[Dave]

Originally Posted by stevegong What are some alternative speakers which are small but have good sound?

There's no such thing as small speakers that sound good. Sorry.

(Though as far as small speakers go, you could do a lot worse than Bose.)

[Luca]

Logitech's THX-certified speakers sound excellent. They're not small by any means, but when was the last time you had to move your speakers around? When I need to go somewhere I bring my headphones (Sennheiser HD-497s, excellent, but that's for another thread).

Anyway, I have a set of Z-560s. Total power is 400W, with 188W from the sub and 53W per satellite. Impressive, considering the total power of many small 2.1 systems is about the same as a single satellite on mine. It's a 4.1 system, but it easily scales to 2.1 if you don't have surround capability. In fact, even though Logitech makes a 2.1 version, it actually costs more because you can't find refurbished ones on eBay. MSRP is $200 for the one I got, but I got my set for $80 including shipping.

Logitech has higher-end 5.1 home theater surround setups that use more than just a front and rear stereo channel, but they do cost a lot more. The Z-680 and newer Z-5500 are both really good, but also very expensive.

There are plenty of great speakers out there by many different companies. I talk a lot about the Logitechs because they're good quality and more oriented toward computer users. They might be a bit too thumpy for some people, though. Oh yeah, and Klipsch is also really good.

[cyrusmekon]

Hi guys. Iv been looking at getting the Bose sound dock for my room.

Iv only heard good things about them. Im a bit concerned about its upgradeability. I have a 4G 40G iPod right now but i may be tempted with a higher capacity when available. A heard the 60Gig iPod is a really really tight fit on the parts given

Should i just bite the bullet now or wait.

Thanks.

[Franz Josef]

Bose iPod dock is a great system - I've been enjoying one for about a year or so. It's slim and in true Bose style has a good deep bass. If you have an Apple Store near you you can simply try a 60GB there to see if it fits.

Bose customer service is very good so you might just ring them to see what they have to say. The Dock itself comes with adjustable inserts and I wouldn't be at all surpirsed if they had simply adjusted the spec a little if they had already received the same feedback.

[Luca]

Tip: Don't buy Bose. They don't necessarily sound bad, but they're awful for the price.

Besides... a Sound Dock? Isn't that the one that costs $300 and only has one speaker and no subwoofer? Your iPod does have a headphone port, you know. You can just buy a REAL set of speakers (you know, something with a sub, some power, some decent range, and stereo separation) and hook that up to your iPod. Sure, it's not as portable, but you say it's for your room so why not? Plus you can connect it to your computer when you're not using it on the iPod.

My recommendations from above stand. Logitech or Klipsch (Logitech being the cheaper, and nearly as good, alternative).

[Mac+]

Meh, the SoundDock is perfect for the audio it has to churn out (ie: usually compressed audio formats from an iPod). We all know that Bose don't produce audiophile quality gear - and true, the Klipsch and Logitech THX approved speakers would rock - but c'mon the primary function is as an iPod dock/playing station. For this purpose, I'd say the audio quality of the Bose gear is fine.

I have studio monitors at home, but did not lug them over to China. We needed something for our apartment, so we could listen to music in the lounge room. The Bose SoundDock offers clean, powerful sound (well, powerful enough for us), a remote control, an elegant white minimalist design that I find is an aesthetically pleasing match to the iPod and is portable enough to move to various rooms in the buildings for parties and the like. Come moving time, it will be a cinch to pack away and ship out too. Oh, I almost forgot, it also charges the iPod for you.

As for the often mentioned cost ... when you factor in how long you're going to own the unit, the issue becomes secondary. Yes, it is more expensive than other units, but for the reasons cited in the above paragraph, I was happy to splurge on it. (Btw - I have never owned Bose gear before in my life and I am not a fanboy. In this instance, I was prepared to pay a little extra because I derived aesthetic pleasure from it ... I figure I'm not alone on this, hello Apple owners - also check out Donald Norman's Emotional Design.)

Anyway, in Australia, it is exorbitantly priced at $500Au. However, ammortise that over 10 years and it is only $50 a year. That is cheap for good clean audio. Also, where we bought it (Beijing), it was not as expensive as it would have been in Australia, so that also helped sway me when it came time to pull out the credit card.

I guess I just keep coming back to this little axiom: "The quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten."

It works for me.

[Engine Joe]

It isn't that Bose isn't fine for the applications you describe, Mac+, it's that it is overpriced for what you get. Just a matter of value. I'm not an anti-Bose zealot, but I won't buy their products because I can do better for the dollar...

[Mac+]

Well, I guess it boils down to "what" you value. In terms of audio quality, yes, is it overpriced ... I'll grant you that.

But, for the reasons in the post, I was content to wear the cost because I valued the unit for more than just audio quality. At some point along the line, satisfaction with aesthetics comes into play and I made my decision with this in mind also. It won't work for everybody, but it is how I evaluated the whole thing.

[Franz Josef]

In my experience Bose has very good sound quality compared to "normal" high-street consumer equipment (though no doubt from some of the comments above, less good than some). What Bose adds in addition however is a system which looks good (and given that it sits in my house on display all day, that's a big plus to my mind) and has an intuitive/pleasant UI (such as for example the display automatically dims when I switch the light off). Does that ring any bells?

[windowsblowsass]

well paul harvey always seemed impressed by them. but that begs the question whats the rest of the story?

[Luca]

Maybe Paul Harvey is impressed by how deep their pockets are. Deep, of course, from all the money average people throw into them, hoping to get "audiophile" gear and thinking the best way to get good sound quality is to just spend more money.

I'm not knocking Bose's quality at all, just their price. If you think Apple overcharges for stuff (and they do), Bose is at least twice as bad. With Apple and Macs, you can at least partially justify the inflated price because Macs can do things that PCs simply can't, through OS X. But Bose doesn't bring anything new to the table. Every product they have can be beaten by a less expensive product by a competitor.

A little research turned up several positive reviews of the Altec Lansing IM3c, which costs over $100 less than the Bose system. The difference in sound quality is probably very small or nonexistent, but the difference in price is huge. Also, the Altec Lansing is smaller and can operate on battery power (the Bose requires a power outlet).

[stevegong]

I listened to the Bose ipod dock just the other day. I would have to say for the price, the sound quality is a little disappointing. And to the original reason for this thread: I am very glad I didn't buy the bose wave system. It's not as good as Bose wants you to think. Honestly.