Bose SoundDock Speaker dock

Posted by T3 Online on Mon 29 Oct 2007

The granddaddy of speaker docks comes out fighting, but it's starting to show its age.

Compact and well put together, this won plenty of plaudits on launch, but now it's struggling against newer rivals.

Stick in your 'Pod and you'll be rewarded with some fairly solid results. There's just enough bass and treble here, but tracks such as The Arcade Fire's Tunnels sound a tad flat compared to speaker docks by Klipsch and Altec Lansing. A bit more dynamism would be welcome.

That isn't the only niggle. There's no stereo line input, so there's no way to hook up an iPod Shuffle, let alone players from Apple's rivals. Its once cutting-edge looks now seem a bit passé too, frankly.

The Bose name will attract many, but this offers audio performance that's no better than workmanlike. For the princely sum of £250, you're entitled to expect more.