Bose SoundDock 10 Digital Music System.
First, let's get this out of the way immediately: The Bose SoundDock 10 Digital Music System costs $599.95 (direct). If you're still reading, it's important to note that this is one of the best-sounding iPod speaker systems Bose has ever developed. But design, not audiophile-level performance, has always been Bose's strong suit, so the feature-barren SoundDock 10 and its limited remote control are somewhat surprising. This dock can achieve extremely high volume levels without distortion, and it also produces excellent audio at moderate levels. For $600, though, it should do more than just sound fantastic.
The hulking SoundDock 10 measures 8.7 by 17.0 by 9.6 inches (HWD) and weighs a hefty 18.5 pounds—so it's far from portable. Like earlier SoundDock iterations, the design is intentionally spare—metallic and black, with not a single button or control on the dock itself. There's no Power button either, but when you dock an iPod, the system automatically turns on, and you'll see a glowing white iPod icon on the bottom left-hand panel. The dock itself juts out from below the curved speaker panel. The minimalism extends to the back of the system: All you'll find is a power adapter connection, a 3.5mm Aux input to connect non-Apple players, and a Composite video out so you can hook the system up to an external display. (No cable for either is included; for $600 Bose should have thrown a couple of cables in the box.) If you want to use an iPhone with the system, it is "Works with iPhone" certified, so you don't need to put the phone in Airplane Mode to avoid interference. There is als o a mini-USB connector labeled "Updates," making it possible for Bose to add support for additional devices in the future.
Since there aren't any buttons on the system, the remote control is essential to the operation of the device—so you better not lose it. (You can get a replacement from Bose for just $10, thankfully.) The remote's buttons include Power, Play/Pause, iPod, Aux, Volume Up/Down, Playlist Up/Down, and Track Backward/Forward. Missing are Menu Up and Down buttons that would allow you to fully navigate your iPod or iPhone from afar; you can only skip tracks and move from one Playlist to another, and only in the order they are on your device. If you want to switch menus or Albums or Artists on the SoundDock 10, you'll have to do it on the player itself. For a system this pricey, it's a glaring oversight.
Fortunately, the SoundDock 10 sounds fantastic. I've knocked Bose in the past for favoring functions like noise cancellation, or visual design over sound performance. The $400 Computer MusicMonitor PC speakers, for instance, lack any significant bass response. The SoundDock 10, however, does not suffer from this problem. With a built-in backward-firing subwoofer that uses digital signal processing to compress the bass's dynamics, the system is able to offer powerful, distortion-free low-end response at very high volumes—and yes, the SoundDock 10 can get very loud. And at moderate or normal listening levels, you don't lose any bass presence. The overall frequency response is sculpted, not flat: All you audiophiles should be spending $600 on a component-based system and speakers, not an iPod dock (but you already knew that).
On songs with deep bass, like The Knife's "Silent Shout", the speakers do the low frequencies ample justice without sacrificing clarity in the mid and high frequencies. For classical music, the dock doesn't resonate with overly booming bass, but it certainly doesn't ignore low frequencies, either. The opening measures of Jonny Greenwood's score for There Will Be Blood provide a smooth low-end for the ominous strings without adding any unnecessary bass presence. Basically, if a deep bass sound exists, the SoundDock 10 recognizes it, reproduces it pleasantly, and makes sure that at whatever volume you are listening, it's not distorted or inappropriately boosted. The SoundDock never sounds overly sibilant or bright, either—it offers a pleasant level of crispness in the highs.
Bose offers a $150 receiver accessory, so you can stream music from your paired Bluetooth-enabled phone. If you consider this, remember that Bluetooth audio quality is typically lacking, so many of those rich lows and crisps highs will be lost. As far as extra features, that's pretty much it: there's no radio, no clock or alarm—this is a straight-up music dock, albeit one you can hook up to your TV to watch your iPod's videos while using the speakers for the audio. Bose also claims that because the dock adaptors are removable, the company could support other standards in the future, adding compatibility with Microsoft's Zune, for example. No official plans have been announced as of yet, though.
I applaud Bose for making such a robust, musical sound system—after all, audio quality is what's most important. But for $600, the lack of an iPod-navigation-capable remote and simple controls on the dock itself give me pause. It's a puzzling list of omissions that does not befit a product in this price range. Regardless, if you can get over using your iPod for navigation, the SoundDock 10 is a reminder that Bose is capable of making products that sound as good as they look. Still, If you're looking for strong bass response, but $600 is just out of reach for you, Boston Acoustics' i-DS3 Plus, while not much less expensive at $500, is our Editors' Choice, and comes with a wireless subwoofer that integrates well with the dock's speakers. The i-DS3 Plus, however, like the SoundDock 10, lacks a fully functioning iPod remote control. The Chestnut Hill Sound George, also $500, comes with a remote that takes iPod navigation to a new level, putting all other remotes to shame. A nd if half-a-grand or more is too tough to swallow, check out some other speaker system reviews for plenty of affordable alternatives.
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Source: www.bing.com
Images credited to www.bing.com and www.mu sicworld.cl
