Customer Reviews

Bose SoundDock 10 Digital Music System

5 star:		(62)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I began this comparison as a totally neutral party. My goal was to find a one piece music system that provided the very best sound. I researched different options for several months and narrowed my choices to the Bose SoundDock 10 and the B&W Zeppelin. These were both "high-end" systems, but I knew it would take a good system to serve as a suitable replacement for high quality separate components. To begin my evaluation I made a playlist including 50 songs encoded in apple lossless format from my CD collection. Then I critically listened to portions of each of those songs on my home reference system which is a pair of Dynaudio Contour 1.8MkII towers, NAD amplification, NAD preamp, and Marantz CD player with Crystal DAC. I made sure that I listened at a volume that was comparable to the volume that I would be using during evaluation of the two systems. I played pink noise through each system for 50 hours to break everything in and then I level matched the systems for volume using a pink noise track and SPL meter. Then I listened to portions of all 50 songs on both systems. Then I had my wife listen to 5 of her favorite songs through both the Sound dock 10 and the Zeppelin. I made sure that she was unable to determine which system was playing. She doesn't care about sound systems in the least and she did not know anything about either system, so I knew that she would be a relatively unbiased reviewer. After my listening tests three things were apparent, 1) The Bose system could go louder, 2) The Bose could produce more and slightly deeper bass, 3)The Bose sounded hollow, unbalanced, and anemic, compared to the refined and absolutely musical performance of the B&W. Even where the bass was less pronounced it was musical, tight, and tonally correct. The Bose was loud and "boomy", but fell flat at producing real MUSIC. I was amazed at how every single song sounded better on the B&W, Some songs more than others. Acoustic instruments, synth, classical, pop, vocals, bass guitar, big band and dance all sounded better, more accurate, and more dynamic on the B&W. Not once did the Bose sound better to my ears, but perhaps my wife, who was under the impression that B&W made cars, will like the Bose sound that so many people flock to. So...how did my wife feel about these two systems? Without the benefit of her eyes to bias her, she picked the B&W as sounding far better every single time. I finally threw in a Jack Johnson track that I thought really brought out the best in the Bose and created a little low frequency resonance in the B&W, but even then the B&W resolved his voice and guitar licks so fluidly that we preferred the Zeppelin version. Her exact words were "it is rich, and the instruments sound like they are in the room. In fact they remind me of your big speakers." Enough said!!! In some cerebral way, the B&W was likened to an $8,000 stereo. In its defense the Bose SoundDock 10 has some characteristics that may make it the right choice for you. It is quite a bit louder than the Zeppelin, and doesn't sweat a bit when the volume is up. It just doesn't sound as good at any of the volumes that the B&W can attain. The B&W is loud enough for me. Needless to say the SoundDock is going back to Bose today, and the B&W will be staying right where it is! I hope this help the folks out there that were struggling with the same decision that I was. Thanks!

This is a very, very nice piece of hardware indeed. I had one of their 5-piece floor speaker systems from the mid 1990's, and frankly, this sounds better than that. Not cheap, of course, and if you want detectable stereo separation stick with headphones. There are no controls on the unit itself - everything is done through the iPod menu, making it immediately familiar, either by twiddling the iPod itself or through a supplied remote.

Be nice if you could access more of the iPod menu tree from the remote rather than the primary emphasis on nexting thu playlists, not albums. You may next WITHIN an album though, but not within an artist. Oh well, time to hack together a bunch more lists. With 4500 tracks on the pod, I tend to go thru Music/Artists, and never spent a lot of time putting together lists other than a few I downloaded. Being middle-aged, I grew up listening to albums at a time, just my background I suppose. Cueing LP's had overhead!

I now carry the iPhone around with me, making this the perfect resting place for my previously retired iPod classic. It does pack a decent punch, by the way - they do not publish output wattage but will draw a max of 150 watts input, whatever that translates to for output. Fills a cathedral-ceiling lr/dr nicely, with pretty kick-butt bass for it's size.

I have owned several high end speaker/dock units including GenevaSound's L, B&W's Zeppelin, Jamo's i300 , as well as several Altecs, Logitecs, Bose SoundDock I, II, and Portable, and Soundmatters excellent FoxL mini speaker ($200.00) and many many more.
This is Bose at its very best. No balance, treble, bass, or surround control to dilute it's audio signal. It is like hearing my Shure SE530 earphones for the first time...Pure Magic! I really think the SoundDock 10 even sounds better than the $600.00 asking price. One thing I've noticed, when you change iPods, the EQ setting goes back to off on which ever iPod you have just docked.

Bose is well-known for digging good sound out of the most unexpected places. It's gotten to the point that buying a Bose is buying sound quality whether in a large or small package. The Sounddock 10 is not the smallest package (at 18 lbs) but by no means is it a large package. It can be moved around, but be prepared to find a good spot for it and leave it there. And it sounds great everywhere I've put it. It is the best sounding Ipod Dock out there and the easiest one on the eyes. It is not an eyesore like its two closest competitors.

I have an iphone and it works perfectly with this sounddock. All you have to do is attach it to the dock and start playing. All of the controls are on the remote so don't lose it or you will have to buy another one. It was less than 10 minutes from opening the box to listening to Bad Romance - The Remixes. I also tried Rachmaninoff: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3. I fell in love with my Bose Sounddock 10.

I then bought the Bose® SoundDock® 10 Bluetooth® dock. Here is where there is room for improvement. To get Bluetooth to work, you have to detach the traditional iphone/ipod attachment. Removing this attachment and installing the Bluetooth attachment took less than 10 minutes, but it is clearly not something you want to do over and over. Now, I don't say what it looks like, but the bluetooth adaptor is not the prettiest thing, especially when you consider the handsome looks of this Bose dock.

How does it sound when streaming music from Iphone to Bose Sounddock 10 via Bluetooth? Great. But (yes there is a but) you are going to immediately have breaks in sound. First, the iphone's WI-FI, if you have it on, will cut through the sound everytime the Iphone tries to send or receive mail. I had to turn off WI-FI. You will also get some breaks in sound if there is a stray Bluetooth signal running around. I live in a condo and you can't avoid all the WI-FI and Bluetooth signals running around. I alone have at least 8 components communicating via WI-FI. BTW, even when the Iphone connects to email via the Edge network, there will also be a break in sound. This has to do with the Iphone's limited multi-tasking capabilities. Also, when in bluetooth mode, the Bose remote control will not work other than for volume.

Still, it is nice to have the phone near when someone calls and not have to get up and detach it from the dock to answer it. Hmmm, maybe the best solution will be to have an Ipod just for the dock.

When all is said and done, it is expensive. Can you put a price on great sound? Yes, and $600 seems a little steep. I love my dock and can live with the price I paid, but the additional $150 for the Bluetooth adaptor is something I could have done without. In short, for $600 you get a reasonably compact, easy to use, good looking and great sounding dock.

I've really never been a Bose fan. My audio equipment simply smokes any Bose product ever made but.....it cost near 45K, is quite large and definitely not portable. I decided to have a balcony party at my French Quarter condo this halloween and I decided to buy a ipod dock or "boom box" locally. I listened to everything at the store (big electronics retailer)and was not impressed. I saved the Bose for last as I really did not think I would be remotely interested in buying a Bose product. The little brothers of the 10 did not blow me away but when I plugged my ipod in the 10 I was amazed at the clarity and the bass. It simply sounds very musical so I bought it. After listening for a few days I have no regrets on my purchase. Go listen to one yourself and compare it to all the other ipod docks but bring your checkbook or credit card. You'll probably walk out with one like I did.

I am very impressed with the sound quality, especially the bass option which give the depth of sound I am accustomed to. The additional tone options available with my iPod Touch are also well defined and will vary the tone quality according to the listeners' particular preference. It is a very simple type of equalizer to satisfy the individual listener

The bass is most impresssive at a medium to high volume level. For those who do not have the same taste as me, I am sure the other tonal choices will be satisfying to their ears.

The overall quality of sound is superb in my opinion, and buying this unit was a good choice as far as I'm concerned even though it was pricey. The remote works great and at a range of approximately 25 feet without obstructions.

I am a retired music educator and still actively involved with teachig, judging, playing and conducting and would like to think I have a relatively good muscial ear.

While this looks similar to the other Soundocks there are differences. I already own the portable Soundock, so it's easy for me to compare the two.

I live in a NYC apartment and the living room is somewhat small. The SoundDock II and portable, which is what I have, is more than enough to fill my living room with outstanding sound. So if you have one of the other SoundDocks it's probably more than enough. If you want this for a larger room go for it, it's perfect. If you're looking to buy a one for the first time and you don't need portability and you don't mind spending the extra money go for this unit instead of the SoundDock II. Granted, it's $300.00 more. But it's worth every penny. It's heavy, it's rock solid.

This new SoundDock 10 is made with what they call Wave Technology. The others are not and are much lighter in weight. This is close to 20 pounds while the other two are just under and over 5 pounds.

While I don't think it's twice as good as the $300 SoundDock, I'm still keeping it. I have the portable one ($399.00)but I'm still gonna keep this one because I love the sound too much to return it.

Unless you need to have one that also runs on battery your choices are this SoundDock 10 and the original SoundDock II. The 10 is $599 and the II is $299. If money is not an issue go for this one. If money is an issue go for the less expensive one. You won't be missing that much. Either way you're in for a real treat with the quality of either one.

I need to be honest and let you know I'm prejudiced towards Bose. I have a lot of Bose stuff because I've always liked their sound quality compared to other brands. I'm also prejudiced in favor of Bose because I've never been let down by their products. They have an excellent return policy, and if you call customer service you are speaking with someone who speaks English in the United States and you get through rather quickly without hitting touch tone buttons for ten minutes.

Although this product costs as much as some mid-level entertainment systems, there are people out there, like my parents, who have no idea how to use multiple remotes, hook up different wires, and don't really have any interest to do so but have joined the digital revolution by buying and learning how to use Ipods. That's who this system if for in my opinion, people that just want superior, big sound from their Ipod/Iphone without the fuss of managing a multiple component entertainment system. Plus, it replaces large speakers and stereo equipment that some people don't want taking up space in their family room or what have you. You can say that the smaller Bose Sounddock replaces a semi-portable shelf top system for a bedroom while this Sounddock 10 replaces a larger receiver and speakers system that might be used in a larger family room and kitchen. So in conclusion, obviously it's not the best use of $600 for someone who knows their way around a stereo/entertainment system but it can't be beat for a "plug and play" no fuss Ipod/Iphone speaker system that kicks out great sound. I think odds are that Bose will eventually reduce the price, I can't imagine they are selling a ton of them in this economy.

Before deciding on this system I did the consumer reports thing and various websites and user reviews. After about 2 months of surfing I decided on the Polk iDock. Then I went to Best Buy to check them out in person. After a quick volume and quality check I changed my mind to this Bose system. BEST audio decision I've made in years. If you're looking for a compact system that can fill your home and not just a room w/quality sound, this is the system for you.
When you touch and lift this system it feels solid. The sound is perfect, and I enjoy a good amount of bass in my music, my wife not so much, but we both agree the sound is perfect. Other dock systems on the market feel toyish compared to this unit.
Only reason I don't give this a perfect rating is that the aux connection is on the back and none on the front. This system is being used w/my Palm Pre and not an iPod (for now). Sound quality is second to none.

Ordered it with one day shipping .... couldnt want for it, it is the most easiest setup, and sounds the best of the bose products till date. Have a home theater system, and also other speakers, but this one beats them all. The sound fills up the entire home, not only the room and the sound was only at 50% of the max!!

The clarity is amazing, and the bass just right for my ears.

It is an expensive piece, but then all bose products are !