Altec Lansing Portable iPod Dock

OK, I didn't see this particular comparison or any reviews that could convince me one way or the other. I tested both of these extensively at Best Buy with both volumes cranked so I could get a clear picture of the differences. The first things I did notice was a bit more bass coming from the logitech, but it didnt seem to turn up as loud as the Altec. After switching to different music styles, from classic rock, to metal, to rap I started to notice some things. At first the lack of top end volume I thought was going to be the end for the logitech for me. I started to feel like the Lansing was the one I wanted purely because the volume turned up louder. I was at such an impasse I decided I needed both of them at home to test them in the environment I plan to use them in rather than a 50,000 sq ft warehouse with 20 ft high ceilings (BestBuy) After giving both a full charge I dove in at home. At home I cranked up some rap initially just to get a clear picture on the range of bass for each. The bass was quite a bit more noticeable on the logitech, with the altec being slightly better for the mids and highs. It still seemed the altec could get a bit louder, but now that I was in my house, the logitech seemed plenty loud at its max. I did notice the mids and highs were less noticeble on the Logitech, but not so much that I really cared. After switching back and forth several times with all kinds of music the logitech was starting to be my clear favorite. I really liked the depth, the bass coming out of such a small box is pretty crazy, if you have a bass heavy song, it literally shakes the whole player. Keep in mind I'm speaking in relative terms here, this is not a 12 inch subwoofer. I started to feel like the Altec was so loud mainly because it had more emphasis on Treble. Ultimately I picked the Logitech because overall, I liked the design a bit better, I liked the case it comes with, I like the plug in that lets you wrap the cord around it and it sits nicely in the cradle when stowed in the case, the battery claims twice the length of time in the logitech over the altec 10 hours to 5 respectivly. I have yet to confirm the 10 hours, but will update this review when I do. Then for sound, I just decided that the volume issue became less of an issue when in a smaller environment, and the extra bass coming out of it made the music sound a bit more full to me. This is in no way a knock on the Altec, because I did determine in my mind that these were a close match to be the best "portable" players on the market, made by the two companies with the most experience making these devices. Truthfully, the Altec in my mind had the nod for a while in the beginning because it really did sound good all the way through the volume range. On build quality I would say if you are rough on your stuff the logitech probably will be the tougher of the two players. The speaker grills are a tough metal, the outside a hard plastic, its like a long brick basically, the only weakness I saw was the buttons are pretty cheapo. The altec has a nice design and cool handle to hold it up, and buttons are excellent, nice and big and easy to push, but the metal grill covering the entire front of the player seemed flimsier than the logitech and I could see that if it took a good jab by something it could be dented, I dont see that happening on the logitech. The Altec does had a nice LCD screen that displays the mode its in, the song thats playing which I wish the logitech had, AND it has an FM radio which I thought would be nice for game day, I read many reviews saying that the FM radio's reception was excellent. SO, I almost kept both of them, but the fact that there was so many more pluses to the lgogitech, in my mind, and for my purposes, I decided to go with it, because my ultimate goal was to have a comletely portable player for on the go, logitech with the longer battery life fit that bill better and was a bit smaller in size, then I would purchase a separate stationary player that rarely moves from the bathroom, Im thinking the Logitech pure-fi elite or bose sound dock for my stationary player. I hope this helps anyone that is laboring over the decision between these two. Feel free to leave comments if you have questions I will answer them.