iPod Docking Stations

[Teasing the Korean]

I don't think I want to pay $300 for a Bose.

There is a Philips for $150.

Any recommendations? I basically need this for travel and vacations, nothing else.

Thanks in advance.

[Noj]

I have this one TTK, relatively inexpensive, surprisingly good sound, and travels well.

[mjzee]

I've had this JBL for a few years. Great for traveling, and sounds OK:

Amazon

[Free For All]

I've had this JBL for a few years. Great for traveling, and sounds OK:

Amazon

[Teasing the Korean]

Thanks for the replies.

I've decided to go with this one:

Seriously, I'll check out the suggestions so far.

[sonnymax]

I have no idea how this sounds...

...but it's soooo cute.

[sonnymax]

On a serious note, you might want to look into the Boston Acoustics Duo-i plus, $199 at B&H Photo-Video-Audio.

[Hot Ptah]

I have tried several in stores and at home. Only one has really sounded good to me. It is the iHome Studio Series iP1, with Bongiovi Acoustics components.

I read about it in a very favorable review in Jazz Times magazine, tested it at the Apple store, and bought it. We have been very pleased with it at home. It is the first iPod docking station we have used with genuinely good sound.

Edited May 19, 2010 by Hot Ptah

[Dave James]

I have no idea how this sounds...

...but it's soooo cute.

I test drove this unit at a local retailer. I thought the sound was a little porky.

[Dave James]

I've been pretty happy with this guy. I've had it for about three years. My only complaint would be that it has no controls to manage the bass and treble output.

Edited May 20, 2010 by Dave James

[jazzbo]

Guess you have to use the iPod EQ then.

I have the first Monitor Audio "iDeck" which has fantastic sound, and speakers that separate. It has a massive wall wart power supply, that seems to be the secret to its success. It was discounted very cheaply three years or so ago, and a real bargain. I bought two, and gave one to a friend and it's still her main stereo (you can run in an auxiliary cd player etc., she plugs a dvd player into it).

If you can find this I'd recommend it; of about a half dozen of these I've used this one had clearly superior sound. Being able to spread the speakers out is a big plus.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Monitor-Audio-i-deck-Speaker-Dock/dp/B000ASB2FE/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Edited May 19, 2010 by jazzbo

[jazzbo]

For non-portable use, there are some interesting machines now that have licensed from Apple the ability to extract the digital files directly from the iPod and bypass the internal DAC in the iPod and really give out great sound. I have a Wadia "iTransport" that really does a good job in that respect, I have used it feeding two different DACs and the sound of cds with lossless encoding is nearly indistinguishable from the source disc through the same DAC. The Wadia was the first, but there is als an Onkyo item now, and a Peach Tree Audio "Decco" integrated amplifier that has a docking station for the iPod that extracts the digital stream from the iPod and puts it through a nice non-oversampling DAC. The Decco makes the heart of a really nice second system.

[Man with the Golden Arm]

I have the first Monitor Audio "iDeck"

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Monitor-Audio-i-deck-Speaker-Dock/dp/B000ASB2FE/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

did your's come with the spaddle?

[John L]

One thing that I don't like about docking stations is that you gave to take the iPod out of its case to dock it.

[sonnymax]

I have no idea how this sounds...

...but it's soooo cute.

I test drove this unit at a local retailer. I thought the sound was a little porky.

Yeah, the bass is rather muddy, and the highs tend to squeal if you turn it up too loud.

[Teasing the Korean]

Thanks all.

I bit the bullet and went for the Bose. Best sound, it was on sale, nice design, and portable.

[Free For All]

Thanks all.

I bit the bullet and went for the Bose. Best sound, it was on sale, nice design, and portable.

I think you made a good choice- I've been very happy with mine. I've had it for about two years.

[.:.impossible]

I bought one for travel three or four years ago. I've use it a dozen times, mostly hanging from a tent at the beach.

How are yall using yours? At home, if I really needed to use my iPod, I'd just plug it into a receiver.

[thedwork]

Thanks all.

I bit the bullet and went for the Bose. Best sound, it was on sale, nice design, and portable.

i think you made a good choice as well. i've been working for bose for a coup,e years now. some of their products are pretty average, but some of their products are really, really nice - and the one you got is in the latter category. and be glad you went the extra mile for the portable. not only is the battery very reliable and long lasting (about 8 hours fully charged if you're playing it at moderate volume) it sounds considerably better than the series II model. no bass port on the back of the series II so the portable is noticably fuller sounding.

a quick tip: you should just leave the unit plugged in to the wall to charge all the time when you're not using it portably or if it's just sitting idle. it won't overcharge the battery. and of course leaving a battery uncharged for a long period is bad for it's lifetime, so just leave it plugged in when available. enjoy!

[thedwork]

I've been pretty happy with this guy. I've had it for about three years. My only complaint would be that it has no controls to manage the bass and treble output.

good to hear you're enjoying the portable dave. we get very consistently good reviews on it. as for the bass/treble levels being set, you should be able to adjust that in the 'settings' mode of your iPod. but you are right, on the portable unit itself the levels are set. that stuff has to be controlled through the source.

i love that you've got Cake playing on your portable in the picture. very fun band! have you heard their studio cover of "War Pigs?" we use it in the store to demo the products all the time. killer...