Happy: This unit is amazing! Sounds incredible for such a small unit and this destroys any assumptions I had about Bose (so many negative energy towards Bose on the Internet). Let’s just the say the sound quality caught me by surprise. Love the battery, love the looks, there’s nothing I hate about it except…

Sad: I didn’t end up keeping it. I ended up bringing home 5 iPod speaker systems. I ended up bringing home a Logitech Pure-Fi Anywhere, Griffin Amplifi, JBL OnStage Micro, iHome2go, and this system here. I ended up keeping the Logitech Pure-Fi Anywhere. For more details on why keep reading…

I had several things I wanted out of the iPod Speaker System. I wanted portability, the ability to play without an AC adapter or use batteries, great sound, and aesthetics. I did not have a budget but that doesn’t mean I would blindly spend it if I didn’t feel it was worth it. I’ll break it down by speaker system:

iHome2go

Liked: The clock, the battery compartment, the included case, portability, looks decent, line-in, price.

Disliked: Sound is just downright horrible, I couldn’t stand it. I have very demanding listening tastes and this didn’t even pass as decent. Everything was tinny and it lacked mid and low end sound.

FAIL

JBL OnStage Micro

Liked: Small, battery compartment, included case, line-in, price, sounded decent at low volumes.

Disliked: Sound was very distorted at higher volumes, aesthetics.

FAIL

Griffin Amplifi

Liked: Crisp highs, very nice low end sound, decent look, price.

Disliked: Sounds like there is a hole in the music, no mid range sound, very big, not portable, no batteries.

FAIL

Logitech Pure-Fi Anywhere

Liked: Size, built-in rechargeable battery, includes case, sound is stunning for such a small unit, very clear sound, PRICE got this for only $89 at circuit city.

Disliked: Low end is decent but it’s good for something this small, doesn’t look like the Bose, doesn’t sound like the Bose.

I ended up keeping this unit because I felt the extra 300 dollars for the Bose was not worth it. Perhaps when the price falls for the Bose unit I will reconsider purchasing.

Hope this helps!
Rating: 4 / 5
Bose® SoundDock® Portable digital music system – Gloss Black

Sure, you pay through the nose, but my experience is that Bose delivers quality and stands by its products. We bought the SD Portable because we’re living in a small flat in London. It’s the perfect solution. Few wires, self-contained, small, yet it delivers a big quality sound that fills our living room. We are also limited on wall outlets here and with the great battery life from the rechargeable battery, I can take it anywhere around the flat.

Some knock Bose for their prices and refusal to disclose sound specs. Hey, I just listen to my music and find that it enables me to really enjoy that music where other systems might get in the way. If it doesn’t deliver the best sound for its size, it’s nearly the best.

The one problem I experienced is that with my new iPod Classic 80GB, the playlist up and down buttons on the remote don’t work. Bose told me they can’t keep up with every iPod model and that software updates to the iPod might fix that, but no guarantees. This is not a fatal flaw, but a bit of an annoyance.

Otherwise, this is a great product and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it, especially if you’re interested in great sound in an effecient and small box.
Rating: 5 / 5
Bose® SoundDock® Portable digital music system – Gloss Black

However, this product has unadvertised problems with the 3rd Generation iPods (black and white screen, dock connector, four buttons and a touch-wheel), and I’m glad I discovered this in the store before paying the full $400. When plugged into the Sounddock, the screen freezes, and neither the remote nor the buttons can advance the track. The ill effects cease the moment the iPod is removed, but nonetheless, it’s more or less unusable with this early iPod. If you’re thinking of trying it and have a 3G iPod, I’d recommend looking elsewhere, or at least going in to a Bose store to double check and make sure that you too don’t experience this problem. Bose has heard about it, but apparently it’s not a fixable issue, just a question of old technology.

So, I’d definitely recommend this product acoustically, but practically, I’d make sure you’re using a more recent model of iPod before you give it a shot.
Rating: 3 / 5
Bose® SoundDock® Portable digital music system – Gloss Black

I was on the fence about this purchase for several weeks. I had researched the first generation Bose SoundDock digital music system for iPod for quite some time. I found a couple of shortcomings that prevented me from buying that unit. First, it did not have a battery for portable use, so you always had to have it plugged in. Secondly it did not have an aux input, so it would only work with Apple iPod devices. What if I wanted to plug in my daughter’s Sandisk MP3 player, or my son’s Creative MP3 player? The second generation Bose SoundDock does not have these limitations. They have included a battery system, for hours of portable music without being tethered to A/C mains. They also include an aux input, so you can plug in any device’s audio output with a stereo mini plug. They also added a slick swivel dock, which swings back into the speaker system when not in use. As far as the sound quality goes, both first and second generation systems seem to sound just as good; solid bottom end, crisp top end, and mild yet adequate midrange.

I was tempted to order this item from Amazon, as their prices, shipping, and customer service are always top notch. However, I was still a little unsure as to whether or not I would be completely satisfied with this product in my home. After all, it is $400.00! I decided to purchase it from a local electronics store, which offers a 30 day return policy, in case I decided that it was not worth the price after listening to it in my home. Well I am pleased to report that this Bose SoundDock sounds simply amazing. I don’t know how they get such BIG sound from such a little device, but Bose has definately done a wonderful thing with this SoundDock. The sound is deep but not too boomy. The stereo soundfield is a little narrow but that is to be expected from any portable sound dock, as the speakers are so close together. Still, Bose is known for their ability to use angled speaker technology to offer a wide stereo sound. I guess they just didn’t feel that this aspect was important enough for their SoundDock product. That is a shame. I must also note that the sound produced from this device seems different when listening from different angles. If I sit the device on a table and sit down right in front of it, the high end is crisp and bright but the lower end is a little on the weak side. However, if I back up a few feet the bottom end really jumps out, and yet you lose a little bit of the crispness of the highs. Overall the SoundDock sounds great and it really fills a small and medium sized room with full bodied sound. You can crank this puppy way up without any audible sounds of distortion. Very impressive indeed. I have listened to Pop, Rock, Country, Dance, House, and even classical music on the Bose SoundDock, and all sounded equally impressive. Bass notes are very tight, not boomy or sloppy like I have experienced on several other iPod music systems. My only complaint is that the midrange seemed a bit weak on a few tracks, but seemed just fine on others. This may have to do with the equalization of my iPod Touch, but I don’t notice these differences when listening through headphones.

Overall I am very pleased with my Bose SoundDock Portable Music System. It produces rich, room filling sound, offers perfect portability (thanks to the inclussion of a Lithium Ion Battery Pack), and has an auxiliary input for all of my family’s digital music devices. Sure, $400.00 is a lot of money to spend on a portable iPod music docking system, but now that I have experienced the solid build and beautiful sound quality of the Bose SoundDock, buying anything less would always leave me wanting the Bose SoundDock. Still, I cannot find it within myself to give the Bose SoundDock a perfect 5 star rating. The narrow stereo soundfield and premium cost keep my rating at 4 and 1/2 stars. I take music sound quality very seriously, and in my opinion this Bose system, while expensive, is still worth the money. I highly recommend this product for anyone that is extremely serious about excellent sound quality and isn’t afraid to spend the money to obtain it.
Rating: 4 / 5
Bose® SoundDock® Portable digital music system – Gloss Black