- Joined: December 1969
- Post Count: 7,219
Re: Bose cubes and an Acoustimass 7?
I'm not sure why you're looking to add anything to the system you have. It sounds like you have 5 standard surround speakers (FL, C, FR, RL, RR) and an actual subwoofer - which the Bose "bass modules" are not. What is it you think you're missing?
The Bose small cube systems are not generally well thought of among HT enthusiasts.
A) They are a compromise between aesthetics and sound quality. They acheive the small size by using tiny drivers with severly limited range. Basically each contains a single mid-range speaker. Even with the addition of one of their "bass modules" you don't get the full sound you should be hearing. "No highs, no lows, it must be Bose" is not just a snappy insult like "Found on road dead" for Ford. It is a real description of what you end up with. (This applies only to the cube systems, not Bose's full-sized, full-range speakers.) For some people having tiny, easy-to-hide speakers is more important than decent sound. For them, Bose is a good choice. For people who care more about the sound, not so much.
B) They are over-priced for what you get. You can get a quite decent (and fairly small) set of speakers, and an actual Audio/Visual Receiver (AVR) for a lot less, or a much better system for the same money.
Regards,
Joe
- Joined: August 2003
- Location: SF Bay Area
- Post Count: 2,346
Re: Bose cubes and an Acoustimass 7?
While I certainly agree with David and Joseph, were you thinking of replacing the Sony sub with the Acoustimass or adding the Acoustimas and keeping the Sony?
It's usually difficult to integrate Bose products with products from other manufactures, and quite often there own stuff. Bose designs them that way.
But you should be able to connect your cube speakers to an Acoustimass 7 module. It depends on the connections on the rear of the 7 and the cubes you have. If they are compatible then set the fronts and center to Large in the receivers setup menu. The Acoustimass has a built in crossover. But the rears, if connected straight to the receiver, will receive a full range signal which will kill them.
If you plan on using the Sony sub as well then set the fronts and center to Small and the receivers crossover to 80. The Sony will handle what it can under 80, the Acoustimass will handle 80 to 200 and the cubes 280 to (only) 13k. But there will be nothing between 200 and 280. Yet another reason why Bose isn't very popular around here.
As for the rears, I would also hook them up to the Acoustimass, otherwise they will receive a signal down to 80 hz which will probably damage them eventually. If you use just the Acoustimass and hook the rears straight to the receiver they will receive a full range signal as I believe the 463 only allows 1 crossover setting for all speaker groups. A full range signal into a cube will distroy it. Confusing, isn't it?
If you decide to forgo the Acoustimass and just use the Sony the set all speakers to small and the receivers crossover to it's highest setting and hope for the best.
The best thing to do is keep the Sony, sell the cubes and look for something else from Infinity, JBL, Polk, etc. Sorry, but you asked
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