Bose's iPod SoundDock Reviewed 49
LabRat007 writes "Playlist has a review of the Bose SoundDock, the desktop speaker system for the iPod that Bose has lately been promoting the holy hell out of. The long and the short is that it sounds great--better than any other iPod-specific speaker system--but for $300 is lacking in many features even cheaper setups have, like the ability to actually use the SoundDock as a syncing dock. Oh, and it has no line-in, so you can't use the SoundDock as output for anything else, like a PC or laptop, for instance." It's not quite as cute, but I like my Cambridge Soundworks Model 88 (now superseded by the Model 730) as a laptop loudspeaker system.
In the professional audio world (Score:4, Informative)
Most of what you are paying for when buying Bose is the marketing.
Not quite as bad as Monster Cable, but close.
Re:In the professional audio world (Score:2)
Re:In the professional audio world (Score:3, Informative)
These studio monitors basically show as many flaws of your music as possible. It's quite funny to listen to your favorite recordings on such things only to sometimes hear all kinds of badly mixed elements etc.
The predominant brand here is Genelec [genelec.com]. Ge
In home audio... (Score:5, Informative)
Re:In home audio... (Score:1)
Re:In home audio... (Score:1)
Re:In the professional audio world (Score:5, Informative)
> Most of what you are paying for when buying Bose is the marketing.
Hehe. What's that tagline that us audiophiles use:Gee, I wonder why they NEVER give tech specs on any of their speakers. Not anything fancy like SN ratio, but even the BASIC info such as frequency range! Maybe because they are CRAP and OVER_RATED speakers.
See the speaker forum [avsforum.com]forum at avsforum [avsforum.com] if you want MULTIPLE confirmations on how bad they sound.
Monster cable isn't THAT bad.... the rule of thumb is to spend 10% of your Home Theater / Speaker cost on cables... so MC is'n't that over-inflated. It's not great, but it's better that Rat Shack.
BTW, if anyone is serious about GOOD video cable quality, check out the Nordost [nordost.com] line.
Peace
--
While killing all the lawyers would make many people EXCEEDINGLY HAPPY (myself included)
it would NOT _SOLVE_ the problem -- because the problem is the face in the mirror.
If you don't like the laws, then DO something about it, or shut up,
because simply bitching accomplishes absolutely nothing.
Re:In the professional audio world (Score:3, Informative)
Only if you're also serious about paying $2,000-4,000 per meter!
Re:In the professional audio world (Score:1)
It depends on which cable type. The Optix S-Video cable was only ~ $150 per meter, a FAR cry from your quoted price of $3,000/m.
Peace
It's called mid-range... (Score:3, Insightful)
I don't take exception to that but I do have a problem with super-audiophiles like yourself trying to give advice to regular people. You guys end up telling us to spend too much money on the wrong things.
10% on cables!! Ha! If you're only spending $500-1000 on a system, just use the cables that come with the speakers... I've never met anyone that can tell the difference
Re:It's called mid-range... (Score:5, Informative)
As a general rule, for speaker cables, bigger is better. The bigger the cable, the greater the distance at which you can drive a given load without a voltage drop. Because voltage drop causes a disproportionately large drop in the lower frequencies, the smaller the cable, the thinner the sound. The difference between 10-12 AWG and 18-24 AWG is noticeable over a sufficient distance.
Monster cable comes in at 14 AWG, which is heavier than average for a speaker cable, so I'm not surprised if someone can tell a difference between that and a smaller cable. That said, the audible difference is likely the gauge, not the construction.
Some related reading material [trueaudio.com]....
Frankly, if you're measuring the distortion of a speaker cable, you have way too much money and should give me some of it. :-)
Re:It's called mid-range... (Score:1)
I'd definitely disagree with that. While you're right that once you get into the realms of several thousand dollars 10% may be too much, the difference between the prepackaged cables and some $30 interconnects, or good $10/m speaker cable is really noticeable.
I'm guessing those numbers, by the way; be
Re:It's called mid-range... (Score:3, Informative)
What is the most expensive speakers or video system you have actually spent some time with??
Once you've heard & seen a GOOD system, then you know where the priorities need to be adjusted.
This isn't a discussion about crap speakers less then $500.
Why in the earth that someone would spend a few thousand dollars on getting mid-range gear, and skimp on the cables is beyond me. If you can afford the $3500 speakers/TV, you can af
Re:It's called mid-range... (Score:2)
Re:In the professional audio world (Score:3, Informative)
Whose rule of thumb is that? So if my amp costs $2000, the speakers cost $3500, the player costs $500, you're telling me I need $600 worth of cables? What drugs are you smoking?
Heavy gauge shielded copper for the speakers is less than $2/m. Gold plated connectors are $3 each. Decent interconnects (prebuil
Re:In the professional audio world (Score:1)
Mine, based on experience.
> So if my amp costs $2000, the speakers cost $3500, the player costs $500, you're telling me I need $600 worth of cables?
No. Please see my previous reply above [slashdot.org]
> What drugs are you smoking?
None. You came to incorrect conclusion based on faulty premises (Partially my fault for not explaining it properly, so lets call it even.)
Peace
Re:In the professional audio world (Score:1, Flamebait)
I disagree. I just read your other reply and you spent $400 on video cables and $300 on speaker cables. That's plain nuts. I work with electronics and I can pass a 10GHz signal over a $50 cable with negligible distortion. There is no realistic justification for the prices you're advocating.
Yeah, well I have a very negative opinion of audiophiles. I rate
Re:In the professional audio world (Score:2)
Bose -- litigious bastards? (Score:3)
Re:Bose -- litigious bastards? (Score:1)
But seriously, nowhere in the review of the SoundDock did I say "Bose as a rule makes great stuff." I didn't say they don't, either. I reviewed the product based on this single product, not my personal notions about the manufacturer.
In this narrow spectrum of products --"dockable" speaker systems -- the SoundDock is currently the best soun
Re:Bose -- litigious bastards? (Score:2)
Presenting the "Bose Theorum" (Score:2)
Re:In the professional audio world (Score:2, Informative)
isn't it kind of wasteful? (Score:5, Insightful)
isn't it a bit of a waste to spend to much on a set of speakers almost in vain to reproduced already degraded music...? why not buy a simple stereo and play the original CD on it if you really needed good sound quality?
i guess there's the convenience factor... but for $300, i'd probably just buy a very large HD, rip music in lossless formats and use Airport Express to stream those to an existing nice set of speakers?
Re:isn't it kind of wasteful? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:isn't it kind of wasteful? (Score:4, Informative)
It's a bit of a waste to spend money on Bose equipment. Usually audiophiles are stuck up pontificating snobs, but on Bose, they're right- Bose's technique is to use cheaply made speakers and EQ the hell out of them. Why make a $20 driver, when you can buy a $2 driver and for 50 cents of electronics, make it boom and squeak enough to fool a casual listener?
Buy a set of decent headphones like Grado's SR-60s, or pick up some CSW speakers on clearance. The older brands made by Henry Kloss's companies prior to CSW are often a steal as well, though you'll need an amp of course.
Re:isn't it kind of wasteful? (Score:4, Interesting)
So playing compressed music through an iPod and speakers with quality A is going to sound better than an original CD through speakers with quality B, if A > B.
Of course, if you use a crappy amplifier, loose wires, badly compressed material etc. all bets are off.
For $100 (Score:5, Informative)
In a similar vein (ot) (Score:2)
Roland DM-20s
Roland DA-30s
Event TR8s
KRK RP5s, 6s or 8s
Behringer B2030As
I know the Mackie HRx24s are the "answer", but the question is do I have > $1000 to spend on a pair, or between $150-$300.
I really am looking hard at the DM-20s, if they sound a bit as good (even if quiet) compared to any others on that list, they'd be much better than the MA-8s for only twice as much... with digital inputs no less.
Re:In a similar vein (ot) (Score:3, Informative)
JBL OnStage (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:JBL OnStage (vs. inMotion) (Score:3, Insightful)
I'm pretty happy with the inMotion [alteclansing.com] speakers that I got as a birthday present. While they ar
Re:JBL OnStage (Score:2, Informative)
Having tested both side by side, the inMotion has better bass. It also has a remote, can be powered off batteries, and is truly portable. On the other hand, I agree about the On Stage's controls -- the touch-sensitive buttons are very cool. It also has better treble and a more "open" sound, although sometimes the treble can be a
Looks familiar (Score:3, Informative)
Cambridge Bose (Score:3, Informative)
(http://www.cambridgesoundworks.com/store/categ
for $300 that has a cd player that can also play mp3 cds.
Bose is the Microsoft of the audio world (Score:3)
Re:Bose is the Microsoft of the audio world (Score:3, Insightful)
Actually, when it comes to this particular product, I think Bose is relying on something pretty specific (though you might still call it "marketing"). A lot of the attraction to the iPod is that it's simple and slick, and so Bose, as well as the other companies making iPod accessories, have put some focus on making the products simple and slick (meaning 1 piece, looks nice, simple controls, easy to
Re:Bose is the Microsoft of the audio world (Score:1)
Re:Blah. (Score:2, Interesting)
Playlist's review process always involves testing audio pro
better review on ipodlounge (Score:3, Informative)
Bose? Ask the Rutan brothers (Score:2)
I think that the
When the Voyager around-the-world flight was planned it was determined that the pilots would lose all of their high-end hearing due to the constant sound drone from the engines. Amar Bose offered his latest noise-cancelling headset to the Rutans