Bose SoundDock 10 sits a few notches above any of its stablemates, both in size and price—this thing is as heavy as a stereo receiver, and about a foot tall. (Asked about the size, a Bose engineer said that he liked to think of it as transportable, not portable. Uh!) I'm not really sure what the significance of the "10" moniker is, but if Apple can randomly assign nice, round, out-of-order numbers to their products, why can't Bose, hmm?

They've done something kinda cool with the dock connector, which can be swapped out to suit different players, or, if you've got an extra $150 laying around, a stereo Bluetooth adapter, which feels like it should've been built in there in the first place, honestly. Bose threw in a composite video port for good measure, so you can view photos and videos on your TV.

Anyway, portability isn't really the point here, since this thing is meant to sit on a table—probably a well-polished one, in an immaculate, nautical-themed sitting room—and pretty much fill the role that the Wave radios used to: To be smaller than a proper stereo, but not to sound like crap. In fact, there's a lot of shared DNA there, since the SoundDock 10 uses the same scrunched audio waveguide piping that made the Wave radios sound, well, kinda big. And for what it's worth, the SoundDock 10 sounds even bigger, mostly thanks to this:

This here lump of speaker accompanies two "Twiddlers," which is Bose speak for "tweeters that do midrange, too, we promise." Together they throw respectable sound, which is surprisingly powerful at the very low end, and phenomenally clear in the rest of the range, most of the time. Classical music, Bose's demo genre of choice, sounds predictably great, but anything noisier, like rock music, starts to blend together, reminding you that you're still listening to an iPod dock. Which you are!

That's the obvious hangup with the SoundDock 10: It's $600, and it a dock. Granted, it's easily the best iPod dock I've ever heard, but it's still recognizable as such, and it's not that much cheaper than a real two-speaker stereo system. But hey, it's also a dock in the good way—it's easy to connect things to, to move around, and it won't clutter up your room with wires—so if those are your top priorities, docks don't get much better than this. The SoundDock 10 will be available from Sept 21. [Bose]

Will they be something drastically new, or perhaps something along the lines of their conservative (but well received) update to the QuietComfort 15? The mind simply boggles (if your mind happens to love Bose anyway).

Clicking the included link only bought me to the main Bose product page. We'll know more when the products start rolling out tomorrow. [Thanks, Adam]

Anyone who's had much exposure to Bose's bulky QuietComfort 2s or smaller QuietComfort 3s knows the story: they cancel noise pretty well, and they sound pretty good, though in the last few years—QuietComforts have been around in their current incarnations for a surprisingly long time—other companies have stepped in with products that do pretty much the same thing, cheaper. So! Bose has two options: Go low, or, you know, improve the product. With the QuietComfort 15, which will replace the old old old QC2 starting tomorrow, they've gone with the latter.

From a design standpoint, this is a very familiar product—it's hard to find any external hardware changes aside from a new LED indicator and a slightly changed curvature on the headband. Likewise on the sound, which is perfectly adequate, but won't blow audiophiles away.

The noise canceling, on the other hand, is a different story: it strips out low frequencies way, way better than the QC2 or QC3, to the point that typical airline noise (simulated in my test, but definitely loud) becomes almost imperceptible. Wearing these things sounds almost like wearing two of the old models, stacked, if that makes any sense. Pending fuller tests, I'd say it feels like this is a healthy upgrade for the QuietComfort's target customers: guys in suits with belt-strapped iPod Classics, and airlines.

That said, they're still fairly bulbous, and probably deserved a redesign, since this shell's been around for nearly a decade. That, and the price: The QuietComfort 15 is going to inherit the $300 pricepoint, and since its improvements are fairly subtle, it'll be hard not to feel a little ripped-off at the register. [Bose]

The $550 speaker can transmit through rooms and walls (obviously), comes with a 3.5mm auxiliary jack and has a rechargable battery that lasts 3 hours. While the sound quality of this thing will more than likely be excellent, a USB dongle seems a bit janky (though I'm sure their filthy rich, technophile audience will love it).

It will be available on August 27. [BusinessWire via Dvice]

Designed by a Bose intern back in 2007, these modular Bluetooth speakers offer omnidirectional sound that can be enhanced by simply adding more speaker modules. Sure, Wi-Fi connectivity might work better for networked audio (especially when it's being operated from an iPhone), and we've seen somewhat similar products from Sonos and Griffin.

But the premise of Bose lithium ion powered spheres (with and optional plugin) emanating wireless music around one's home, all controlled by a simple but sweet little iPhone app? I like it.

And it's not too late, Bose. [FilosaDesign via The Design Blog Thanks Justin!]

UPDATE: Designer Louis Filosa informs us that "I originally planned on having the speaker use Bluetooth UWB (ultra wide band). It allows for a much larger transfer rate and is supposed to be the next generation of Bluetooth."

One trend that seems to be taking place in the land of iPod docks is that companies seem less concerned with the high end, hi-fi iPod docks. Instead, they're gravitating towards smaller, lighter docks that sound nice, but are intended more for casual listening. Both Logitech and Klipsch are putting most of their weight behind these smaller docks. In our testing, we checked out:

• Altec Lansing InMotion Max

• Bose SoundDock II

• iHome iP71

• iLuv i398

• JBL OnStage 400p

• Klipsch iGroove SXT (NOTE: Updated product specs for refreshed iGroove SXT not on Klipsch site yet)

• Logitech Pure-Fi Anywhere 2

• Sony SRSGUI0iP

That said, we still went looking for the iPod dock that sounded really good while sticking as close to the $200 mark. Some were much cheaper, or much more expensive, but most of them all had something interesting to offer. Ultimately, overall audio quality had the most weight in helping to pick our winner, but price, design, and the usefulness of smaller features were also taken into consideration:

The Winner:

JBL On Stage 400p: At $250, the On Stage 400p is a bit more expensive than some of the other docks, but it sounds so nice, it was impossible to give top honors to anyone else. It uses a 30w sub to push out the low end, while delivering another 30w of power to the tweeters for the highs and mids. And though it might not wow anyone with its design, it's nice enough that you don't have to hide it in your living room. Just might want to wait till it goes on sale later on.

The Runners Up:

Bose SoundDock II: It's no huge surprise why the SoundDock II out performs the rest of the field: at $300 , Bose's accessory is outfitted with better hardware. But is the sound quality worth $100 than the rest of the docks? And what's the chance you'll ever find it on sale?

Altec Lansing InMotion Max: What the InMotion Max lacks in booming low end, it makes up for in precision audio tuning and a light, slim design. Two 2-inch drivers are bolstered by two, 2-inch passive radiators which sit directly above. The result are nice mids and highs that offer much better sound than the 14w power rating would suggest. Other nice little touches include song info that appears in the backlit display, capacitive touch buttons (which include <</>> controls), battery power that lasts 3.5 hours, and a spring loaded ipod dock connector that slides out. Well done.

Honorable Mentions:

Klipsch iGroove SXT: The new, revamped iGroove SXT (hitting stores this july) packs a lot of punch into a compact bundle. Enhanced acoustics and a dedicated amplifier for each driver give the SXT a nice, deep sound, but sometimes the high-end clarity suffers. Still it's hard not to like this one, and Klipsch is phasing out its bigger iGroove, so this is it if you love Klipsch.

Logitech Pure-Fi Anywhere 2: Coming in at a lower price point and smaller size than most the other docks here, it's hard to compare it sonically because most the other docks are bigger and more expensive . But the Pure-Fi Anywhere 2 does manage to improve over the original Pure-Fi Anywhere in the sound department and does what few other docks can do: Travel around easily with a 10 hour battery life. Besides, the larger Pure-Fi Dream system may sound better, but its clock-radio interface leaves too much to be desired.

Listening Test: It's music tech week at Gizmodo.

The setup sort of reminds me of the overpriced Bose 3-2-1 system, which mimics surround sound using just two speakers and a sub, but unfortunately there's little else to go on. The press release is sparse, as hyped-up marketing materials are wont to be, and not even a release date or pricing escapes its hazy grip. Maybe April. In Japan. Maybe.

What we do know is that this little box will make use of DTS Surround Sensation tech. Nothing more. [Press Release via CrunchGear]

Their new Energy Efficient Series, debuting in the 2011 Chevy Volt, promises to be 30% smaller, 40% lighter, and use 50% less energy than "conventional Bose sound systems."

Is this some grand achievement on Bose's part? Well, we don't really know. It's ridiculously easy (and cheap) to make low wattage audio systems—it's just a bit more difficult to make them sound great. Still, we're interesting to see a new industry emerge—one that may have car audio enthusiasts installing more efficient amplifiers and lower wattage speakers...well, at least if they want to untether their car from an outlet. [Bose]

Check out this Q&A from today's Wall Street Journal:

Q: I was recently given a pair of the Bose QC3 headphones [smaller earphones at top] with active noise canceling, and have felt queasy every time I put them on. I had to take them off and lie down at one point, and ended up throwing up later that night and was unable to eat more than apple sauce the next day. As crazy as it sounds, did the headphones cause my discomfort?

A: It's possible. Bose's "Acoustic Noise Cancelling" headphones work by electronically determining the difference between wanted and unwanted sounds, and creating a correction signal that acts to negate the unwanted noise, according to its website. (The company didn't respond to requests to comment.) Sarah Stackpole, a New York ear, nose and throat doctor, speculates that the sound waves that cancel each other out may still transmit enough very low frequency vibrations to stimulate the balance receptors that are connected to the hearing hair cells in the inner ear. These vibrations are akin to those caused by blast explosions or barotrauma in scuba diving, but much less forceful, she says. The disequilibrium that some people may feel from this is made worse because the vibrations falsely signal that the head is moving, but the eyes report that the head is stationary. Those mixed signals make the headphone wearer feel dizzy.

Has anyone had similar experiences? [Wall Street Journal via Book of Joe]

As you probably saw in the gallery above, engineer Santiago Carvajal used some serious terminology to describe how a fair amount of bass comes from the little speakers, specifically "dual opposing internal passive radiators." What does it mean? The two radiators face each other and vibrate in opposite directions, as air is released from the two slender ports on the sides of each speaker. The miniaturization was also aided by neodymium transducers (found in most or all headphones these days) and Class-D switching amps, which are small enough to hide out on a circuit board in the bottom of the right speaker.

Bose didn't show off the outboard power supply (not sure what the deal was there) but we were told it was not very big. We will verify whether it is not very big by scale of whales or minnows, soon.

The speakers will also come with a remote control, and because they use a standard 3.5mm jack to connect to your PC, they can be used with your iPod or pretty much anything else with analog audio out.

When execs during the Q&A were asked if they take the common harsh criticism of the company personally, Bose president Bob Maresca responded: "I wouldn't sleep at night if I did. It's a form of flattery. People feel compelled to put us in our place. It's the price of success, I guess. We're focused on the technology and constant quest to improve things, so we don't let that get to us. How about you, Dr. Bose? Does it bother you?"

Dr. Bose looked up and said, "I don't even read it."

If you look at the profile, especially, you can see that the SoundDock Portable stands about half an inch taller than the original. It has a slimmer look from the side, but there is a ridge down the back. I have to say, however much a lover or hater you are of Bose, the new machine is a vast improvement, even aside from portability:

• The old SoundDock hisses audibly when an iPod is docked, and gets louder when the volume is up. The new Portable has licked the problem almost completely. There's a very faint hiss when you put your ear to it that won't change regardless of the volume setting.

• The auxiliary input is key. For some apartment dwellers, this might be their whole sound system, and being able to plug in other stuff (satellite radio, CD/DVD player, etc.) really matters. I always assumed Bose avoided Aux In because it might mean lost sales opportunities. I suppose, now that the new SoundDock costs $100 more, Bose is willing to take that risk.

• The new remote is better built, with more substantial buttons, including two additional ones dedicated to skipping from one playlist to the next. As a playlist kind of guy, I like this.
• The sound comparison was the most telling. The previous SoundDock has notoriously suffered from a fairly weak stereo image, not enough midrange and a lack of sonic resolution. Bose has definitely read all of the commentary, because those are the three areas that have been improved. The bass levels are about the same, but at higher volumes you get a much richer sound with the Portable, a much more open stereo feel, and a sense of coherence and clarity that you just don't get on the original. In fact, when I was doing side-by-side comparisons, it occasionally sounded like the original SoundDock was playing from the bottom of a well.

I will acknowledge here that I haven't tested the SoundDock Portable against any docks from other makers, and it may be a while before Mark Wilson is up for another Sweet Sixteen. In the meantime, at the very least it's good to know that the extra $100 isn't just for the lithium-ion battery—which I probably wouldn't make any use of—but for a much improved device overall. It really should be called, simply, SoundDock II. [Original Story]

Unlike other Bose competitors such as Sony, Panasonic and JVC, who have gone with discounted pricing, Creative decided to attack Bose at the QuietComfort 2 pricepoint of $299. It's apt, since they are about the same size (yes, bulky), and run on AAA batteries (two as opposed to the Bose's one). They are as comfortable, with large cushioned earcups, and when they ship, they will come with a connector that works with iPhone, no adapter required. (I do not know yet if these will officially be designated "Works with iPhone" but they will "work with iPhone."

Though I haven't done a side-by-side comparison with Bose, or tested Creative solo in the requisite airplane environment, Creative's noise-cancelation technology sounds like it will do the trick. Overall, the sound quality is terrific, with rich, clear bass and if anything a too-bright high end. Clarity is not a problem here.

When I asked Creative reps how they could compete without lowering the price, they mentioned X-Fi, the company's proprietary audio DSP technology. One component is the Crystalizer, intended specifically to flesh out overly compressed MP3 files. The Crystalizer makes extra sense in the intimacy of headphones, and I could definitely hear an improvement when I toggled the feature on.

The final X-Fi feature is the CMSS (Creative Multi-Speaker Surround) processor, intended to spread out the audio and create a virtual surround environment. This is one of those things that depends on the taste of the listener. It changes the mix of the music significantly, but some would argue that by simulating a natural listening environment it is actually doing the track justice. If you can't tell, I am still on the fence about CMSS.

All in all, it's a great product. I still think Creative should have priced it at $250, if only to send a message to Bose that high quality doesn't have to mean exorbitant profit margins. Then again, it's fascinating to watch Creative fighting hard to maintain a premium brand in the ultra-discounted world of knock-offs.

You get three hours of battery life at full volume, though it can run for "much longer" if you keep it lower. The battery will charge your iPod even when the dock is not plugged into the wall.

I don't have the other SoundDock at the moment to shoot side by side, but the new one is 6.75 inches high, and just over 12 inches wide. When the dock is swiveled shut, as you can see in the gallery, the depth of the unit is just over 4 inches. It's not super light: according to my precision instruments it weighs just under 5 lbs.

Bose says the SoundDock Portable will be out at the end of September in high-gloss white or black, and will cost a whopping $399. Man, that lithium ion just doesn't go down in price, does it? The original SoundDock will keep on sellin', still at $299.

Today is a sound match only, as we listen to Sufijan Stevens' Decatur, and I realize that, yes, I need to put more songs on the iPod for the finals.

Bose Sound Dock
The Bose didn't fail to surprise me with the size of its sound. It's a master of midrange, with excellent clarity. It's incredibly easy to distinguish the Stevens' two separate vocal tracks, layered for harmony. Many speaker systems nearly lose this subtlety, and its presence adds a dimension to the sound otherwise not appreciated.

Altec Lansing IM7
The IM7's range is pretty decent, with a strong mid to lower midrange. But everything is metallic. As if ever tone is finished in brass, frequency response loses out to a general harshness. It's easily in third place of the three docks.

Altec Lansing IMV712
I guess the two extra numbers and one extra number in "IMV712" count for something, because the IMV712 sounds way beyond its IM7 sibling. And if the big brother shows anything, it's that while Bose makes a great product, the product is not an infallible provider of "perfect sound"— $100 extra bucks can be a lot in audio.

The IMV712 just has...bigger balls. It's like when you've been eating low-fat sour cream for a long time. It tastes pretty good, and you think, not much missing here. Why would I ever eat the real thing? And then you do, appreciating the more opulent texture and more richer flavor.

The IMV712 has a richer sound beyond its ability to limbo down to lower frequencies than the Sound Dock. It's present and filling, from the plucking banjos to the soft hint of breath at the end of vocal phrases.

WINNER: IMV712
On sound alone, the IMV712 takes this round of face-offs. Its closest competition, the Bose Sound Dock, is admittedly cheaper than the IMV712. But since we can easily hear the difference and the Sound Dock is lacking any practical extras, we're going with the IMV712. This result brings a close to the second round of competition. Only three matches are left from here to decide a winner.

Design/Features

Bose
The SoundDock is as minimal as it gets. Volume up. Volume Down. The end. Considering that the SoundDock was around before iPod video, we're thinking that it's time to update the components with richer features that don't need to detract from the unit's simplicity.

Logitech
You can tell that the AudioStation is a newer product just by looking at it. A sleek display features touch-sensitive controls (I personally consider them a novelty here and on the PS3, but a nice-looking novelty at that.) While a bit heftier than the SoundDock, Logitech's AudioStation gives you two choices of video out and an AM/FM radio with RDS (telling you track names). An alarm would have been nice considering the large clock, but the removable speaker grills are a sweet touch.

Sound
I returned to the Blast! Soundtrack for the famous brass fiesta, Malaguena.

Bose
For the first time in my iPod tests, my wife walked into the room. "That sounds really good," she said. And she was right. The Soundock played brass with rich vibrance, but managed respectable bass at the same time. When cranking the small unit to higher volumes, it performed with equal fidelity. The Soundock isn't just a bunch of yuppie bullshit—this system is the real deal.

Logitech
When the low brass comes in for the first time in a chorale-like moment, you feel the colors of the notes. Then you hear the air pulsating through the tubas. And for the first time in any of the docks yet tested, I notice the actual strike of the bass drum with precision.

But the Logitech's high ranges grow less tangible where the Bose delivers with absolute precision. Then again, the Logitech undoubtedly dominates on the low end, making the Bose look like a teenager still waiting for puberty to arrive.

Winner: Bose SoundDock
In interest of full disclosure, having been disappointed with some of my past Bose experiences, I didn't expect this result. But the Bose just sounds better, especially when you head into another room. One caveat, however, is that Bose owes it to their loyal customers (who will buy the brand no matter what I say here) to update their SoundDock with video functionality and figure out how to cram some more bass into the package. Because the AudioStation shows all the consumer concern that's important in a product—and honestly—many top 40 listeners will prefer the AudioStation for its low end umph alone. That said, this match goes to Bose.

The two that he liked the best were the Panasonic RP-HC500s ($100) and the Audio-Techinica ATH-ANC7s ($132), saying that they cancelled surrounding noise out while also delivering top-notch sound quality. As anyone who's listened to headphones on a plane can tell you, the ability to shut out that engine noise makes your trip a whole lot sweeter. It's nice to see some quality choices for people other than the rich and the clueless. –Adam Frucci

Headphones to Shut Out the World [NY Times]

Patent [via Gadget Lab]