Bose Lifestyle 38

Re: Bose Lifestyle 38

Use the search function and type in the word BOSE!! Be ready for a rude awakening!!

Re: Bose Lifestyle 38

For $3000 you can do much, much, much better.

People around here (and ALL of the other audio forums) generally are very negative toward Bose -- with very good reason. But they are especially negative toward their all-in-one setups like the LifeStyle series.

$3000 can get you a very good setup, with a REAL subwoofer instead of the crappy "bass module" that Bose provides. You'd be much better looking elsewhere.

What are your requirements for a system? Are you looking at Bose mostly for the way they look or the way they sound? There are other small speakers out there that can do better, but no speaker that small is great.

Re: Bose Lifestyle 38

Here is a relatively recent review from Sound & Vision:

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/art...article_id=711


We have had the Lifestyle 35 for the past 5 years and liked it a lot...best sounding? Not by a long shot, but it has a great user interface and fit in our condo great...we are moving and I am leaving the 35 for the people that bought our condo, but if you understand and are ok with the sound limitations, you will like. If you ignore the cost issue, I actually think it sounds pretty good. We're not getting one for the new home theater I am building in our house, but I don't regret having had one for 5 years. Count me as a fan of the approach Bose takes to consumer products...they market squarely to middle market consumers that are more interested in an easy to use package that works well than they are in frequency responses, crossovers and EQs.

Keep in mind that I would guess that 90% of the people that rip on Bose Lifestyle systems have never actually owned one...just an in vogue thing to do.

Re: Bose Lifestyle 38

This poster has started 4 threads requesting opinions about various Bose speakers. There is nothing further we can add. Bose speakers don't provide good value is nearly a universal opinion now and can be found on countless sites by thousands of individuals. There are many other options for less money that provide better sound in my opinion. I own an Accoustimass 5 system and it works and provides acceptable sound and is being used by my children in a small space. I owned a Bose 901 system decades ago.

Chris

Re: Bose Lifestyle 38

I've taken a Bose speaker apart. They are, for lack of a better term, crap.

You can EASILY buy better speakers and a decent receiver with all the bells and whistles (just not the new, improved audio formats until late in the season this year or early next) for $3,000.

Dan

P.S. Repeat after me: "Bose is overpriced crap."

Re: Bose Lifestyle 38

Actually, it's because we understand the laws of physics. We need not be out $3k to discover that small cheap paper drivers cannot break these laws. You can be sure that most Bose employees, including Amar himself, don't use those systems either. I doubt that they use any of their own speakers at all.

We're not being "in vogue." We just know better and hate knowing that people are looking for decent sound and then get suckered into boom box sound quality for a substantial chunk of change.

Re: Bose Lifestyle 38

To back up your claims please provide a spec sheet for your Bose System. YOu can't because Bose won't publish them. I have actually found some that people have produced doing their own measurements and it is not a happy story.

Here is the thing. Bose is probably the best marketed brand in the country (if not the world). Got that "Marketed", not the best speaker company but the best marketing company. They are brilliant in that regard. They spend a lot of time and money figuring our how to position their products, display them etc to sell them to their target market.

That market is not audiophiles or even Home Theater enthusiasts. It is married guys with wives who want invisible speakers and figure that at least if they spend a lot of money hopefully they are getting something good.

So really this isn't the place to find others to share your love of Bose with.

*to see Bose marketing in action go to almost any store that sells them. You will notice several things in common. No specs, usually they will not be displayed with any other brand of speakers so you can't compare them. They also will usually focus on how tiny they are and still have that "big" sound. Oh and while you are at it ask the sales guy if they are having any Bose specials or sales coming up (or ever).

Why do you think this is? It is because Bose controls how their speakers are sold in stores. Because they are a marketing company.

BTW my whole home theater system cost less than your Lifestyle system and that includes the projector. So you can feel good about your purchase but I will be enjoying my HT system and having money in the bank.

Re: Bose Lifestyle 38

Actually, they market towards those who don't care about sound quality (largely the same market that connects their iPods up to their main system, and think it still sounds good). The plain fact is, you can't have decent sound without caring about frequency responses, crossovers and EQs.... There is some truth to the saying "No highs; No lows..... Must be Bose."

Edit: After thinking about it, I suppose that Bose speakers would be advantageous to those who want the same, shrill, lifeless sound afforded by their iPod on their main system, with any source.... might be a market there...hmmmm.....

Re: Bose Lifestyle 38

I can understand why women buy Bose. I can understand why younger kids and older folks buy Bose. I can understand why anyone who has never spent any time in a forum like this one might buy Bose. But any MAN who has spent time researching on a home theater forum site like this one and STILL wants Bose, well....that I don't understand. Some people need to sack up and quit allowing the Bose machine to brainwash them.

Re: Bose Lifestyle 38

So, did Sound and Vision get paid to write the nice review of the LS 38 that I provided link to at beginning of thread?? I don't have a dog in this fight, but cmon...it's one thing to rip on Bose for poor quality products, but it's pretty lame to tell a guy he needs to "sack up" and not get Bose.

Re: Bose Lifestyle 38

If you'll go back and read all reviews in these magazines, you will find that no reviewer says that something is out and out crap, you know why? It is because the magazine gets advertising revenue from these companies and does not want to piss them off. You have to read between the lines sometimes and take what they say with a "large" grain of salt.
You are fighting a losing battle here defending Bose, go to another forum and annoy someone else and leave those of us who know better alone. You have been warned......

Re: Bose Lifestyle 38

Sorry it offends you, but that's my opinion.

Re: Bose Lifestyle 38

There are definitely people who like the sound of Bose and that is fine, however you really are going to have a tough time finding a forum like this where there are many, if any fans.

A little story - my dad own's a Bose AM-15 package (sigh, he didn't know) from years ago. It doesn't sound like crap, but it doesn't impress either. He remodeled the den and wanted another small system in there, but didn't want to spend that kind of money again, so I found a small AR package AND a Marantz receiver for $540. Guess what? It actually sounded better for less than half the price (INCLUDING the receiver) and the speakers are exactly the same size.

Re: Bose Lifestyle 38

So where's the technical appendix to that S&V review? Was it compared to any other gear?

It sounds as though the Bose is convenient to use and setup. But there are better solutions-- they just might not be as "integrated".

Re: Bose Lifestyle 38

Move along folks. There's nothing to see here. Both SteveKA and the article say what everybody says about Bose: if you don't care about the price or the sound, but just want convenience, then the Bose is fine. For HT forumites, that's sacrilege. For many consumers, it's a simple solution. It's the same Bose argument that has been fought forever. I guess it serves a purpose in letting the OP know (in his fourth Bose thread) why people looking to maximize sound quality vs. $ will not buy Bose.

Re: Bose Lifestyle 38

I'm sure you already know this, but Bose will not allow a proper and thorough test report of their squawkers - not published at least. S & V will now only do "User Reports" of Bose stuff that show no specs so that Bose won't sue and will still advertise in the mag. I feel sorry for Ken P. He had to say nice things about the system when he probably wanted to tear it a new one (in writing).

Re: Bose Lifestyle 38

If indeed this poster KennethDA is a promoter for BOSE, then he should realize that making these posts does not help the BOSE image it diminishes it buy every person that reads it. It is not likely a salesperson for BOSE would make that connection, but who knows? It is possible they just want to cause ruckus and find it humorous to start threads that will inevitably turn sour.

Seth=L

We owned the lifestyle 38 for 3 years. Left it to the new owners when we sold our house. We were suckered into buying it (our own fault) when we went to a Bose store and went to the demo room they had set up. I was blown away at the way it sounded in there show room. Because I was a novice at audio equipment, and still am, I did not understand the trickery of the demo. I was convinced that this was the way to go. It wasn't. Do not and I repeat do not buy one, you can do way better for your money, probably buy half and have a better sounding system.

Every so often I drop in the Bose Store at our local mall.   I do get a kick out of messing with the sales people when they ask if I want to see a demo of their latest life style system.   I ask them If they will play a CD or DVD that I brought along  on the system.    It's then I get the strange looks and comments like.  Well our system is not set up to do that, and other excesses.   The fact that they will not play your own audio source should be the tip something is not right.   Then I tell them that I own an old set of 901's and then they smile and realize I was messing with them. 

But I do admit that Bose has carved out a niche in the home theater market.  When I was in the market for my first 5.1 system last year.  My wife was sold on getting a Bose Life Style system because she liked the small size of the cubes and the small receiver in our family room.  She thought it would be an easy sell because I owned a set of old Bose 901's.  It was quite a battle and  we had to demo many other satellite systems before she was convinced their were better and cheaper alternatives to the Bose cubes.

My other problem with the Life Style system is the fact that you have to commit to both Bose speaker and receiver to make them work.  The smaller Jewell size cubes will only work with the Bose receiver and visa verse.

I'm not getting it. Why does a reference to the old 901s mean you were messing with them?

You can look at it that way. You'll seldom see any reviewer say anything bad, about anything, except that the remote could be better. They don't want to bite the hand that feeds them.

Of course not! You think we're going to spend that kind of money, to buy something that most people into home theater knows is crap? That would be just plain stupidity.

In 1984, Bose Corporation sued Consumer Reports for publishing a review in which Bose speakers did relatively poorly. The review stated that the stereo image of the Bose speakers was unstable and "tended to wander about the room", undermining the basic Direct/Reflecting concept behind Bose's products. The final verdict ruled that Consumer Reports had in fact libeled Bose by overstating its negative findings, which were, more precisely, that the stereo image merely "moved along the wall" behind the speakers.

Here is some good reading about Bose. Some truthful reviews:
http://www.firstadopter.com/fa/archives/001749.html
Click on the links, and read those too. :)

Sorry that you missed my humor.  Most of these Bose sales people do know that an old 901 system is a superior product to what they are currently selling.  

8/4/06 at 9:23am



8/9/09 at 8:34am


That's quite a thread bump - 3 years !!


I know quite a few single guys who bought Bose, even though it was an expensive buy. There are people who just don't want to do any research and will happily base their decisions on marketing. Actually I think that's the vast majority of people, there's no other way to explain people buying crap with their hard earned money in this day and age with no research.

FWIW, I think Bose makes decent car audio. Well, I know they have a big chunk of the luxury car audio market, along with B&O, Mark Levinson etc. I don't know how they compare.

I own a bose 38 lifestyle and am satisfied by it.  Granted I bought it used for 1/3rd of the original price. As stated by many people the interface is great. The interface between the bose roommate and the lifestyle is amazing.   The lifestyle speakers and receiver look as though they were made for each other.  Its not the bulky receivers that you normally see.  I am not an enthusiast for sound so I cant tell you whether its better or worse than other systems.  I wouldn't pay full price for one and would definetely do more research if I were to do so.

I own a older lifestyles system which I had purchased back when the WIZ still existed (circuit city is buried right next to them) True I was happy with the system but started recently looking around to see if I should go with the 38 system but found out I could get more bang for my buck and get a higher quality sound and better performance for at least half the price. One thing I found out
BOSE speakers = Paper
and the bose system does not hit the lower freq that you could get with other systems for less. Well that's my 2 cents anyway