This is part of a three way Comparison, Bose SoundDock vs. Griffin Amplifi vs. Altec Lansing IM600. Please see my reviews for those other products for detailed comparison:
Design and Features:
Griffin Amplifi: Cabinet made of wood, looks like small shoebox. Has two 2.75" drivers front mounted and a bottom mounted 5" woofer with a bass port. Griffin in the worst Bose tradition refuses to disclose many tech statistics on their unit, but my power estimate puts this at about 30-40 watts, not really much different from the Bose SoundDock. (To sound twice as loud needs a 10 times (1000%) increase in wattage, so the Bose advantage of maybe 33% more power should not really give much real world benefit.) Frequency response per mfgr is 50-16,000 kHz which seems a bit unbelievable on the low end, but feasible enough on the higher end. Ipod docks on top and sticks awkwardly out of the unit like a control tower, but fit is snugger than on Sound Dock which makes me feel more reassured.
There is a line-in and not much more. Big blue-lit knob controls on-off and volume. Remote is a copy of the Bose's with the same simple functions. Range and aiming tolerance is inferior to both the Bose and the Altec, but certainly adequate. Annoyingly, the Amplifi only charges an Ipod docked in it when the Amplifi is on; if the Ipod is docked and the Griffin is turned off, no charging. Either Griffin's engineers are idiots, or they decided to save a few pennies in the design.
Sound:
Griffin: Bass is about as good as the SoundDock, maybe lower extension, but roughly the same precision and balance. Griffin is to be commended for not going crazy and letting the big 5" woofer run roughshod over the sound of the Amplifi. The big woofer does not make the Amplifi sound better than the Bose at the low end, but on the other hand it doesn't sound worse, and it is also much cheaper. Griffin was not aiming to beat the Bose here, but rather to equal it with a lower price and simpler design. Mid-range is another strong point here, and treble is also a bit lacking, like in the Bose, but not too much so. Classical pieces still sound very good on the Griffin.
Where the Amplifi does lose ground to Bose is in the fancy stuff. Stereo separation is non-existent, and detail is nowhere near as precise as on the Bose. This sounds like a big loud mono speaker. Low volumes especially lose a lot of fine subtlety, and distortion is heard at the very highest volumes (though to be fair, no one would really play this unit that loud, as it is probably 100 dB or more.) The acoustically tuned all wood cabinet adds little to the sound signature of the Amplif vis a vis the plastic cabinet of the Bose. The lack of stereo separation, detail, and full clarity throughout all volume ranges is where the added cost of the Bose is most evident and justifiable. Most users will like the Griffin though; it mimics the sound signature of the Bose convincingly, has a retro wood cabinet design, and has at least one important feature that the Bose lacks, a line-in, all of this at a street value of 1/3rd of what the Bose goes for. This will make the Amplif a great solution for most users, especially those on a budget. However, the added price of the Bose does create a noticeably superior sound in at least some aspects.
Value:
Griffin: List of $150, normally seen online at roughly $115-$125. I picked mine up at Circuit City for $100.
Summary:
Bose: Probably not worth $300, the price I paid of $225 feels like about what the SoundDock is worth. The sound is audibly better quality here, though probably not two to three times better than the Griffin or the Altec, which is what the pricing would indicate. The lack of a decent feature set makes the Bose seem like even less of a value. Again though, if style, quality, simplicity, and excellent sound is your goal, and price does not matter that much, the Bose is a fine choice. Special note to all the Bose haters: take a listen to this before lumping it in with such atrocities as the Acoustimass and StereoEverywhere technology. The SoundDock sounds unusually good, does not mangle realism of the sound unpleasantly, and is really the cutting edge of what can be done with reproducing Ipod sound from a small one-piece unit.
Griffin: Aims for the SoundDock's sound signature, and generally succeeds. Lacks a bit of polish in both physical and sonic characteristics, but overall is an excellent value. If you want Bose, but can't afford it, the Amplifi will not leave you with many regrets. The wooden cabinet and big bass driver are not utilized very distinctively, but there are no glaring missteps here either. However, if you can afford the SoundDock, the Griffin has no real advantages as its clone philosophy and minimal feature set offer no advantage over Bose except cost. The bigger and better sound of the SoundDock justifies the added cost as long as price is not the main consideration.
Altec Lansing: The excellent design, wonderful feature set, and portability of this unit distinguishes and separates it from the other two. Sound is generally well done, crisp and appealing, and the treble emphasis gives the Altec its own sonic niche. The power difference in watts is not really noticeable except if you are trying to fill up a big room with sound, and why would you be doing that with a wee tiny Ipod dock anyway? Most users will be very happy with the IM600's sound and the quality FM tuner is just the icing on the cake. If you are on a budget, I would say get the Altec as it sells for roughly the same price as the Amplifi, and has many more features including portability. The IM600 has somewhat less bass than the Griffin, but better stereo sound and detail clarity.
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Griffin Technology Amplifi Home Music Speaker System for iPod (Black)Product Description: Designed to fit easily on a desktop or bookshelf, the Griffin Amplifi 2.1 is a full-spectrum sound system perfect for any room in your home or office. The Amplifi delivers room-filling sound through its wood construction, two high/midrange speakers for clear highs, and woofer/bass port for deep, expansive bass. The device is designed to easily accommodate all current iPod models, and also features a standard mini jack for connecting other audio devices.
The Griffin Amplifi 2.1 Sound System for iPod provides you with room-filling sound from the convenience of your desktop. Attractive and Functional The Amplifi's simple, contemporary styling is a match for any environment, and with its compact footprint it's an easy fit. The acoustically tuned enclosure features an all-wood construction, lending it the warm, rich timbres that only wood-based speaker cabinets can impart. The unit also features the single, iconic knob made famous by the Griffin PowerMate, which allows straightforward volume control, and is illuminated with a soft, clear blue light when the system is powered up.
Under the Hood Amplifi's two front-firing 2.75-inch neodymium high/midrange drivers and five-inch down-firing woofer produce a clean, powerful sound. A built-in bass reflex port deepens the bass. Enjoy brilliant hi-fi, stereo sound at a reasonable price.
iPods and More Amplifi is especially iPod-friendly, with a convenient docking slot on top, and 6 iPod adapters/spacers so any iPod model from the mini to the 5G iPod with video will fit securely. Naturally, while an iPod is docked its battery is charged. A standard 1/8" input jack is also included, accommodating iPod Shuffles, MP3 Players, CD Players, Tape Players, or any other audio source you may wish to connect. Amplifi also comes with a slim, 6-function IR remote control. So sit back, relax, or--if you must--work while listening to your favorite tunes.
What's in the Box Griffin Amplifi 2.1-channel sound system, 6 x iPod docking adapters, AC power adapter, 6-function IR remote control with battery, user's guide and warranty information.
Buy cheap Griffin Technology Amplifi Home Music Speaker System for iPod (Black) now
Picked one of these up as a bit of retail therapy (impressed by the price), and quickly regretted it.Read the part in the description about "supports MP3 bit rates of 32, 64, 96, 128, 192, and 256 Kbps" carefully... it skips and pops if you present it with 320kbps, and also possibly with 224kbps, which you will frequently find in a L.A.M.E. -encoded ("--preset standard") mp3.
