iPod docking station Bose quality but don't want to spend that much..

[dis2cruise]

Any suggestions?

 

[Phil Cirrone]

Need one two but the bose is so expensive.

 

[mkel34]

Whats the budget? There are plenty of alternatives with comparable sound for half the price.

 

[dis2cruise]

Let's say half the price of a Bose docking station, dh wants good sound!

 

[136368]

No offence, but Bose sucks. Yay Cyrus!

 

[Grand Duke]

There's a fantastic one called the iHome that retails for around 100 dollars. I don't know what a Bose costs but honestly the iHome's sound is superior to some Bose speakers I've heard.

 

[bicker]

You're not going to get a docking station as good as the Bose SoundDock for half the price. Higher quality electronics generally costs more because it provides superior value. It would be better to decide what you're willing to spend for a docking station, and then get some feedback on the offerings at that price-range. One may be a little better for your needs than the rest.

I have a fantastic Zune dock, and I'll try to check the brand when I get a chance and post it. Another good one (different from the one I have) is the Yamaha. I think it runs about $135.

 

[dis2cruise]

You're not going to get a docking station as good as the Bose SoundDock for half the price. Higher quality electronics generally costs more because it provides superior value. It would be better to decide what you're willing to spend for a docking station, and then get some feedback on the offerings at that price-range. One may be a little better for your needs than the rest.

I have a fantastic Zune dock, and I'll try to check the brand when I get a chance and post it. Another good one (different from the one I have) is the Yamaha. I think it runs about $135.

Thanks for the info

 

[bicker]

They don't make our model (the M604) anymore. The closest I could find was the M302 (but if companies are consistent with their model-numbering, it's three grades below what we bought, right?)

http://www.alteclansing.com/ae/us/i...t/m302/&bklist=icat,3,shop,ipodiphonespeakers

This model, the M302, seems to be in your price range. (Note, also, that it is not specific to the iPod, but will also work with other MP3 devices, too.) I can't comment on the M302, but the M604 provides us a lot of great sound.

 

[Kies99]

You really need to check out the reviews section of iLounge.com:
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/accessories/

That being said, I got the JVC UX-LP5 through a reward program at work. I'm actually quite surprised at how good the sound is. I wasn't expecting much as I had checked out the cost of the unit online, but it's exceeded my expectations. Here's a link:
http://www.amazon.com/JVC-UX-LP5-Micro-Component-System/dp/B001UL09LS

 

[136368]

I hate to say it, but the best sound quality from an iPod dock will probably come from Arcam, an elitist HiFi company:

http://www.arcam.co.uk/products,devices,portable-audio,rcube.htm

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I have the Brookstone Tower and it rivals the sound quality of the Bose system. It's also half the price of a Bose system. http://www.brookstone.com/sl/product/11889-idesign-tower-stereo-system-ipod-iphone-devices.html

 

[Micca]

I have an Altec-Lansing dock/boombox thing from a few years ago and it has killer sound. It is heavy, but I just leave it in the kitchen(though it will run on batteries). Don't think they make my model now, but you might want to check the Altec-Lansing products if you can audition one somewhere.

 

[CandyMandy]

Bose -- going back to their origins in the 1970s as a producer of hi fi speakers -- has always been a classic example of marketing hype over substance. The promote their B-grade wares with a fat ad budget and bunch of technical sounding voodoo that impresses non-techies, to get them to buy said B grade product at Tiffanty prices.

In particular, their co-called noise cancelling headphones (their real breadwinner for the last decade) are an absolute joke and the rather bulky, clunky Sounddock is not much better to anyone with trained ears.

Frankly, the whole "dock" concept is a function of a somewhat amusing trend: people trying to use comparatively lo-fi portable audio as a means to go back to the days of the serious, stand-alone home stereo system...

....but that's a separate discussion, so back to the OPs question: to get what you can from an Ipod without paying a premium for ad hype, look into the Altec Lansing MT800 or the Boston Acoustics Duo. The JBL 400 is also a candidate; it's a little thin on features but shows what a real speaker company can do in a small footprint.

 

[bicker]

It is heavy

You always want speakers to be heavy, afaic. Lightweight speakers are crap.

 

[Micca]

You always want speakers to be heavy, afaic. Lightweight speakers are crap.

I agree, but then I had Altec Voice of the Theater speakers as my mains for over 30 years.

 

[ChristaDeVil]

I had a Emerson (cheap Wal-Mart model) iPod dock that I used for about 5 years that was great for my kitchen. It got the job done. However, since I purchased my Bose dock, I don't know how I lived without it. I love it and am so glad we took the plunge. My mom has an iHome and she enjoys it, but she's jealous of the sound of my Bose. If I hadn't gotten the Bose, I probably would have gotten the iHome one.

 

[CandyMandy]

You always want speakers to be heavy, afaic. Lightweight speakers are crap.

And to take it a step further, putting two stereo drivers in a single small cabinet (the inherent design philosophy of 99% of Ipod docks) is even crappier.

Because a solid, three dimensional stereo soundfield -- the core element of good sound -- results from having the two speakers units about eight feet apart from each other, with the listening spot in the middle as part of an equally sized triangle:

One additional tip: the diagram above shows the speakers angled in to fire directly at the listener. Audiophile types say you actually get a deeper soundstage if the speakers are angled so they fire just slightly behind your head. I've tried this and they're right.

 

[bicker]

To be fair, the logic with these kinds of units is that the sound fills the room (i.e., bounces off the walls), presumably with the right channel filling the right side of the room, and the left channel filling the left side of the room. Bose has supposedly done lots of research to make this more so the case with their equipment, and presumably other makers have tried to follow-suit. You're never going to get the same quality sound from a unit like this as compared to a 7.1 system.