The iPod Touch 4th Generation comes with a built in speaker. Unfortunately, the sound quality from the tiny speaker is woefully inadequate, and very quiet too-making it impossible to hear from more than a few feet away. To get the full potential from this fantastic device, the Bose SoundDock Series II Digital Music System for iPod was bought, in black.
Set up was quick and easy. The dock needed only to be unpacked, plugged into the mains and the iPod set up in the dock. It was then a case of selecting the first track on the iPod and playing. The remote control then allows you to navigate forwards and backwards through your play list, and also to control the volume. The dock is powered, meaning that it charges your iPod as it plays the music, rather than draining the power from the device battery.
One worry is that the dock itself only has two buttons, for volume control. Otherwise all functions must be controlled by using the remote control, and if the remote is lost then you have to control it directly using the iPod controls themselves.
The problem there is the fact that when it is docked, using the iPod controls feels risky. You are pushing against the plug, and that is the weakest part of the dock system. For that reason it is advisable to keep your remote control stored safely.
There are no controls provided to alter the amount of bass and treble that the dock plays, and yet on the whole that is not a problem. For a compact speaker system the Bose dock gives incredible playback quality-very balanced and suited to a wide range of musical genres. The stereo sound is not as good as would be provided by separate speakers, and definitely not comparable to a 5.1 system, but for a compact that is easy to move from one room to another its sound quality is unsurpassed.
The auxiliary in socket is a nice addition to this device. With the correct cable it means that we can also use our smartphones with the doc, and so can play music that isn’t stored on iPod. It also allows radio access this way as one of the phones has a radio app installed. It will also work with other MP3 players through the auxiliary in socket, along with computers, CD players and anything else that has a headphone socket, but it will not charge them as it would an iPod.
Bose are well known for their high quality audio products, but these look good too. They are small and unimposing so that they can fit into almost any room, whilst lacking nothing in the way of quality by being made so compact. The colors that they are available in are plain enough that they will fit any room.
For its price you get what you would expect-a well made and quality sounding iPod dock that is easy to use. It feels well made and as though it will stand up well to several years of use.
