So the IMV712 begged for another fight, requesting the biggest, baddest dock we could throw at him. And it just so happened we had one dock we couldn't include in the competition due to rumored steroid use inflating the price, the $499 Chestnut Hill Sound George.

It was the perfect unfair match-up to please our underappreciated IMV712, which is the entire reason we're not doing a head to head. Hit the jump for a more standard review of the Chestnut Hill Sound George. And we'll give you some impressions of how it stacks up to the IMV712.

DESIGN
The George...I'm sorry...the GEORGE is Chestnut Hill Sound's only product. And it's clear that there has been enough intent behind the design to base a company. It starts with a gorgeous remote based upon the Zigbee standard (think Wi-Fi with lower bandwidth). The dock downloads your entire tracklist from your iPod and sends it wirelessly to the remote. I didn't notice a delay, but a full iPod can take up to one minute to sync.
From here, the interface is flawless, as long as you like the standard iPod menus. Because the layout is copied near verbatim, the differences which include a few convenient quicktabs on the "Now Playing" screen. A clickable wheel has a solid rubbery feel, and works just like Apple's trademark minus the touch sensitivity.

The result is zero learning curve.

Plus you can scan radio, set the alarm, or activate the line in from the remote. But our favorite part? A snoozesque button on top mutes the sound. The backlit remote is good for about four hours of use, and automatically recharges on the base station.

SOUND
If the Bose Sound Dock was able to deliver on all its promises, it might be called the George. Beucase you get that Bose feeling of balance, cleanliness and resonance, but with a pile of bass that accompanies the high and mids with precision.
Listening to folk gave us guitars that could sparkle with vocals that flowed like silk. We appreciated the Griffin despite its over-performing extremes, and there may be similar element of the midrange that seems missing from the George's pop music repertoire, but when listening to classical, these tendencies pay off, offering us clean instrumentation that makes you wish some of your music was recorded at a higher bitrate.

To compare the sound quality directly to the excellent IMV712, we'd call it a hair less metallic, and much richer in the lowest ranges (tubas really hit your gut nicely). And the IMV712 is not very good at playing at the most quiet volumes, which is a non-issue for the George.

Does it sound light years ($150), better than the IMV712? In the audio world, yes. Most ears will notice a difference in that the George has a real element of sharpness and another finish of finesse in every range.

I've had both the IMV712 and the George hooked up for the past week. And I've found myself not only listening to the George more, but listening to music more because of the extreme convenience of the remote.

Call it a rich man's iPod dock, or a poor man's Sonos. But I think the George is worth its steep $499 pricetag for those looking for a compact system that can rock a room. Now if only more of us had the money lying around.

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.

FIGHT!

DESIGN
We were afraid to leave the Eton Sound 100 iPod alone with the Altec Lansing IMV712. The big boy looked hungry, and the Eton is just so delicate...possibly tasty...

Eton Sound 100 iPod
The Eton is a cute system. It's very small, yet has a feel of a bigger unit through its solid buttons and knobs. But we'd like to have seen video out along with the radio and line in/out options. And it's tough to look past the fact that the Eton Sound 100 iPod is just Eton's Sound 100 model with an external iPod dock. Is that bitchy of me? Maybe a little.

Altec Lansing IMV712
The IMV712 is more like a big SUV than a sleek Jeep. We're not crazy about its appearance, even though a diagonally arching top spruces up the boxy form. We've already gushed over the massive screen, etc, but we wish that the screen could be put to better use than movies or the Altec Lansing logo. A little visualization could go a long way here.

AUDIO
Once again, we did extensive audio testing. Sure, we knew (as you should expect) that the IMV712 would take the sound category. But just how much better is Altec Lansing's heavyweight than the little Eton...that's the big question.

Eton Sound 100 iPod
This is a big stage in the competition, so it's time to put away the baby music. We started out with the Boss, Springsteen himself. Human Touch sounded pretty solid. I can't help but to underestimate the output of this little unit, only to be surprised each time I put it on. It actually hits a pretty high frequency range. Vocals are clear, while the highest range instrumentation can thin out (cymbals can get a bit tinny). Lows...I can't quite explain. They hit without resonance, popping in an unnatural way in which a bass drum can resemble a snare hit. The sound is almost low enough, but it's sterile.

Nonetheless, I'm impressed by this little machine.

Altec Lansing IMV712
Of course the IMV712 is more open, reproduces sweeter bass and...well, you get the point. But the even bigger difference between the two units, however, is distinction. Layers of sound, no matter the genre, can be appreciated in full. In Outkast's Ms. Jackson, it's absurdly easy to pick out the tracks and dissect the subtle complexities that make the song so freakin' good. You won't get that with the Eton. And the tendency only gets more obvious when venturing into classical.

Strings and horns are both brilliant on the IMV712. And the Eton, the excellent little BSer that it is, can't begin to keep up.

I always separate sound quality in tiers, and maybe that's completely unfair since it's arbitrary and a bit meaningless in comparisons outside this battle. But you will hear a massive difference between the two units (or at least two tiers of quality). And it's not because the Eton is a disappointment, because I don't see many turning up their noses at the Sound 100's audio quality given the form—it's that the IMV712 transcends iPod docks and gives you a product that can be more of a home stereo than just a backup dock. It might not be perfect sound, sure, but it's fairly luxurious for MP3 playback—a bit of caviar on your Ritz cracker.

WINNER: IMV712

Like its competition in the finals, the Griffin Amplifi, the IMV712 is a bit on the big and ugly. But it sounds good and is feature-rich. Would we give up the IMV712's video for its audio in Eton's form factor? Of course. We just aren't there yet from a technological standpoint.

Design/Features
Hi-Fi
The Hi-Fi's design is as minimal as anything we've come to expect from Apple. The volume buttons directly control the iPod, as opposed to most players that adjust the amplification within the unit. Handles allow for easy carrying, but that's a feature you forget about once you take it out of the box. But where are the extras? The second clickwheel? The video out? Anything? You can take the Hi-Fi on the road with D batteries, which is worth something, I guess.

IMV712
The IMV712 is a dock in a class of its own. Not only does it feature video out—it has a 8.5-inch screen. How does it look? While not the best LCD we've ever seen, it's bright, sharp and colorful enough for us. What we don't like, however, is that the screen stretches the image wider than it was intended...and it's not fixable when playing with the iPod's video out. Why would Altec Lansing engineer the product this way when iTunes doesn't support widescreen programming?

Sound
For sound testing we listened to Edward Elgar's Enigma Variations: Nimrod as directed by Sir Georg Solti. Because we were feeling pretentious.

Hi-Fi
Right off the bat we enjoy the sound of the Hi-Fi. It's not a bargain bin dock, and you can hear it. The balance is superb, with no real quality falloff high or low. And the bass gets really deep.

IMV712
The IMV712 sounds remarkably similar to the HiFi, as if they are long lost cousins, or even brothers. And of all our side-by-sides thus far, they are most similar in sound style. But all is not equal.

The IMV712 does have a small speaker hiss that the Hi-Fi does not. Otherwise the IMV712 has more presence, which you notice in the high ranges. Trumpets sound like they are made of metal, and strings have that extra scrape to them. Texture is the difference here, allowing listeners to point out when during a phrase, a warm piccolo becomes a flute, for example.

The Hi-Fi sounds nice, but it sterilizes the sound into something less real and more speakerlike, and that effect is especially noticeable when instrumentation is layered during Nimrod's most dramatic moments. Still, the phonic experience is an admittedly close matchup, and we're exaggerating the differences here for review purposes. Most ears will agree that the IMV712 isn't light years ahead of the Hi-Fi, if ahead at all.

WINNER: Altec Lansing IMV712
The IMV712 has some real problems with aspect ratio, and the screen is wasted with the Altec Lansing logo when music is being played (visualization would have been nice). But considering that its sound quality is on par with Apple's Hi-fi, and maybe even a little better, we can't justify the purchase of a Hi-Fi over the IMV712...even if buying the Hi-Fi would further annoy our PC-using brethren.

Press Release