Recommend speakers for iphone?

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My wife wants "something" that she can use to play the music from her iphone. Some type of dock/stereo unit. I've looked at the Bose units and they look nice and I'm sure they sound great but was hoping to get something for a bit less. Suggestions?
 
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What is your price range? I picked up a Bose Portable sound dock and yes it is expensive but it does sound nice. Also is there a size requirement? Portability requirement? Any other features?

iHome makes some nice stuff
iHome: Live. Life. Loud.

There are bluetooth type solutions like the jawbone jambox
Jawbone JAMBOX Wireless Speaker  |  Hi-Fi, Stereo, Speakerphone & more

jbl makes a couple
JBL - Personal Audio - Speaker Docks - Mobile Phone

Sonos isn't cheap but it is another dock solution
Sonos - Wireless Multi-Room Music System
 
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I guess a bit more info would be helpful.

She wants it for our living room so she can listen to music while playing on the computer. Size of the unit really isn't much of an issue. I would like something that works with the iphone so it doesn't buzz. A remote would be nice. I'd like to keep it under $150.
 
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These articles reviews/rates speaker docks:
Best iPod/iPhone speakers - CNET Reviews
How to Buy the Best iPod Speaker Dock | Roundup | PCMag.com

I can verify that the Altec Lansing speaker docks that I have heard
sound better than most others.

Another option is to get powered speakers meant for a desktop
computer. This might be a better option, as they aren't constrained by one form factor and they often include a separate woofer for much better bass. Amazon offers popularity and consumer ratings of these:
Amazon.com: computer

I haven't auditioned this speaker system, but if you are looking for
something that can fill a room with sound, with decent quality and at a low price, this sounds perfect:
Amazon.com: Eagle Tech ET-AR504LR-BK 2.1 Soundstage Speakers with Subwoofer & Remote: Electronics

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Macintosh OS X Routine Maintenance
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I guess a bit more info would be helpful.

She wants it for our living room so she can listen to music while playing on the computer. Size of the unit really isn't much of an issue. I would like something that works with the iphone so it doesn't buzz. A remote would be nice. I'd like to keep it under $150.

Don't waste your money on Bose products. Overpriced and overhyped garbage. My personal recommendation is the Klipsch iGroove. My wife uses it on the nightstand for her iPhone and it sounds GREAT! It does have a remote as well. I like it much better than the one I use… a JBL OnStage dock.

I do have to ask though… if she wants this for playing music while on the computer, why not play the music through the computer? Instead of a dock, put the money into a good 2.1 speaker set. My personal rec on that would be the Harman Kardon Soundsticks. Styling-wise, I'm not too fond of the see-through look, but they are easily the best-sounding computer speakers I've seen.
 
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Ok, showing my ignorance here. What are 2.1 speakers?

Also, are there wifi connected speakers she could stream music to from her laptop? Most of the time when we are on our computers we are in the living room and not at a desk.
 
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Ok, showing my ignorance here. What are 2.1 speakers?

Also, are there wifi connected speakers she could stream music to from her laptop? Most of the time when we are on our computers we are in the living room and not at a desk.

The "2" means stereo left/right speakers, and the ".1 "means subwoofer. You'll likely get much richer sound with a good 2.1 speaker set on the computer, vs. a dock with much smaller speakers. The iGroove I recommended will sound good if on the desk or very nearby, but if across the room, then it, and most anything that size, may struggle.

But anyway, never mind all that since you are on a laptop. I was thinking it'd be on a desktop computer. There are ways to wirelessly stream music from iTunes. If you get an Airport Express, that can not only extend the wireless range of an Airport Extreme base station, but serve as a remote speaker for iTunes by running an audio cable from its audio jack to a stereo system.

There are lots of other options. You can get Apple's dock for the iPhone 3G/3Gs or iPhone 4 and connect the audio out to a stereo system. With Apple having expanded the features of AirPlay and allowing 3rd parties to make equipment supporting it, the options coming down the pipe will be HUGE! What works best for you depends much on what kind of equipment you have now (i.e. stereo, router, etc), the devices (which iPhone models) and general needs.
 
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Also, are there wifi connected speakers she could stream music to from her laptop?

Yes, there are. See this previous thread here on MILO:

http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/ai...peakers-bluetooth-speakers-do-they-exist.html

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Lifeisabeach, thanks for being patient with me. I'm new to this and don't have a good grasp of what I need to accomplish what I want.

We don't have a stereo so this would be our main music playing option. We do have a wireless router/modem. I have an iphone4 and my wife has a 3gs. She also has a laptop (windows 7) and I have a MBP.
 
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Lifeisabeach, thanks for being patient with me. I'm new to this and don't have a good grasp of what I need to accomplish what I want.

We don't have a stereo so this would be our main music playing option. We do have a wireless router/modem. I have an iphone4 and my wife has a 3gs. She also has a laptop (windows 7) and I have a MBP.

Alrighty. Well with your budget, I would probably stick to the Klipsch iGroove. It'll come in just under $150 if you shop around, and it supports the iPhone 3Gs and the iPhone 4. It'll charge your iPhones also, so that's an added benefit. There are other speaker docks that you may prefer, so really you just have to go to some place like Best Buy and try some out. If you have cases on your iPhones, then one thing you have to be careful about is ensuring that your iPhones will make a complete connection. I do know that some made by iHome do NOT work with the cases we use. Also bear in mind that with the price range you are looking at, most of these speaker docks will sound best if you are sitting within 6-8 feet. Much further away, and they just don't have large-enough speakers and amp power to sound as good. Of course, I speak as someone who can be a bit fussier than others, so ultimately it's what you like that counts.

If you want a wireless option, there really won't be any real options with the new AirPlay feature until this spring, and probably a bit later than that for a good variety of options. There are bluetooth and wi-fi based solutions now, though the bluetooth types tend to be small, designed with portability in mind more than the sound quality.
 
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One other idea I want to throw out. If you can knock your budget up a little and have the space to accommodate this, consider getting the Apple Universal iPhone dock (it supports both of your iPhones AND has a remote) and a good set of 2.1 computer speakers (like the HK Soundsticks, which IMO are the best of its class), and you will have a setup that will outperform any speaker dock and sound much better over a larger area. Other than the HK Soundsticks, the JBL Creature III is supposed to sound pretty decent and costs a lot less. A lot of people also like these Logitech speakers, though for the money, I'm still partial to the Harman Kardons.
 

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