The good: Simple to set up and use; attractive design; sounds impressive compared to other iPod speakers; charges iPod while docked; includes basic remote.

The bad: Expensive; works only with iPods (and iPod Minis) equipped with a docking connector.

The bottom line: If you don't mind the high price, the SoundDock will turn your iPod into a nice bedroom or office stereo system.




The huge popularity of the iPod has given rise to a cottage industry of iPod accessories, including various speakers that help turn your iPod into a boombox. With Apple's blessing, Bose has entered the world of iPod with its SoundDock "digital music system," a S$539 (US$396.84) stereo speaker designed to work with dockable iPods.
Design
Bose's SoundDock is a compact and elegantly designed product that comes in just one color--white--though it works just fine with whatever color iPod Mini you might have. The speaker ships with adapters for the Mini and the various generations of iPod (the only incompatible models are the first two iPods, which lack the dock connector on the underside). You simply pop the adapter in the SoundDock's cradle, plug in the power cord, drop your iPod in the cradle (it's a digital connection), and you're good to go.

Also included in the box is a small, very basic, credit card-style remote that allows you to advance and rewind tracks on your iPod, control its volume, and shut off the unit (the iPod automatically turns on and the battery charges when you dock it).

Performance
The SoundDock performed better than we expected. It easily filled our 5.48 x 3.04m room with a big sound, but stereo separation was nada until we moved to a position within three feet of the speaker. The near-field sound also enhanced the little system's bass and treble definition.

A series of duets between jazz guitarist Charlie Hunter and drummer Bobby Previte on their Come in Red Dog CD sounded surprisingly live. Previte's bass drum had lots of kick, and his cymbals' crisp detail added to the realism of the sound. Hunter plays bass and guitar simultaneously on his eight-string instrument, and the SoundDock delineated every note. The Bose's richly balanced bass goes a long way toward mimicking the weighty presence of a larger speaker.

Rocking out with John Mellencamp's greatest hits once again proved the little system's stamina. Yes, a decent home-theater system will deliver even more satisfying sound and real stereo separation, but it will take up a lot more space than the little SoundDock. If you're considering Altec Lansing's InMotion microspeaker set, which also hosts iPods, that travel-friendly unit is almost half the price S$229 (US$168.60), but the Bose plays louder and has deeper bass and clearer treble.

Our biggest gripe with the SoundDock is its lack of inputs, which means that you can't connect anything to it besides an iPod. Ideally, a speaker accessory costing S$539 (US$396.84) would be a little more flexible. Also, it'd be nice if the SoundDock, like Tivoli Audio's iPAL, had a built-in rechargeable battery, making it a truly cordless speaker that you could place anywhere. That said, the Bose SoundDock is the best-sounding iPod speaker accessory we've tested to date, and it would be well suited for use in an office, a bedroom, or a small living room.