How well does it reproduce the sound? Ideally, this should be tested with lossless files, because of the well-known distortions introduced by MP3 -- granted that if the encoder is any good, the human ear won't pick them up, but still, the more variables you can take out of the equation, the better. Signal to noise ratio? dBA? How does it compare with an amp hooked up to the line out on the iPod and a set of reasonable quality speakers? Etc. Etc.
Playlist's review process always involves testing audio products with both compressed and uncompressed music files. And as we stated in the review, a similarly priced set of quality sub/sat computer speakers offers better sound. So a decent home stereo will obviously sound better, as well.
Although I appreciate the desire for quantitative information -- I'm as much an audio geek as anyone, personally -- the fact is that none of these small, one-piece speaker systems offers high-end sound. Whether you're talking about the SoundDock, JBL's On Stage or On Tour, Altec Lansing's inMotion models, or any other small, one-piece speaker system, the measured performance would be poor when compared to a good set of hi-fi speakers. (Which is to be expected, given their form factor.) But people aren't buying them for their measurements -- they're buying them for their size, convenience, and design. The demographics buying these systems don't really care, in general, about measurements. They just want to know "how it sounds."
I stopped by the Mac store to buy the Altec Lansing inMotion speakers after reading a good review of them. They had the the JBL OnStage and it has better bass and nicer controls.
Having tested both side by side, the inMotion has better bass. It also has a remote, can be powered off batteries, and is truly portable. On the other hand, I agree about the On Stage's controls -- the touch-sensitive buttons are very cool. It also has better treble and a more "open" sound, although sometimes the treble can be a bit bright.
As the reviewer, I don't think I'm either a shill or an ignoramus;-) As for the "kickback," I'll have to give them a call; maybe mine got lost in the mail (kidding).
But seriously, nowhere in the review of the SoundDock did I say "Bose as a rule makes great stuff." I didn't say they don't, either. I reviewed the product based on this single product, not my personal notions about the manufacturer.
In this narrow spectrum of products --"dockable" speaker systems -- the SoundDock is currently the best sounding option on the market and the simplest to set up and use. It's also the most expensive and it lacks some features found in less expensive products. Buyers will have to decide if it's a good value based on their own preferences. (I also pointed out in the review that if you avoid this form factor altogether and instead spend the same $300 on a system with separate speakers, for example, you can get significantly better sound. But some users don't want "clutter" -- they want an all-in-one package to stick on a desk/shelf/table.)
I'm the author of "Mac OS X Power Tools" and a regular/. reader, so I was of course fairly interested in this story/review, which it turns out is a repost of an Amazon.com review. Although it's not glowing, I'm at least happy that it's the worst one the book has received;-)
I have a couple comments about the review, and a couple comments in response to posts in this discussion.
First, a comment about the review's recommendation that really has little to do with my book, and more to do with recommending books in general. Writing style is a very personal thing, and unless you're David Pogue, it's impossible to write a book everyone will love;-) So I have no problem with the reviewer preferring a different "style." However, I do disagree somewhat with the overall recommendation made in the review ("Get The Missing Manual or Mac OS X Unleashed instead"), and not because I wrote one of the books in question.
When recommending a book, the most important things to know are the reader's level of expertise and the reader's goals in reading the book. The three books mentioned here are aimed at very different levels:
The Missing Manual: beginning to intermediate, with an emphasis on learning to use OS X.
Mac OS X Power Tools: "advanced beginner" to advanced, with an emphasis on understanding OS X and becoming a power user.
Mac OS X Unleashed: intermediate to advanced, with an emphasis on technical topics and reference.
There is undoubtedly a bit of overlap in these three books, but for the most part they are written for different audiences. In other words, it's difficult to simply say "get Book A over Book B" without knowing more about the reader. All three books are, in my humble opinion, great books -- I wrote one and own the other two -- and I recommend them frequently. However, I've rarely recommended one over the other two, simply because they aren't comparable substitutes, IMO.
I guess what I'm saying is to make sure you're buying, or recommending, the right book for the reader. I'd rather see you buy someone else's book than buy mine if it's not appropriate for you.
A few quick comments on messages in this thread:
jcsehak wrote:
I wanted to elaborate on the poster mention of stupid puns in the book... Make jokes, that's fine. If you want to say "how can the iPod be so skinny, yet sound so fat?" that's great, I'll chuckle. But "Apple-ication?" Don't be a dumbass.
Sorry you didn't like that joke;-) Using alliteration in chapter titles is a bit of fun when you're writing 600+ pages on an operating system, and, from a pedagogical standpoint, a useful approach. However, it can admittedly get a bit cheezy after a while, and I was actually trying to make fun of that fact with the chapter title in question. The original title was "Application Aptitude" -- which probably wouldn't have generated any comments -- but as a joke I changed it to "Apple-ication," basically parodying the approach. OK, it was a very bad pun, I admit it. Maybe my brain was a bit fried after writing 600+ pages, but I thought it was funny at the time. Maybe it wasn't so funny after all -- you're not the first person to criticize it;-)
mr_luc wrote:
I think that using an analogy to "Power Tools" -- and doing so in the context of a book about a Mac -- is kind of stupid. I mean, "Power Tools" does not go with the image that I have of Macs as these clean-running, quiet, beautifully usable machines. The image I have of my power tools is one of grease, dirt, and bugs that need to be patched.
The book belongs to a series of books from the same publisher called "Power Tools" that includes books on Unix, Linux, Windows, etc.; I didn't have much say in the title. In some ways I agree with you that it doesn't properly indicate what the book is about. On the other hand, as I mention in the book's introduction, hard
Slashdot Mirror
Playlist's review process always involves testing audio products with both compressed and uncompressed music files. And as we stated in the review, a similarly priced set of quality sub/sat computer speakers offers better sound. So a decent home stereo will obviously sound better, as well.
Although I appreciate the desire for quantitative information -- I'm as much an audio geek as anyone, personally -- the fact is that none of these small, one-piece speaker systems offers high-end sound. Whether you're talking about the SoundDock, JBL's On Stage or On Tour, Altec Lansing's inMotion models, or any other small, one-piece speaker system, the measured performance would be poor when compared to a good set of hi-fi speakers. (Which is to be expected, given their form factor.) But people aren't buying them for their measurements -- they're buying them for their size, convenience, and design. The demographics buying these systems don't really care, in general, about measurements. They just want to know "how it sounds."
But seriously, nowhere in the review of the SoundDock did I say "Bose as a rule makes great stuff." I didn't say they don't, either. I reviewed the product based on this single product, not my personal notions about the manufacturer.
In this narrow spectrum of products --"dockable" speaker systems -- the SoundDock is currently the best sounding option on the market and the simplest to set up and use. It's also the most expensive and it lacks some features found in less expensive products. Buyers will have to decide if it's a good value based on their own preferences. (I also pointed out in the review that if you avoid this form factor altogether and instead spend the same $300 on a system with separate speakers, for example, you can get significantly better sound. But some users don't want "clutter" -- they want an all-in-one package to stick on a desk/shelf/table.)
In Jaguar, select "Manage SMTP Servers" from the Mail scripts menu.
I have a couple comments about the review, and a couple comments in response to posts in this discussion.
First, a comment about the review's recommendation that really has little to do with my book, and more to do with recommending books in general. Writing style is a very personal thing, and unless you're David Pogue, it's impossible to write a book everyone will love ;-) So I have no problem with the reviewer preferring a different "style." However, I do disagree somewhat with the overall recommendation made in the review ("Get The Missing Manual or Mac OS X Unleashed instead"), and not because I wrote one of the books in question.
When recommending a book, the most important things to know are the reader's level of expertise and the reader's goals in reading the book. The three books mentioned here are aimed at very different levels:
There is undoubtedly a bit of overlap in these three books, but for the most part they are written for different audiences. In other words, it's difficult to simply say "get Book A over Book B" without knowing more about the reader. All three books are, in my humble opinion, great books -- I wrote one and own the other two -- and I recommend them frequently. However, I've rarely recommended one over the other two, simply because they aren't comparable substitutes, IMO.
I guess what I'm saying is to make sure you're buying, or recommending, the right book for the reader. I'd rather see you buy someone else's book than buy mine if it's not appropriate for you.
A few quick comments on messages in this thread:
jcsehak wrote:
Sorry you didn't like that joke ;-) Using alliteration in chapter titles is a bit of fun when you're writing 600+ pages on an operating system, and, from a pedagogical standpoint, a useful approach. However, it can admittedly get a bit cheezy after a while, and I was actually trying to make fun of that fact with the chapter title in question. The original title was "Application Aptitude" -- which probably wouldn't have generated any comments -- but as a joke I changed it to "Apple-ication," basically parodying the approach. OK, it was a very bad pun, I admit it. Maybe my brain was a bit fried after writing 600+ pages, but I thought it was funny at the time. Maybe it wasn't so funny after all -- you're not the first person to criticize it ;-)
mr_luc wrote:
The book belongs to a series of books from the same publisher called "Power Tools" that includes books on Unix, Linux, Windows, etc.; I didn't have much say in the title. In some ways I agree with you that it doesn't properly indicate what the book is about. On the other hand, as I mention in the book's introduction, hard