The way I see it, is that Bose simply changed focus from high-end audio, and concentrated on more profitable markets – lifestyle hi-fi, which is a tad oxymoronic, given that lifestyle products are more aesthetics orientated than purity of sound. In other words, there’s always a trade-off between the best sound possible versus the size or domestic acceptance factor.

Either way, whatever Bose may or may not have become as a company since the 70’s when they were arguably serious pioneers of newly emerging audio research, they have always been a company revered and admired for what they have brought to the market. Today, in the infancy of the 21^st century, they continue to produce products of admiration and desire. If you will, they are the everyday person’s Bang & Oulfsen – a successful marriage of desirable design with more than acceptable sonic attributes.

I have here, in my possession the Bose SoundDock, being used with my original generation 40GB iPod Photo, or as Apple would prefer it to be known henceforth as, the iPod with colour screen. I’ll let you decide which trips off the tongue more easily.

As the acceptance and uptake of iPod’s has increased almost exponentially over the past 3 years or so, equally the number of iPod ‘accessories’ has exploded at the same rate, if not faster. Whilst certain products shouldn’t be classed as merely an accessory for the iPod, they still get lumped in with the description as such.

So, how does Bose’s SoundDock play out as an accessory to your iPod?

Well, as far as accessories go, it’s one of the more expensive ones - £249 being the suggested retail price.

In respect of that price tag, does it justify it?

An almost resounding yes, is the answer. Whilst there are many a regular Hi-Fi for much less than £249, with all manner of bells and whistles included, none have the iPod connector on them. At most, you will have to use the dock (if your iPod came with one) or an adapter to take the sound out from the headphone socket and input it into (probably) the AUX or Line In on the Hi-Fi. Acceptable hassles for some, but hardly an elegant solution.

This is where the Bose SoundDock steps up to the plate and takes an almighty swing at conventional practices. The resultant ‘swing’ is a good one, one that connects and knocks the conventional set-ups out of the park. From such a small and slim enclosure, it manages to produce a serious amount of bass, even when the unit is situated in free space. It obviously increases in bass response when placed in front of an adjacent wall. Should party mode be activated in your soul one evening, then the SoundDock will provide you with an excellent party atmosphere for you and those invited to revel in.

The engineers have done a brilliant job of making a powerful amplifier with superb headroom and mating them to well designed speakers, with a smattering of tuned port to get the low frequencies up to a satisfactory level. The full range of frequencies are nicely laid out, with only a mild roll off on the upper echelons of the high frequencies – something easily resolved by the iPod’s in-built equalizer.

My only criticism would be that there’s no visual display of the volume level, nor feedback via an LED that you’ve pressed the volume buttons on the remote control (included). There are quite a large number of steps the volume circuitry has, but not each step makes an audible difference, so you end up holding the button down or pressing multiple times until you do hear the change in level.

I would also like to have seen included, a radio function, just to round off the package. As it stands, the SoundDock is a one trick pony, which it does admirably well, but could’ve went the extra yard and made it almost the perfect unit. Aside from the omission of a radio facility, the Bose SoundDock is definitely a recommendable product, especially seeing as it will recharge your iPod whilst connected to it, but it should have a radio for the price, or the price should be below the psychological barrier of £200.

Assuming Bose don’t rest on their laurels, then I would expect there to be a revision 2 of the Sound Dock, which might, just might, include a radio and some visual feedback of volume setting, and that the remote control signal has been received.

Review by - PJ Skelton

Published - 14/07/2005

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