Bose

[rn101787]

So the other night I was laying in bed helping my gf w/ her pharmacology and it as 3am, Bose had a big infomercial on. They were going on and on about their research and how extensive it is. If Bose speakers weren't priced so high, how many of you would buy them. I never have bought them, just b/c I have heard so many other items that sound just as good or better for less money. However, the only arguments I always hear is price and they are made in China. The China argument doesn't mean crap to me as there are a lot of speakers made in China (Infinity Primus, Def Tech), England (KEF/BW), Mexico (new JBL/Infinity), Canada (Paradigm, Energy). Just a curious question for the speaker junkies out there. The only thing I like about them is the speakers are ridiculously compact. And they don't sound bad, just kind of fatigues the listener's ear after a while.

[TheGreenDude]

http://www.intellexual.net/bose.html

[Lee Stewart]

Wasn't Bose the first company to champion small satellite speakers with a single subwoofer?

[rn101787]

Well its safe to say I enjoyed that reading and won't be going with Bose. EVER!! I am still on the fence between Boston Acoustics and Def Tech

[craizedmanic]

A very clear and informative article. My mother-in-law is currently looking at buying her first surround sound, and has ask me to help. She went online and found a TV surround sound package for about 1299 at Wal-Mart. The reason she is wanting a setup is because her husband can not hear and he is always turning up the tv. So I asked her for her budget and she told me 1500. Needless to say after some research online I found her a non HTiB and a 40" TV for just over her budget. Now clearly buying both a TV and a home theater for that price is hard to do. However this setup will be twice what she would have gotten from Wal-Mart. I dare to say if she had a Best Buy close buy she would have been another victim of BOSE. Anyway as far has the article goes I sure did learn a lot about the company and wonder how much longer ill-informed people will continue to buy( throw away money) for a completely inferior product. Believe it or not back a few years ago when I started really getting into Home Theater I was at Best Buy. I was looking at (GASP!!!!) a Bose and was really thinking about buying one. Well I started to ask some questions and the sells associate actually told me that for the price of the Bose I could buy individual components and get a system twice as nice as the Bose and be ten times happier. Needless to say I walk out of there went home and started to do research on this and have not looked at a Bose since.

[AV_Integrated]

That article is the groundwork for why Bose is a complete SCREW YOU to consumers. They are far worse than Monster Cable IMO, because at any price point, the Bose stuff is garbage. Even their 'pro' product is crap which doesn't advertise its actual range and capabilities. How the hell can something be 'pro' yet not actually have any specifications?

Under every REAL review, Bose falls flat on its face.

Do they even have a subwoofer? No, they have a bass module. That box with a 6" driver in it which can't go below about 50hz. Most subs are often around 25-32hz - good ones hit under 20hz nicely, and you get REAL written specs on what they can do.

The worst part is that people that own them then foolishly recommend the product to others without ever realizing or knowing just how much they are missing. While I can accept that people are happy with what they have, it never flies with me when they start recommending that other people waste that same type of money.

Instead, if people want low profile, then I suggest that people go with in-wall speakers. Good brands can be had for similar money, but cheap speakers, such as those from Monoprice, can be had for hundreds less and easily outperform what Bose could ever hope to achieve.

I mean, at least when Monster Cable rapes customers, they still end up with a product that works well and should leave someone happy for years. Bose just sucks from day one and never is going to get better. Even worse, they propogate the constant TV advertising crap that makes you feel like you just weren't bent over a urinal, tied up, and screwed. Even if you feel like you weren't, if it says Bose on the box, you just aren't listening to what you should be.

[evizzle]

Originally Posted by craizedmanic

A I dare to say if she had a Best Buy close buy she would have been another victim of BOSE....

Believe it or not back a few years ago when I started really getting into Home Theater I was at Best Buy. I was looking at (GASP!!!!) a Bose and was really thinking about buying one. Well I started to ask some questions and the sells associate actually told me that for the price of the Bose I could buy individual components and get a system twice as nice as the Bose and be ten times happier.

do you realize how silly that sounded? You basically said that she would have been a victim of Bose if there was a Best Buy close, yet you went to Best Buy and were actually talked out of Bose...

[craizedmanic]

Originally Posted by evizzle

do you realize how silly that sounded? You basically said that she would have been a victim of Bose if there was a Best Buy close, yet you went to Best Buy and were actually talked out of Bose...

That is very true, but what were the chances that I walked into a BB that actually had someone that knew what they were doing and that they were working at the time I came in. Further more what are the chances that my mother-in-law would be as lucky.

Besides I went to an BB stand alone store(All by its self). So it had a show room set up for viewing all kinds of different speakers. However it was hours from were we live, and my mother-in-law would more than likely go to the closest town that has a BB. That BB is in a mall and is maybe half the size of the BB I went to, and it does not have the theater show room.

[Splicer]

Originally Posted by AV_Integrated

That article is the groundwork for why Bose is a complete SCREW YOU to consumers. They are far worse than Monster Cable IMO, because at any price point, the Bose stuff is garbage. Even their 'pro' product is crap which doesn't advertise its actual range and capabilities. How the hell can something be 'pro' yet not actually have any specifications?

Under every REAL review, Bose falls flat on its face.

Do they even have a subwoofer? No, they have a bass module. That box with a 6" driver in it which can't go below about 50hz. Most subs are often around 25-32hz - good ones hit under 20hz nicely, and you get REAL written specs on what they can do.

The worst part is that people that own them then foolishly recommend the product to others without ever realizing or knowing just how much they are missing. While I can accept that people are happy with what they have, it never flies with me when they start recommending that other people waste that same type of money.

Instead, if people want low profile, then I suggest that people go with in-wall speakers. Good brands can be had for similar money, but cheap speakers, such as those from Monoprice, can be had for hundreds less and easily outperform what Bose could ever hope to achieve.

I mean, at least when Monster Cable rapes customers, they still end up with a product that works well and should leave someone happy for years. Bose just sucks from day one and never is going to get better. Even worse, they propogate the constant TV advertising crap that makes you feel like you just weren't bent over a urinal, tied up, and screwed. Even if you feel like you weren't, if it says Bose on the box, you just aren't listening to what you should be.

I know what the Bose cubes can and can't do and while I am not justifying Bose pricing or the cubes I do want to correct some mis-conceptions that you (inadvertently I'm sure) are spreading...

1] Bose Pro is some extremely excellent quality that can of course be bested...but what can't be bested...I work with Bose Pro equipment on a daily basis and I must say it has been the most reliable and superb sounding speakers in its environment that all the other 'pro' speakers fail miserably in comparison...

2] You mentioned (correctly I might add) that Bose has a bass module...No where at any time has Bose claimed that the bass module should be considered a "sub"...I get such a laugh when people mistakenly (when describing a 3 way speaker for example) as having a tweeter midrange and sub...But noone ever says anything about that...A woofwe yes...a subwoofer no...

3] In-wall speakers while being better quality are great for concelement...However in-wall installation severly limits room layout placement...In other words everything pretty much has to stay in the same place unless expensive remodeling is done...While this may be ideal for a dedicated home theater I have yet to see a Bose cube system used as a dedicated sound system in a dedicated home theater...The cube systems usually go in a living room environment where changes are frequently made...

4] People as a whole don't care about "written specs"...Only geeks like us do...And while the Bose cubes may not offer every last minute detail available...again as a whole...people don't care...Bose is a convienent (altho pricey and we all learned growing up you get what you pay for) and non-intrusive system that actually doesn't sound bad and lasts...Using your Monster analogy Bose works well and leaves customers pleased for years...Monster has simply followed the Bose marketing...It's the American way...Find something that is successful (in this case the marketing technique) and copy it...

I actually applaud Bose & Monster...Because without them these less expensive products would in most cases be considered 'cheap' and 'you get what you pay for'...

Have I owned Bose home products??? Yes...But not the cubes...I owned floor standing Bose that sounded excellent in my opinion...Cubes and bass module sound very nice but not for what I wanted them for...I do agree they seem to be overpriced for the end result in my situation...Bose does hold a resale value superbly and with the internet readily available people have the option to do their own research if they so desire and/or even care...While you can't stand people that foolishly recommend Bose...I don't care for people that try to tell someone what they'll like...It's a two way street...

[Gaara925]

Originally Posted by zach.riggs

The only thing I like about them is the speakers are ridiculously compact. And they don't sound bad, just kind of fatigues the listener's ear after a while.

I would never buy a speaker that was fatiguing, kinds defeats the purpose if you don't want to listen now doesn't it

[rn101787]

Originally Posted by Gaara925

I would never buy a speaker that was fatiguing, kinds defeats the purpose if you don't want to listen now doesn't it

Yes, thats what I was getting at.