JBL On Stage 400P Speaker Dock for iPhone/iPod

5 comments

1. 

   Neil F. Lewis on February 3, 2010 at 4:55 am

   volume control on the product does not work and did not work from the moment we started using it. I am bitter.

2. 

   Rich S. on February 3, 2010 at 5:24 am

   I searched high and low for a quality iPod speaker dock for my kitchen/dining room and listened to dozens before buying this one. It sounds better than the Bose models and the speaker array is less directional, meaning you don’t have to be standing in front of it to get the best sound. Bass is very warm but tight, highs are silky – not harsh – and mids are stronger than most of the other units i heard. Evens compares well to the high-end B&W Zeppelin, which costs many hundreds more and is much larger(heard that one at the Apple Store). Got this one for 199 at BestBuy, as Amzn was out of stock. Works fine with my 2nd and 4th generation Nanos. Very impressed.

3. 

   A. Frank on February 3, 2010 at 5:43 am

   Bought this right after getting an IPod Nano 5g at Best Buy for a great price of $169 plus tax. It was no contest between it and the Bose and Altec Lansing. As soon as the salesman plugged my IPod into it there was no question on my purchasing the JBL. It has great sound and looks great. I love how simple and elegant it looks. I could care less about it having a radio or clock. I can crank it up and it still sounds great with amazing bass response and no distortion. It totally blows my daughter’s Sony IPod speaker away too.

   The various adapters you have to use are a bit of a pain. Fortunately if your adapter doesn’t fit right for your IPod or you have different IPods (such as a Nano like I have and my husband’s IPod Touch and my daughter’s Classic) JBL gives you a mini jack that allows you to plug into the back into the speaker and you can plug the other end directly into the IPod, thus bypassing the adapter completely, which allows you to switch between the different IPods. The adapter is reserved for my Nano and we just plug the other IPods in. This is very handy, because the adapters aren’t easy to pry out and switch easily. (one reason I give only 4 stars for “Ease of Use”). Also, I’d love if the remote lit up (I like to listen to music in the dark) and was a bit easier to figure out. I’m always hitting one button on the remote when I mean to hit another.

   Otherwise the speaker is perfect and sounds great. Well worth the money!

4. 

   Albert Mendonca on February 3, 2010 at 7:30 am

   I’ve been researching over a year for the perfect dock. Yeah it may sound crazy but im very fussy about the quality i want. So in the end, very difficult to find a perfect product, but JBL 400p is what comes closest. Here’s why :

   My requirements :

   1. Crystal clear sound with clear bass.
   
   2. Should be reasonably loud without distorting any elements and not only for laptop use
   
   3. Shouldn’t be crazy expensive
   
   4. Should be portable (BTW i don’t see portablility merely as a function of temporary power).
   
   5. Should plug into alternate sources.
   
   6. Didn’t care about AM/FM.

   Now with the above in mind, i zeroed in finally on Bose, Altec and Sony and did some serious research, to the point of going nuts and finally saw JBL winning. I will skip commenting on Sony cuz its not worth it.

   Bose Sound dock: There is no doubt that this one produces the best and loudest sound out there, notwithstanding the gap between best and next is rather slim . I almost decided to buy this and then saw in the demo how it “completely” distorts the balance of sound at high volumes, especially the bass. So the value of loud music gets negated. Additionally, ive heard they are custom tuned to the songs that they play best at demos and hence made to sound awesome. And finally the price at 300/400 made it look ITS JUST NOT WORTH IT.

   Altec Lansing imT620 and T612 : I think this product is overhyped. Its like one of those chinese products that try to give you as much as they can for as less money as possible. And this makes it the best choice for an economical product. I didn’t find the sound clarity impressive at all. But just cuz i was fed up looking, i wanted to close the deal with this and be done.

   JBL : While i almost got Altec, one friend of mine suggested JBL and i took a look at 200id. Didn’t like as much and then just chanced upon 400p which i somehow left out of comparison totally, possibly because this wasn’t rolled out then. This product clearly comes the “closest” to what Bose sounds like and for abt 200 bucks (on a deal) made great economical sense. I am amazed at how it retains the sound clarity even at high volumes, have never seen it distorting any elements. This is the only product that is impressive from the JBL camp for ipod and some serious competition. I have had it for abt 2 months now and completely satisfied. The only small issue is its not as loud as i wanted it to be, which is why the 4 stars and not 5.

   Now i’m not suggesting this as a winner based out of only 1 or 2 factors. I had a clear set of requirements and this met all of them very closely. So i won’t suggest you take my review at face value, rather go check it out yourself, cuz you may have a different criteria. But for sure keep this one in your comparison.

5. 

   Jay P. Mcdonald on February 3, 2010 at 9:29 am

   I have over 30 years experience as a audio professional. I always seek out the best of the best and the JBL ONSTAGE 400P is the finest IPod/IPhone Dock product ever. The sound quality out performs Bose and any others. The high notes and low notes are clear and do not distort at full volume. The speaker shape sends the sound wave out in a stereo surround effect that fills the room. I want one now in every room. This product is absolutely awesome. I use it with my IPhone 3GS. I am buying more for Christmas gifts.
   
   Paul McDonald/Memphis
   
   Remember: What ELVIS did all over the world started in Memphis!