is the universal problem with anything battery operated. If you do not use it frequently... then batteries will die. For this reason, I always determine if I really need battery power... and if I will use it often enough to keep the batteries in good shape.

Batteries die regardless. If you're talking about lithium batteries, their decay is based on 1) number of charge cycles completed. They reach %80 of original capacity usually around 500 cycles. They also decay depending on ambient temperature. At room temperature, a battery at %100 charge will drop to %80 capacity after a year (colder is generally better until 4 degrees C).

I don't know as much about the decay of alkalines, but then they usually die quick enough from use that shelf life isn't a problem.

If you travel frequently, perhaps you should look into in ear headphones. They isolate much better than active noise canceling headphones. I would recommend Etymotic hf2/5s or the er6is (the 2s have controls for an iPhone I believe), they cancel up to 42dB.

 

[flynz4]

Batteries die regardless. If you're talking about lithium batteries, their decay is based on 1) number of charge cycles completed. They reach %80 of original capacity usually around 500 cycles. They also decay depending on ambient temperature. At room temperature, a battery at %100 charge will drop to %80 capacity after a year (colder is generally better until 4 degrees C).

I don't know as much about the decay of alkalines, but then they usually die quick enough from use that shelf life isn't a problem.

If you travel frequently, perhaps you should look into in ear headphones. They isolate much better than active noise canceling headphones. I would recommend Etymotic hf2/5s or the er6is (the 2s have controls for an iPhone I believe), they cancel up to 42dB.

I have a pair of Etymotics. I cannot remember the model, but they cost me about $300 about 5 years ago. I bought the ones that do not require a separate amplifier. I use them in a pinch (if I forget my Bose QC-2s)... but I do not like the feeling of them in my ears. I agree that they (passively) block noise much better than any active headset by far. Also... the sound quality is phenomenal... much better than the Bose. Nevertheless... I do not enjoy the feeling of them in my ears. I also dislike the fact that you cannot just raise an ear cup for a quick conversation (like telling the flight attendant what you want for dinner). They are so quiet that you cannot have a conversation even if you turn the iPod off.

/Jim

 

[Muncher]

I have a pair of Etymotics. I cannot remember the model, but they cost me about $300 about 5 years ago. I bought the ones that do not require a separate amplifier. I use them in a pinch (if I forget my Bose QC-2s)... but I do not like the feeling of them in my ears. I agree that they (passively) block noise much better than any active headset by far. Also... the sound quality is phenomenal... much better than the Bose. Nevertheless... I do not enjoy the feeling of them in my ears. I also dislike the fact that you cannot just raise an ear cup for a quick conversation (like telling the flight attendant what you want for dinner). They are so quiet that you cannot have a conversation even if you turn the iPod off.

/Jim

You probably have the er4p. Yeah, I also prefer the feel of a full size headphone, but shures foam tips are really comfortable so IMO it's not worth lugging around a big pair when I can just shove some earphones in my pocket. May I suggest Comply T100 tips? They're supposed to be the best. As for hearing others, Shure now makes a little device called a push to hear where you can lower your music volume and hear others at the same time. They're expensive, but they're supposed to work pretty well.

 

[flynz4]

You probably have the er4p. Yeah, I also prefer the feel of a full size headphone, but shures foam tips are really comfortable so IMO it's not worth lugging around a big pair when I can just shove some earphones in my pocket. May I suggest Comply T100 tips? They're supposed to be the best. As for hearing others, Shure now makes a little device called a push to hear where you can lower your music volume and hear others at the same time. They're expensive, but they're supposed to work pretty well.

The beauty of Gmail... a quick search confirmed I bought them in September 2003 for a bit over $200 from headphones.com. You are correct, they are ER4Ps. I do love the sound... and I often wear them for short (<3 hour) flights. However, I travel internationally a lot, and they just make my ears hurt too much during those long 14 hour flights.

Bose are just not as good sounding, nor as quiet... but they are comfortable... which is why I typically use them. I would classify them as "good enough, but not great". I always keep the ER4Ps in my laptop bag... so that I always have good headphones with me. I do not pack my Bose QC2's unless I am traveling.

Thanks for the pointers on the various ear seals. I'll probably check those out.

/Jim

 

[DakotaGuy]

Bose Sounddock 10 is literally the best you can get. I bought mine last week from Amazon and am constantly listening to it. I have the 7.1 Onkyo THX surround sound and seriously I think the sound is very close to this system without the music separation obviously.

I have heard very good things about the Sounddock 10. Did you get the Bluetooth adapter? I'd like to know what people think about the sound quality over the Bluetooth link. I think it would be very handy with the Bluetooth on my iPod Touch and Droid.

 

[Bye Bye Baby]

I must say that I love my zeppelin. Great sound.

 

[Galley]

The iHome iP1 is excellent. I got mine for $239.99 shipped.

 

[thegoldenmackid]

None of them.

 

[puma1552]

None of them.

Incredibly helpful elitist post, surprise surprise.

 

[thegoldenmackid]

Incredibly helpful elitist post, surprise surprise.

You helped a lot too. Both Bose and iPod docks in general are a waste. Get a set of bookshelfs and a basic amp. Was I helpful there?

 

[scubasteve03]

I have heard very good things about the Sounddock 10. Did you get the Bluetooth adapter? I'd like to know what people think about the sound quality over the Bluetooth link. I think it would be very handy with the Bluetooth on my iPod Touch and Droid.

I have ordered the Bluetooth adapter and it should be here Monday. I have heard good and bad things about it. In terms of portability, it is wonderful. You can keep your phone with your instead of having to keep it docked across the room. Also it's going to be nice to be able to use my macbook with the SD 10. I'll have my 70GB library and listen to whatever I want to instead of just whatever I could fit on my 32GB iphone.
The only negative is that I have heard there is some signal degradation when you are heavily using your wifi network. How do you have your SD10 positioned in your room? Mine is in a corner, I am thinking about moving it because it's giving me way too much bass response.

You helped a lot too. Both Bose and iPod docks in general are a waste. Get a set of bookshelfs and a basic amp. Was I helpful there?

Man, you don't always have to be so rude to everyone on here. Some people want a SMALL and COMPACT unit without WIRES running everywhere. We all understand that a 2.1 unit would sound better, but I don't want to have to deal with the mess. If you have nothing to offer in this thread, please do not post anything. Sometimes I think you just post just to post. We all know that you are very smart and know what you are talking about. Please stop ruining everybody's thread. The purpose of this thread is to find the best sounding Ipod dock. What you said does not offer ANYTHING to this thread.

 

[DakotaGuy]

I have ordered the Bluetooth adapter and it should be here Monday. I have heard good and bad things about it. In terms of portability, it is wonderful. You can keep your phone with your instead of having to keep it docked across the room. Also it's going to be nice to be able to use my macbook with the SD 10. I'll have my 70GB library and listen to whatever I want to instead of just whatever I could fit on my 32GB iphone.
The only negative is that I have heard there is some signal degradation when you are heavily using your wifi network. How do you have your SD10 positioned in your room? Mine is in a corner, I am thinking about moving it because it's giving me way too much bass response.

Thanks let me know what you think. The main thing I want to know is how good the signal is and how does it effect the sound quality. I don't own one yet so I can't comment on the bass response. Thanks!

 

[puma1552]

You helped a lot too. Both Bose and iPod docks in general are a waste. Get a set of bookshelfs and a basic amp. Was I helpful there?

Yeah, actually I did help a lot above, but you probably decided to post your usual dry, dull, elitist post without even reading the whole thread.

"Bookshelves and a basic amp"--yes, immensely helpful.

Not everyone lives somewhere where they can have a full stereo in their house; I live in an apartment in Japan and there would be absolutely NO reason to buy anything BUT an iPod dock, Bose or otherwise. At my old apartment in Minneapolis? I had a full stereo system with my iPod hooked up via cable, because my apartment facilitated a stereo like that. Not everyone has the same situation as you.

I agree with the above, I think you post just to post most of the time.

 

[thegoldenmackid]

Man, you don't always have to be so rude to everyone on here. Some people want a SMALL and COMPACT unit without WIRES running everywhere. We all understand that a 2.1 unit would sound better, but I don't want to have to deal with the mess. If you have nothing to offer in this thread, please do not post anything. Sometimes I think you just post just to post. We all know that you are very smart and know what you are talking about. Please stop ruining everybody's thread. The purpose of this thread is to find the best sounding Ipod dock.

I didn't suggest a 2.1 system. (If you would like my thoughts on them, you could click on this very unhelpful post, I mean: I put zero thought into it.) This thread isn't the one about find the "best" dock, that one is over here. This one is regarding Bose models it seems. We disagreed, but I don't think I ruined the other thread. If you truly need something that would count as dock, the best sounding to my ears is the AudioEngine A5. The Wall of Sound performs better then everything else, but I will admit it's not really in the same form factor. If that doesn't count as a dock in your eyes, then I would say buy something from iHome. Spending $600 on the B&W Zeppelin is a huge waste in my opinion, but we all get to have our own. I have heard all generations and variations of Bose's docks and none of them seem worth the price. The premium that is charged for the form factor is quite crazy when the sound quality gets put into perspective.

What you said does not offer ANYTHING to this thread.

I beg to differ. Just because we have different opinions on Bose's docks, doesn't mean my opinion is worthless. Muncher and I are on the same page it seems.

Yeah, actually I did help a lot above, but you probably decided to post your usual dry, dull, elitist post without even reading the whole thread.

"Bookshelves and a basic amp"--yes, immensely helpful.

Not everyone lives somewhere where they can have a full stereo in their house; I live in an apartment in Japan and there would be absolutely NO reason to buy anything BUT an iPod dock, Bose or otherwise. At my old apartment in Minneapolis? I had a full stereo system with my iPod hooked up via cable, because my apartment facilitated a stereo like that. Not everyone has the same situation as you.

I agree with the above, I think you post just to post most of the time.

I value sound quality over the way something looks, not to say that I don't value looks, but the former is significantly more important. Nothing about the OP's post seemed to indicate that space was a concern, rather the OP wanted a dock. I believe that if you can avoiding having to use a dock, it's best to stay away. Some 5" monitors (which cables could be easily hidden for) wouldn't be much bigger then a lot of docks and you could have he advantage of spreading them out if that's what you desired or keeping them close to one another while getting better quality.

Side bar: If either one of you feel that my post are:
A. Off-topic
B. Rude
C. Spam
D. "Ruining" a thread

There is a triangle next to my post in which you can report them or you could contact me to voice your concern.

She asked what Bose Sounddock should she get. She didn't ask if she should get a 2.1 system, or any other sounddock. I, along with the OP decided on the BOSE sounddock because we like the sound and the styling of the unit. She did not ask for you to give her advice on how to spend or save her money. I bought the SoundDock 10 because I fell in love with the amazing sound from such a small compact unit. I have a 16 foot ceiling in my front room and the acoustic coming off of this unit is to die for. I wanted something small and elegant. Obviously she knows that Bose cost a little more than other options, and that is her choice. Please stick to the topic of the thread instead of going off on your little tangents. If I want to spend $600 on an IPOD dock, I can do that. If I feel like it was worth it, then it was. Now you scared the poor girl away. She hasn't even posted back because of all of the hostility.

I posted well after Christmas and don't speak for others and you are the one that brought up the 2.1 systems. I revert to my original response, I don't find Bose worth it. If not the OP could go to a Bose store and test them out for herself if she is intent on buying Bose. Numerous other suggestions have been made such as iHome and the ones from Muncher which seem logical. Most of the time one asks between two products, the responses seem to give alternatives to choice A or choice B if there are better ones. In this instance, I believe there are better alternatives.

 

[Muncher]

The premium that is charged for the form factor is quite crazy when the sound quality gets put into perspective

.

I beg to differ. Just because we have different opinions on Bose's docks, doesn't mean my opinion is worthless. Muncher and I are on the same page it seems.

Yup. Look, neither goldenmackid or I think that the Bose won't do what you want. It isn't worth your money though. Would I change my mind if it was $30? Definitely. As it stands, I think if you're looking for something in that form factor, get something like a sound bar. (I haven't heard any recently but my dad's a huge home audio guy and he tells me that they aren't half bad). I won't lie, you'd probably be satisfied with the Bose. But it isn't worth forking over money for four letters stamped onto a $10 set of speakers.

In fact, I know of a small company that makes a product around that price. Look up the Fiio S9. They are widely known for being the only company to make decent inexpensive headphone amps. You can get one from this website with free shipping (I've ordered from them multiple times and they are for real - they're now my goto site for random audio/electronics stuff I need but don't want to pay a lot for ).

With all that said, once you buy something enjoy it! Don't misunderstand goldenmackid and I, we really do want to help you find something you'll enjoy. And make sure you don't spend more than you need to. Remember, price doesn't indicate quality.