Reviews

CableJive SoundDock and iStubz cables

Back in 2008, I bought a SoundDock cable from CableJive, which allowed me to connect my 1st gen Bose SoundDock to my Mac. Since we bought our SoundDock, Bose has come out with a 2nd gen SoundDock, which has a built-in auxiliary input, making the cable unnecessary. Still, we weren’t about to buy a new SoundDock when ours was working perfectly well, and with the addition of a cable, we could make it work with our Mac, allowing us to have nice, premium sound.

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I remember looking around for months for a cable that could do the trick. I knew it was technically possible, but no company I knew of made such a cable. Finally, I discovered CableJive. Back then, they were just going into business, judging by their website and lack of customer service. After placing my order, I got no confirmation whatsoever. I had no idea whether they received my order or not. The phone number they listed on the website wasn’t working, and nobody answered my emails. Thankfully, the cable arrived in the mail a few days later, and has been working ever since.

The build quality of the SoundDock cable leaves something to be desired though. The sleeve that fits around the cable at the end that has the thick, iPod-style adaptor is loose, and the plastic that contains the circuits that make the connection with the Bose SoundDock isn’t anchored well into the sides of the adaptor, making it flop around in there. Overall, I’d call the cable flimsy, and considering the price we paid for it at the time ($48), overpriced.

I can only hope their build quality has improved since then, and I’m glad to see that at least they’ve lowered the price to $40. It’s still a hefty price to pay for a flimsy little cable, but like I said, no one else makes them, and if you’ve got to have it, you’ll pay the price or go without.

Now I see they make these iStubz cables, which are basically short sync cables for the iPod and iPhone. The ones that ship with the phone are too long for most people’s needs, cluttering up one’s desk. I like the idea, and I also like the price ($8).

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cablejive_istubz

Now here’s my question: why is the iStubz cable, which is more complicated to make (I assume) than the Bose SoundDock cable, only $8, and the SoundDock cable $40?

Images used courtesy of CableJive.

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6 thoughts on “CableJive SoundDock and iStubz cables”

  1. Pingback: Hardware review: the duraSync cable for iPad, iPod and iPhone « Raoul Pop

  2. Jessica says:

    Hi Raoul:
    I have the same issue: I want to connect my first gen Bose to my Mac. After many searches online, I came to your post. Is this $40 cable from Cable Jive still the only way to make this happen? Thanks! Jessica

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    • It’s still the only method I know of to do it, yes. If it helps you decide, I’ve also used the cable to connect a Windows laptop and a vinyl record player to the Bose SoundDock. It’s versatile, and it works.

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  3. Pingback: Hardware review: CableJive’s iStubz cable for iPod and iPhone – Reviews - Raoul Pop

  4. Raoul,

    Thank you for the Review. I work for CableJive and to answer your question, the reason the SoundDock Cable is so much more than the iStubz is because our iStubz cables are mass produced, where as each one of our SoundDock Cables are custom made.

    Best Regards,
    Zack
    CableJive

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