The Amplifi is a utilitarian machine, but it has excellent sound for a budget iPod dock—probably because it's built upon a real wood case. And it's just inconceivable to me that you will do any better for $50. Just keep in mind that it cannot charge a (newer?) iPhone or an iPod touch (though it will play their music), which will probably be a dealbreaker for at least a few of you. [Buy via GearDiary]

It's been what feels like three years in the making, but the final fight in our iPod Dock Battlemodo begins now. The $150 Griffin Amplifi is our budget contender, going face to face against the posh $350 Altec Lansing IMV712. And with that long of a model number, you know it's gotta be good.

But only one will leave this ring coffee table alive.

Feature Test

The Amplifi has nothing extra. There are two ports on the back: one for power, one for a line-in. That's it. The lack of features will be argued as a good thing to some, who want the simplest experience whatsoever. And while it's true that not dealing with inputs is convenient, we would love to see a simple video out tuner, or a more advanced system with the volume

The Altec Lansing IMV712 is the exact opposite of the Amplifi, having the largest feature set of any dock we tested. It starts with a massive 8.5" screen. As we've complained before, it's put to poor use while listening to music, unless you enjoy watching the Altec Lansing hypnotic logo for hours on end.

But video playback is pretty decent. There is an aspect ratio issue that is tough to ignore, but other than that, it's a solid viewing experience.

You also get left and right audio inputs, RCA video in and S-Video out. Surprisingly, there's no radio, and alarm integration would have given the IMV712 and unbeatable feature set.

FEATURE WINNER: IMV712

The Bass Test
We busted out the Dr. Dre, a scene that closely resembled the opening scene in Office Space, we're sure.

And the Griffin comes to fight. Its low range swings for the fence, and the effect is low, loud and a bit sloppy. But the thing can thump. We're talking tubas. We're talking synth.

The IMV712 has clean bass, and you can certainly hear it, but it won't shake your guts. And sometimes we all could use our guts shaken. The IMV712 has a built-in subwoofer, otherwise it would have no bass, or faux bass. But we wish it had a bit more...balls.

The Griffin's underside "bass port" may look like a gimmick, but it's an excellent design...and it leads this category upset.

BASS WINNER: AMPLIFI

Sound Test
To many, even most, the Amplifi will pass as great audio. And for a selling price of about $130, it's gonna make a lot of people happy. But while the highs and lows are both very strong, there's a distinct lack of midrange balance. It's like eating great turkey and cranberry sauce, and then realizing, "Shit! We forgot the stuffing."

The result is that certain voices or instruments can either become harsh without solid grounding, or just be lost in the spectrum. But the Amplifi plays its game well, fooling my ear with its strong extreme ranges. And in that respect, it's very much doing its job. Enigma Variations sounds surprisingly brilliant, still respectable even when played side-by-side with the IMV712. That's a feat.

The IMV712, on the other hand, just has well-crafted audio—an iPod dock poster boy if you will. Despite a lack of EQ adjustments, the system is quite satisfying. Multiple genres of music, from folk to rap, have an excellent balance. I probably say it a bit better in my last review of the unit, but the entire gamut of instrumentation shows up, no matter what the song. It's tough to find any real weaknesses with the sound—other than maybe what we already talked about in the bass portion: an adjustable bass knob with a bit more kick would be the cherry on top here.

One complaint: When switching inputs or tracks, there's a semi-loud static in the speaker. We don't know what Altec Lansing can do to fix the problem—we're no engineers—but it must be fixable, and it's the only real thorn in the entire listening experience.

SOUND WINNER: IMV712

So the Altec Lansing should win, right? It took two of our three categories. Case closed.

Not quite.

To us, there is still the outstanding question of value and overall function. It's a decision we've known was coming from day one when I balanced the bracket to have a budget and premium winner, so we're not going to cry about it or anything. But it's not an issue that we ever necessarily resolved.

As reviewers, the choice could be very easy. We can tell you all that $350 is the price you should pay to have a good iPod dock.

But let's be honest. Most people will never watch video on the IMV712's screen.

And in most listening situations, the average consumer will not hear a massive difference between the docks. But that's the battle of buying audio: It's a game of diminishing returns. It's a question you need to be honest with yourself when answering: Do you need the Passat, or will the Jetta treat you just as well? Do you need the $20 brick of cheese, or will your crackers taste as good spending half that?

OVERALL WINNER: GRIFFIN AMPLIFI

For a shelf price of about $130, the Griffin Amplifi is a steal in the world of iPod Docks. Its worthy competition, the IMV712, is an excellent choice for those who plan on a close listening to their system. But for the many who are just looking for a decent-sounding box to pump out their tunes in an extra room, the Amplifi is the dock for you.

And they all lived happily ever after.

The end.

Read all the chapters of the battle here.

Who will win?

DESIGN
In terms of design, the two docks have a similar, simplistic HAL-knob design. The Express is tiny, like a sporty scooter that can hook to your TV through video out. The Amplifi is much bigger, heavier and...dare we say...meaner, but there are no extras other than standard audio input. So while the Amplifi is well-built (the knob clicks like a receiver, wooden construction is a bonus), this round easily goes to the Express since it's smaller and slightly more feature-driven.

AUDIO
For the budget audio showdown, I went through multiple genres, and multiple songs within each genre.

Griffin Amplifi
I still appreciate the low range of this system. It's not necessarily real bass, but it almost fools you into thinking it's there. Take your average bass line. It's strongly present, even if not necessarily completely honest in its represented range.

Highs are well-represented with a tendency to blend a bit, missing some of the higher instrument textures.

Logitech
If I could describe the experience in one word, it would be "tasteful." But the Logitech is easily a tier, or even two, below the Griffin. The Express has no mid to low range fullness, making the entire sound field narrower than the Amplifi's. Surprisingly, regular rock performs poorly compared with other genres of music, such as solo acoustic, if only because of the disappointing low response that frequently grows muddy. High frequencies are actually pretty decent, with budget considerations taken into account.

Every genre, from rock to classical, goes to the Amplifi. With the Grffin's product, even though I am still compromising on perfect audio, it's just so much more fulfilling to listen to than the Logitech AudioStation Express.

SO...

Who wins? This is a tough call—probably the toughest of the competition. Sure, the Griffin sounds better. But it's almost three times the size of the inconspicuous Express. And the Amplifi's price runs $50 more than the $80 Express, which is quite a bit on the budget system scale. It took some honest soul-searching, a dramatic walk on the beach and 3/4 of a Michael Bolton album accompanied by 4/4 of a bottle of wine. But I came to a difficult one-man consensus.

WINNER: GRIFFIN AMPLIFI
It's no frills, and it's big. But at $130, you won't find a better sounding dock. For those who are looking to save money and space, we still heartily recommend the AudioStation Express. But the extra $50 is well worth the improved sound.

If you want more on either unit, check the first-round battles here and here. Today is a sound grudge match. I listened to Beverly Hills by Weezer. Strong guitars and some challenging frequencies on the high side make this a fun test song.



The Altec Lansing puts out more sound that you'd expect from its small profile, and the guitars are the first thing that you notice. That tenor vocal to guitar range is a real sweet spot for the system, even though the sound never has that singing in your ear presence. And the stereo effects many be the most prominent of any dock in the competition. It's one of the few systems that I actually enjoy the SFX mode.
The Amplifi kicked some butt in our first round of testing, and though we may have remembered it a bit better than it actually sounds, it still holds its own. From the mids to the highs, this unit is very warm and scores incredibly well on general listenability. Cymbals ring metallic while vocals carry with an impressive amount of fidelity. I just wish wish wish wish it had more bass given its size.

While testing, I accidentally unplugged the IM600 and it kept running, a gentle reminder that this little machine has its own built-in battery. But the Amplifi sounds better enough for me to ignore the convenience...besides, I never leave the house anyway.
WINNER: Griffin Amplifi

Sound-wise, they're solid. We took them for a walk outside the office and into the hallway. They sounded just as strong and more importantly, the signal never dropped or hiccuped (even though there was a wall in between us). The speakers have 4-inch drivers and you'll be able to buy additional speakers should you want more than two. The system will go for $349 later this summer and from our initial first take, it'll be worth the extra bucks.

We also got to check out the Journi (portable dock) and Amplifi. All three are designed for the iPod, but can also chummy up with your MP3 player of choice (via an aux connection). With the exception of the Evolve (which comes out later this summer) all of them are available now. We'll have a detailed follow-up on the Journi and the Amplifi later. Check out our gallery in the meantime. – Louis Ramirez

Product Page

The Journi, on the other hand, is a world's apart, since it's a battery powered dock that lasts 8-10 hours on a single charge and gives you music when you take the midnight train going anywhere.

Both are available now and go for $149 (Amplifi) and $129 (Journi). Please do not discontinue your beliefs.

– Jason Chen

Mobile Tech Review

The second iPod dock is called the Journi, and is a battery-powered, portable, wireless remote controlled unit. The dock lasts 8-10 hours on one charge, and has an aux input for other devices as well. It's about time someone named an iPod dock after our favorite band ever.

– Jason Chen

Press Release [Griffin]

– Louis Ramirez
Griffin Voyager and AmpliFi [via iLounge]