Opinions on my new system

William_jones · 07-23-2003, 11:32 AM

Hello everyone I am new to the forum But I have been into home theater for a few years. I recently purchased a new home theater system (prior to joining the forum) and would like to hear some opinions and recommendations. here is a list of my hardware.

Speakers:
Bose 601's mains
Bose center channel
Cubes for surrounds from the AM-10 system
Sub is an old pardigm PDR-8 bought from a friend a few years ago.

Reciever:

harman Kardon 525

The speakers sound incredible with music but the sound while watching movies in 5.1 is somewhat dissapointing. probably caused by the reciever? I have learned while surfing through the forum that Bose isn't very highly regarded here and probably would have bought differently knowing what I know now.

Bill

TommyWMedford · 07-23-2003, 11:37 AM

I'm not as experience in home theater as most people in this forum are, but I know this much: Your BOSE speakers are the weakpoint in your system. You've got a great receiver, though. If it isn't too late, I would take back the Bose speakers, and do a little more research before you buy more. Whatever you get, it's going to sound a lot more impressive than your Bose speakers, trust me.

William_jones · 07-23-2003, 11:57 AM

Really! Those 601's are pretty sweet sounding speakers. I will agree that the cubes and the center channel sounded much better in the store when I demo'd them.

Bill

ShaunLB · 07-23-2003, 12:05 PM

NO offense william, but take those Bose's back asap. Even if you have to take a restocking fee hit or something. Much better sound can be had for much less money (especially in home theater). I know we are sounding (and the following replys will also) sound harsh...but you'll thank us the instant you get another brand.

Lew Crippen · 07-23-2003, 12:30 PM

I have not listened to the 601s in many years and never to the Bose center channel, so I don’t write with any particular authority. Nor do I know how much you paid for the system.

The cube surrounds won’t be able to put out enough volume in many rooms (I don’t know about your room size) and for sure they don’t handle mid-bass (above your sub crossover) through mid-range well enough to work well in many HT environments. The Bose Acoustimass system compensates in part for their bass and lower mid-range deficiencies by have the Acoutimass module handle much higher frequencies than do most subwoofers.

I would suggest that you head down to some dealer and listen to a couple of systems that are close in price to your system cost and decide if you think that switching will be a good idea. There are a lot of mass market dealers that sell Bose and other brands, so you should be able to make an informed choice.

If you are happy with your 601s then by all means stay with them but consider replacing your surrounds with something else.

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Angelo.M · 07-23-2003, 12:49 PM

Opinion:

See Lew's post above. Your receiver is not the weak point, and if you like the 601s then, by all means, keep them. I don't know enough about Bose's product line to suggest alternatives for your rear speakers, however.

Recommendation:

If you're keeping the 601's, then replace the cubes with another choice from Bose.

If not, I'd consider auditioning something else in the same price range. Without rehashing what you'll read about Bose here, suffice it to say that there are choices that may work much better for your situation at the same or lower price.

Knowing your price range would help in terms of recommendations.

TommyWMedford · 07-23-2003, 01:17 PM

How much did you pay for your speakers? Maybe I could recommend another set of speakers for you to at least try out. Believe me, anything will sound better than Bose. Heck, I'd bet even my Infinity Entra 2 speakers sound better. Which remeinds me. The Entra 3 floorstanding speakers, which are pretty nice, are only $200 each at Ultimate Electronics. They're being discontinued, which is why they're being "given away" practically. I'm going to take back my Entra 2's for the 3', since I paid $170 each for them. For your center, you could go with the Infinity Entra 2 center, or the Infinity Alpha Center speaker, but I think that costs around $300. The Entra Center 2 can be found for only $120 at www.yoshisworld.com. It's a very good speaker in my opinion, and for that price, there's no way you can go wrong. But, like many on here will tell you, there are better speakers out there, many that are much better than Bose, that costs far less. Wharferdale also makes some really good speakers at a pretty good price, which can be found at www.bestbuy.com. They also carry Athena and Klipsch, which are great, as well.

CurtisSC · 07-23-2003, 01:31 PM

William,

What was the cost of the speaker setup?

William_jones · 07-23-2003, 08:39 PM

Curtis,

I got a great deal on the speakers. I payed just under $1100 for the whole set-up after taxes.

I have read some older Bose posts here on the forum and I can see now why I am getting lectured as to them being the weak point in my system, however, you have to admit that Bose is a very highly regarded speaker in the audio industry (probably why stores display them with such pride). When my friends ask what kind of speakers I have in my HT set-up and I tell them Bose they are immediately impressed. I will admit that I auditioned very few other speakers prior to my purchase, but this was due partly because of all the great things I have heard and read about the Bose speaker systems. Convince me where I am wrong.

Greg

ShaunLB · 07-23-2003, 09:16 PM

I'll point out a few items real quick that have been discussed in other posts.

1. The center channel uses 2" drivers (if I'm not mistaken). These are 2x too large for suitable tweeter use and about 1/2 the size of a reasonable midrange. Therefore the entire unit is comprised of poorly chosen drivers (like a car with square wheels, they may make the car roll...but it could roll sooo much better).

2. The "indirect" imaging or whatever the name is that so many Bose speakers (towers particuarly) use may create spaciousness, but at a cost of imaging and soundstage accuracy.

3. The price. Just ask for a few recommendations from the ppl here about what you could get for around $1100 and then try to go demo them...the results are startling.

However, I'm just trying to answer your questions. I'm not trying ridicule you, Bose can indeed sound decent in some situations compared to a few alternatives. They are certinally a step up from boom boxes and tv speakers. Its entirely possible you will be very very happy with your current setup, but I'd hate to know that in 3 months you decide you DO want a more realistic/accurate system and end up having to pay even more. The choice will really depend on you.

But please, at the very least exchange that center channel. I don't think I'm going out on a limb when I say it is the least respected center channel currently in production. Get one with an actual tweeter and maybe even a midwoofer. Sorry for the long post, just my two cents.