Which bose sounddock is the best

But is that necessarily a good thing? Personally, I have never come across a "portable" sound system that has not been a disappointment when it comes to good sound. For a long time, boom boxes and other mobile sound systems could achieve sizes that would give back strain to Arnold Schwarzenegger, and still not be able to deliver good sound. It is always the bass that's missing, something you don't notice in a portable sound system until you try to use in a party situation where it has to compete with lot of background noise.

Put the Bose SoundDock into that situation, however, and the difference is astounding. We've never heard such good bass sound from such a small unit. Granted, the "test scenario" get together was held in a fairly small space -- just that of a small living room -- but the quality of the sound drew everyone there around the unit where they all began to pull iPods from their pockets and wrestle to get their set list played. The other nice thing about plugging the iPod into Bose's SoundDock is that it all works just as you'd want it to: the iPod can be controlled via either the supplied remote, or by the controls on the front of the iPod itself.

You can plug the headphones in and control the volume independently of the SoundDock volume. The iPod is continually charged as it plays, and the unit doesn't freak out when you plug or unplug the iPod while songs are playing. The only possible negatives I managed to find had to do with the "brick" power supply that comes with the speakers. I know this way of doing things makes it possible for the speaker box to be smaller, but these things are still annoying.

I think I'd rather have slightly larger speakers. The brick also got very hot after only a few hours of playing. I'd hate to think what would happen if it attempted to play the 3.

The bottom line is the Bose system is loud enough for you to enjoy good bass and clear sound in your living room or on the balcony at a volume loud enough to get your neighbours to complain. There are several other competing sound systems for the iPod, such as Harmon Kardon's Soundsticks II , but the all-in-one construction of the SoundDock sure is a lot more convenient than the three-piece format of the Soundsticks.

The SoundDock system works with third- and fourth-generation iPods, as well as the iPod mini. It measures just The Bose feels reasonably sturdy and well-built. Look closely and you can see the twin drivers and other components behind the grille on the front of the unit. Simplistic remote This is either interesting or offputting, depending on your preference.

The iPod dock protrudes from between the unit's speakers and finds itself flanked by a volume button on either side. The remote is simplistic but the large, round, rubberised buttons are responsive and allow you to skip through playlists. Unfortunately, the remote doesn't let you navigate through the other menus on your iPod and select tracks by artist or genre, which would be of more use.

Affordable and musical For its size, SoundDock II produces an impressively broad and expansive soundstage, even when the source music is relatively compressed. Rock out to kbps of Guns N' Roses' Paradise City and guitars, vocals and drums are tidily organised. The Bose does a great job of keeping all the elements coherent and distinct.

The SoundDock II is also surefooted with its timing. Bass notes sound solid and defined, although other docks in this test can delve deeper and exhibit a greater sense of scale.

Having said that, the SoundDock II has no problems filling an average-sized room and just about retains its composure at high volumes. If you're looking for an affordable, musical iPod dock then the SoundDock II is a good place to start. See all our dock system Best Buys. Follow whathifi. What Hi-Fi? Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies.

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