B&W vs BOSE (1 Viewer)

[GarySI]

I'm not starting a Bose trashing run here, just want to relate a story that happened the other night.
A fellow my fiance met while on jury came by the other night to see the Matrix again before going to the new one. I only met him and he mentioned his Bose system. My girlfriend immediately said "Oh Oh don't get him started." I really didn't get into it too much, then put the disc on. I run the 602's,601's, a CC-6 (for now) and the 10" Titanic, not a great system but my starter set for now. Well, after the disc he was speechless. All he could talk about was the lobby scene, when in the midst of the gunfire and the exlposions the shell casings hitting the marble floor were crystal clear. He wouldn't stop about the shell casings. We listened near ref level and he said this crippled his BOSE Lifestyle. Ooooh what a feeling. He is going to sell it and get "real speakers". Another convert. One more thing, I saw "Reloaded" and it was the first time in a theater in over a year. Cineplexes suck. The sound was low and compressed. Here in NYC, I guess the only theater that might be worth it is the Ziegfeld. During the movie the fellow kept saying, "I can't wait to hear this at your house"

 

[Brett DiMichele]

You can "talk" till you are blue in the face to a Bose
owner.. It's much better to let thier ears be the judge
and unless they are completely deaf or just have really
bad wax buildup they are certainly going to HEAR the difference.


Good work!

 

[Randall Duncan]

Ok, this is a little off-topic, but yet still on-topic...

I'm still stuck with a Bose AM3 system... But I plan to replace
it with some Wharfedale Diamond 8.1's this summer. The AM3 system
is "OK," but it barely even serves its purpose as a computer
multimedia system, let alone a home-stereo system.

Note: I never really liked Bose, but I purchased an AM3 system
just to see what this "great sound" that everyone is talking
about actually is. Well, it's not "great sound," it's just some
repetitive advertising that leads to brainwashing.

Bose is to speakers what AOL is to internet service... And, if
you think about it, that is so true. They both grab their customers
by brainwashing them with "the most respected name" and
"America's #1." Both are overpriced for their value and both
claim to have the "best" product. It's companies like these
that put good companies out of business.

Comparing B&W to Bose is like comparing a wide-screen color
television to an old transistor radio.

 

[JeremyFr]

thats a hard way to learn Randall....but anyways I went and saw reloaded at a Local Regal Theater I was actually quite happy as I generally loathe and refuse to patron there establishments. Its a relatively new theater within the last 3 years and I was quite surprised.

1.) the Theater was traditional seating not stadium seating (thank god) The auditorium sat roughly 650 people like in the good ol days before stadium seating.
2.) due to it not being stadium seating they show movies in correct AR instead of chopping to fit the predetermined aspect screen they have to use for Stadium seating equipped theaters.
3.) it had all EV sound, being that I used to work in the theater business I always preferred these over JBL systems. and last but not least
4.) all Christie projectors (Cadillacs of projectors both digi and film based)

Needless to say the picture quality was awesome, I got to enjoy it in all of its 2.35:1 glory and it sounded as good as it looked.

This is the true way a theater should have been. Its sad that the masses have decided for some crappy reason they like Stadium seating not realizing it ruins the movie for many technical reasons I can get into later.

 

[Ron_L]

Christie is NOT the cadillac of projectors I'm sorry to inform you. I think that goes to the Norelco AA2.

 

[JeremyFr]

funny they use Christie Lamphouse's

 

[JeremyFr]

They use to have a Norelco setup here in the seattle area it looked horrid with the cinema scope screen etc.

 

[ryan_m]

Its sad that the masses have decided for some crappy reason they like Stadium seating not realizing it ruins the movie for many technical reasons I can get into later.

I'd like to hear the technical reasons why stadium seating is bad. Whatever those reasons are, having someone's big head not obstruct part of your view certainly isn't a "crappy" reason to prefer stadium seating. I don't get this pre-determined aspect screen that you speak of. I know the theater I frequent shows different aspect ratios. Are you saying they are not really showing the correct 2.35:1 and 1.85:1 ARs and are changing it just because of the stadium seating? I don't see why that would be necessary (and to my eyes it isn't happening).

 

[Ron_L]

explain " horrid " please.

and the technical reason for not likely stadium seating is that the projection tilt in some theaters causes " keystoning " on the screen which can be distracting presentation wise.

 

[JamesCB]

"B&W vs B*s*"

It hurts me to even see those names together in the same sentence.

 

[Lew Crippen]

due to it not being stadium seating they show movies in correct AR instead of chopping to fit the predetermined aspect screen they have to use for Stadium seating equipped theaters

I’ve been to several theaters with stadium seating that also projected films in the correct aspect ratio. Sorry to learn that your experience is otherwise.

In my experience stadium seating does not equate to projecting only one aspect ratio.

 

[Randall Duncan]

"B&W vs B*s*"

It hurts me to even see those names together in the same sentence.

Me too.

 

[EdNichols]

I know this is off topic but since we are talking about Cinemas. Do Cinemas play at reference level? I have watched some THX movies and they just don't seem that loud to me. Especially compared to reference at home. I thought THX meant they were played at reference.

 

[JeremyFr]

Ok well here in Washington State and also if you also go to Kodaks Cinematography website they discuss this all more in depth but here goe's. Regal in most of its stadium cinemas uses a screen that is approximately 1.78:1 with no aspect change capabilities to give the huge screen in front of you feel, there are many problems with this style of theater that include either a zoom on 1.85:1 movies or matting off the sides on 2.35:1 movies to make it fit this type of screen. Also they have to use a different lense for the extreme screen size and short throw distance this cause's on almost every occasion a subpar picture brightness sometimes less than 25% at the sides of the screen of what is recommended. Also many times they end up having to run the lamps hotter which destroys the prints over time due to them running hotter than the heat dissipation systems in the projector are intended for. This causes the print to bow as its being projected thus getting it caught in the gate and adding those wonderful green colored scratchs we all hate to see running through a print. Many directors are getting increasingly angry with Regals one size fits all mentality for screens though unfortunately theres nothing that can be done aside from not patronizing there theaters with this mentality. At anyrate I'll try to find the links for the Kodak articles about this it may change how you look at the Regal Corporation.

 

[JeremyFr]

Here are a few of the links that cover some of the subject matter that I covered.

First is the main page with all the very interesting articles that everyone should read

http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/newsletters/pytlak/

This article covers composition of projection I.E. projecting the proper aspect ratio

http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/ne...g2001P.shtml#p

and last about screen luminance

http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/ne...h2000P.shtml#p

 

[Adam Bluhm]

I love our local Cinemark and it's stadium seating. It's much better than the theater in downtown Scranton as it seems like the seats in front are higher than those in the rear. Even in the back it seems like I'm straining to look up at the screen.

 

[Ron_L]

Jeremy you didn't explain " Horrid " on the Norelco.

Regal is a budget theater company that cuts corners on their installation by making their theaters masked with 1 AR which is 1.85:1 ( flat ). When a Scope picture ( 2.35:1 ) is shown in these theaters, the results are cropped off the sides of the anamorphic picture.

 

[Ron_L]

Ed,

Most cinemas are not properly setup sound wise. The Dolby fader for reference is 7 on the dial.

 

[Arnie_A]

At least your friend admitted that B&W really sounds better. My friend who spent $2,500 on his Bose AM-15 heard my B&W setup, 603s, 601s, LCR60, all series 3 and while he admitted that it sounded good, he didn't admit that it sounded better than his failed $2,500 "investment." His final sentence was: "Well, if it sounds good to me, that's all that matters." It's a true statement, but one would have to wonder if he is has a hard time hearing or just doesn't want to admit it.

 

[Lew Crippen]

Here are a few of the links that cover some of the subject matter that I covered.

Thanks for the links Jeremy. Much appreciated. But I’m not sure that you can generalize from the Regal theatres with which you are familiar that ‘one size fits all’ is a problem with other theaters with stadum seating.

As for Regal, they own a theatre a mile or so from my home that I have only been in once, for two reasons, the first of which is the substandard sound system and the second is that the aisle is smack in the center of the seating area, thereby eliminating the best seats.