Speakers for IPOD???

Hi - I am trying to decide between the IHOME (clock radio with IPOD dock) and the more expensive BOSE or other speakers for IPODS. Anyone with experience here? Is the BOSE worth the extra $$? Especially interested in hearing from anyone who has IHOME. Thanks for any info, sue

I have the BOSE and absolutely love it. The remote control works well and the sound is pretty darn good. Not wave radio good, but still better than I expected.

I bought it based on brand name more than comparison, so I can not comment on the others.

I would opt for the Bose unit if audio is your concern. If you are looking to an all in on solution then look at the Ihome.

Powered Computer speakers with a separate subwoofer can be an inexpensive option and still provide quite decent sound. If this is for the home you don't have to worry about the weight / size. You just plug the speaker lead into the headphone jack of the IPOD. There are many good combinations for under $100 and some for under $50.

Jim

We have an iHome, and they sound BETTER than the Bose. Sound is extremely impressive for such a small box.

Remember: Bose; better sound through marketing.

By slapping a $299 price tag on their speakers, people think they get the best sound you can buy.

I, too, have stayed away from the little units marketed for the iPod.

I suggest you go to a musician/DJ store and listen to some amplified speakers with a mini plug inputs. Any store catering to people who make digital music will have some very, very good units. Some will be quite small, too. There is a good price range from under $100 to thousands, but none have their price inflated simply because there are iPod or Bose branded or "intended" for naive consumers.

I have a two pairs of Rolands (one for home office, one kept in Chicago where I work for a couple of months a year) and bought both at local Guitar Center stores for $79.00 the pair. I have a much better pair in Basel - sorry can't remember the name - that I bought in Basel for about $200.00. They are great.

Try googling "powered speakers"

Since I already have the BOSE Waveradio, I hook up my ipod to it via the aux input. And presto, i have a Sounddock and Waveradio in one at the cost of only a wave radio (sans remote control for my iPod).

I think you have to decide between your requirements for portability and weight versus sound quality. If you will never carry the speakers around, best to go with proper speakers or a good system, like iHome. It also depends on the space in which you will be using your speakers.

I use the Altec Lansing collapsable speakers for their portability and weight. Despite their tiny size and extreme light weight, the sound produced is really excellent. The quality is very crisp. It lacks real base of course and begins to crackle at very high volumes, but for portable uses and small rooms it is more than adequate, I believe. You can even play it moderately loudly in a small room without much sacrifice in quality. If you have a huge room, or want a mind boggeling audio experience, obviously these speakers are not sufficient. (But then, you would probably have to splurge on real speakers anyway.)

Because it is collapsable, I can take it with me anywhere I want. It is no larger than a book. I've used it in train compartments on long trips. In hotel rooms and lodges. Camping. Take it to friends' places when I want to let them listen to music or other audio files. Take it with me to the kitchen when cooking (where I have no speakers). Anywhere I want.

Another great feature is that it also can operate on batteries, although it will not charge the iPod then. This really adds to the portability. It also makes a great alarm clock!

Otherwise I just plug the iPod via an aux cable into proper speakers for good sound quality at home.

There seems to be a definate "wow" factor with the Altec Lansing speakers. People are amazed by their small size yet good sound quality. "The music is coming from that thing? That's so cool!" An unexpected, and also unimportant I might add, benefit.

I also really like the look. The speakers themselves are almost as big as the iPod itself, so it all looks very much to scale and very elegant.

$79.00 at Target Black Friday and Saturday.

The Altec Lansing collapsable is nice if you need the portability. I have heard it before

While I love my iPod for mobile use, I have to say there is a HUGE difference in sound quality between it and playing the MP3s via iTunes on my Compaq laptop on which I have the iPod mirrored. If I was going to use something for a home audio system there's no question I'd plug a decent set of powered speakers into the laptop, not the iPod.

I'm really happy with my Bose SoundDock. Yes, it was expensive, but I don't have any other stereo equipment and this does exactly what I wanted and provided good sound quality for my apartment.

The guys at the Bose store were trying to convince me to go with the cheaper computer speaker system they sell instead of the SoundDock. I only chose the SoundDock because it's easier to move around my apartment when I feel like it. The computer speakers with a subwoofer really sounded incredible and I believe that package sold for about $230, a significant savings. It'd definitely be worth considering if you want Bose speakers but don't care about portability.

My wife has those speakers, they look cute, but my $100 Altec Lansings sound 10X better. Plus they broke down in their first year.