I really struggled with deciding on the "right" iPhone dock for me. I considered the Bose SoundDock II and the SoundDock 10 and yes, they have outstanding sound quality but I just wasn't ready to fork over $300 and $600 respectively. I also considered the Bowers and Wilkins Zeppelin and didn't purchase for the same reason. With that being said, I continued to search and happened upon the "Sony Air" concept at Best Buy. I plugged in my iPhone and loved the sound. Since this unit has a separate wireless sub-woofer, you get the benefit of a full sound experience! The highs are very crisp and the bass provides the missing link that completes the experience. The sound quality is amazing and when compared to the SoundDock II, the Sony wins without question.
Another advantage over the Bose is the fact that you can expand this system by purchasing additional wireless speakers(up to 8) for other rooms in your home. This is a feature that's not available from the Bose offerings.
Overall, for about 1/2 the price of the entry level Bose (SoundDock II), Sony offers an outstanding package that delivers a very satisfying sound experience. Highly recommended!
Good luck with your purchase!
BTW, for those of you who have the iPhone 4, you don't have to remove your bumper to dock your phone! Sony Docking System for iPod with Wireless Subwoofer (Black)
This has excellent sound reproduction from my iPod. Was impressed when lifting it out of the carton: it is solid, hefty. Not a "cheap piece of plastic". Love the wireless factor and was relieved/thrilled that there is no interference with the other wireless electronics in the house.
I could not be more pleased...especially since it took me a ton of searching to find this. So grateful for the first reviewer's comments, which motivated me to give this a try. And, he/she is so "on the nose"...even compared to the over-priced Bose products...even after shopping (and almost buying) at the Bose outlet store, I am extremely pleased with this Sony product.
I bought mine from Circuit City--because they offered free shipping.
I have been looking for a docking system for my iphone 4 for a while. Seriously thinking of the Bose system. Searched Amazon and came across this Sony product. I was a little skeptical at first but decided to give it a try based on the review of the product. It turned out to be one of the best electronic item I ever bought. The price is right. The system is compact, elegant design, and the sound is above and beyond my expectation. I did not use the two adapter pieces since I have the case on my iphone. Very happy.
I spent a bit of time reviewing and listening to various docking stations before making this purchase. I was leaning toward buying a Bose system. My daughter has one for her iPhone and really likes it. However, after setting up this Sony system, I honestly prefer the sound of the Sony.
Pros:
*Overall sound is very good.
*The price point of $146.00 make this a killer system for the money.
*The overall system appearance is nice. It looks solid.
*The subwoofer does it's job well. Helps fill our family room with sound. It has settings of its own to help fine tune the sound for your room.
*The FM radio with 20 programmable presets is a nice feature. We are using it more than I thought we would.
*The remote works well. Routinely use it at 15-20 foot from the docking station.
*System setup is very easy.
*The system is wireless which allows you to place the speakers where ever it works best for the room. I have not experienced any interferences yet with the wireless connection.
*You can add additional wireless speakers if you wish for a reasonable price.
Cons:
*The docking connection itself could be a bit more robust. My iPod can be wiggled after it is seated. Does not produce a negative effect with the sound, but the rest of the system is so well designed......
Both my wife and I are very pleased with this system and would recommend it to our friends.
Good luck with your purchasing decision.
Wanted to make everyone aware that when iphone is connected to the unit, wireless network is disabled on the iphone. Therefore, if you were planning to stream the music over the WiFi connection, it will not work. It will have to be done via the 3G. Otherwise, great unit.
The Sony Docking station system is a pleasant surprise on so many levels! First of all, the nearly overnight FREE Christmas week delivery still has me completely flabbergasted! But you want to hear about the product.
I am a very picky sound equipment purchaser. Having owned a live music venue for 2.5 years and operated massive sound systems designed to host large bands and satisfy 400-500 music fans, I know what sounds good and what doesn't. Listening to my music on "tinny" weak speakers that rattle with every deep bass note is like listening to fingernails on a chalk board. I want a full 3-dimensional sound with deep bass and full highs. I will not accept tweeters that whistle and pierce my brain with shrill squeaks and call that treble. I will not stand for a sub-woofer that cannot produce a deep, quality, resonating bass to fill out the music. I want to feel the bass, rather then hear it. Bass is there to give depth and tone to music. And the highs are there to help you hear the vocals and the finer notes of your favorite instrument, not to make you cringe in pain.
In order to attain the ideal acoustic experience from any sound system, you need quality parts. The box that encases the speakers is nearly as, if not more important then the quality of the speakers themselves. You need a sub-woofer that can handle low ohm transmission without rattling and this entails a quality bass box to properly vent the compressed air from behind the woofer and allow it to flex and pump with the music. The tweeters must have a large range if you're not going to have separate mid-level speakers. The tweeters in a compact system like this Sony Docking station must pick up the extra slack that mids would normally fulfill. That's not an easy accomplishment, but Sony has pulled it off.
I must say, that I was dead set on getting the Bose Sounddock, but the price was hurting me. I knew that Bose would not disappoint, they are experts in acoustic genius for small home products like this, but the nearly $300 price tag was making me really doubt that decision. My in-laws have the Bose Acoustic Wave and it no doubt amazes everyone with the quality of sound that can be produced in such a small package, so I am sure their Sounddock product is similar. But thank goodness for Amazon suggesting alternate products after I added the Bose to my cart, I stumbled across this wonderful product from Sony! Why it never came up in my searches prior to nearly purchasing the Bose is a mystery to me, but at least I found it before it was too late!
Sony has performed a miracle with this little product! As stated in other reviews it is amazingly stout. You pull the components out of the box and you know you're holding a quality product in your hands. The boxes are built with heavy, quality wood, they are not flimsy light plastic components at all. Literally within 60 seconds we had the docking station set up and playing our streaming internet music from Pandora through my wife's iPhone and we all sat in amazement! For HALF the price of the Bose, we had landed the perfect mastery of acoustic engineering in a quality built and fairly priced product from Sony! AMAZING!!
We set the docking station on our bar top and the bass box was neatly tucked away behind a plant in the other corner of the room. Now we could stand in the middle of our dining room and hear that wonderful 3-dimensional surround-like sound that we would have only expected from a much more expensive multi-speaker setup. Bose cannot touch this product because of the S-Air capabilities of the Sony alone, not to mention the acoustic quality. I have not heard the Bose, but just by the very fact that the Sony has a bass box that can be placed across the room makes it deliver a full room sound that no single component system could touch. My wife can now enjoy her Christmas music in full hi-fi quality and my daughter has been dancing in the kitchen ever since we pulled it out of the box. The whole family is enjoying this. It is more then enough power to fill our kitchen, dining room, and living room (we have an open plan, so all three rooms are open and connected to each other). We may add additional speakers in the future (another thing Bose can't do for you), but for now we are just LOVING IT!! I can even feel the bass from this system upstairs in our master bedroom. What a joy!
It is no exaggeration to state that you have never heard your music sound this good before. The highs are crisp and full without crackling or squeaking, you can hear every undulation of the lead singer's voice and every guitar string picked...as if the band is sitting right in front of you. The mids are well rounded and seem to come from all sides as if you have a multi-speaker surround sound system. They provide body and depth to the music. And of course the ingenious bass box is over there pulling the weight of sub-woofers three times it's size. Not overwhelming you with annoying pounding, not shaking your curtains or threatening to rupture your ear drums, but most definitely letting you know it's there by rounding out the acoustic experience perfectly with the deep tones and rhythm that makes you tap your toes with the beat. What an amazing experience for the price!!
PROS:
- PRICE, PRICE, PRICE!!! Half the price of the Bose and barely more expensive then the extremely lower quality competitors.
- QUALITY BUILD - the speaker boxes, iPod connector, buttons/controls, remote, etc. are all top notch quality parts. very sturdy and nice looking
- SOUND QUALITY - absolutely perfect, full, rich sound that will fill multiple rooms. No rattles, squeaks, or weakness at any spectrum. Your music has never sounded this good!!
- S-AIR wireless speakers! How cool is that! You just drop the unit and it's bass box anywhere in the room and no ugly wires to connect. Also can expand to more speakers later for very reasonable prices
- REMOTE CONTROL - What a handy extra bonus. I didn't even have a remote on my list of desired features, it's just an awesome extra!
- FEATURES - the station charges your iPod/iPhone while in use so you can use it forever, we can finally stream internet music through our iPhones, additional inputs for other devices, etc., etc.
CONS:
- I can't think of one single thing wrong with this product except for the fact that I nearly bought something way more expensive without finding this gem. They need to market better! - Ipod Docking Station - Iphone Dock - Ipod Dock - Ipod Speakers'
Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information
