By Molly McLaughlin on September 27, 2010 in
Available in November, the Audyssey Audio Dock: South of Market Edition (named for a hip San Francisco neighborhood) is a feature-loaded iPhone dock aimed at the Bose crowd. Like many iPhone docks, it has GSM shielding so you can still make and accept phone calls even when the iPhone is docked. (Some docks require you to put your iPhone in airplane mode to avoid a buzzing sound caused by wireless interference.)
The Audio Dock has built-in Bluetooth so you can use it as a speakerphone or to stream music from your iPhone or any other Bluetooth-enabled device. You can also use the dock to sync and your iPhone or iPod. Measuring 9 inches tall by 5 inches wide by 9 inches deep, the Audyssey Audio Dock includes two 0.75-inch tweeters and two 4-inch woofers.
What the reviews say
Editors at CNET, Engadget and Gearlog are all impressed with the Audio Dock’s sound quality and high volume. David Carnoy at CNET compliments its “good detail and bass” and tests it with a variety of musical styles. PCMag.com's Tim Gideon finds the Audio Dock’s sound “crisp,” especially when using it as a speakerphone. On the other hand, Engadget editors say callers found their voices sounded muddled. Carnoy reports issues with echoing, though that was fixed simply by moving a bit further away from the phone. As is typical, sound quality when streaming over Bluetooth was just "passable," but editors at Engadget were able to get a range of 30 feet. In general, critics are impressed with the new Audyssey Audio Dock -- not only with its sound quality, but the fact that you can use the dock to both charge and sync your iPod. In this price range, you'll also find the Boston Acoustics i-DS3 Plus (*Est. $370), one of our best-reviewed iPod speakers. It boasts crisp audio quality, but doesn't sync or charge iPods.
Availability and pricing
Audyssey has typically worked in the background, providing equalizers and other technology enhancements for other companies. The Audyssey Audio Dock is the company's first stab at its own consumer product, and will be available in November for about $400.