Bose Acoustimass-6, 10, 15, 16 (1 Viewer)

[Rory Buszka]

Got to hear the new designs at Best Buy on the day after Thanksgiving. I thought they were an improvement over the older designs.

Strengths:

-Niche product - Still the smallest thing out there so if it has to be invisible these are the smallest speakers
-New Transmission Line Acoustimass module - Seems to go deeper than the 8th-order Bandpass designs
-The Acoustimass module for the AM15 and AM16 offers 3 woofers for louder output
-The prices between the older Acoustimass systems and the newer Acoustimass systems are unchanged so you get (slightly) more for your money

Weaknesses:
-Still poor frequency response (varies +/-10dB!)
-Crossover point to the "bass module" is too high (which means that you can still pinpoint the location of the sub)
-Bass from the Acoustimass module is still very boomy
-Bass module still uses 5.25" woofers (good for maintaining a narrow profile, but at the expense of a lot of performance)
-Still Overpriced ($30 worth of drivers sold at $1299 in the case of the AM-15)
-Seems very much like an overglorified set of PC speakers

*In looking at Bose Acoustimass systems, one must take into account that these will not give you true home theater performance, and much better sound can be had for much less. These remain having the best WAF factor (because of their size) but if you actually intend to listen to these for a long time then forget it. These are status symbols ("Wow, you can afford Bose!") for those who like to show off their money, not their sound system. These speakers quickly cause listener fatigue.

That said, it's a lot of fun to watch that little 5.25" woofer go. And the Bose system might be okay for apartment dwellers who have easily-annoyed neighbors because it won't shake the walls.

 

[steve nn]

Thats a good surmise Rory. I find myself watching the Acoustimass in action to from time to time. It always puts a smile on my face . At one time it used to make me growl but now I just laugh.

 

[Brett DiMichele]

M&K is comming out with a cube system with Cubes as small
as the Acoustimass Cubes...

You can bet for 2 Grand M&K's system WILL sound fantastic!

 

[Rory Buszka]

Yes, tiny, throbbing woofers are fun to look at.

Philips make a HTiB system with a subwoofer that had something called wOOx. It had a 6.5" woofer and a really long-excursion passive radiator. That was one loud, overachieving subwoofer, as I recall. The 6.5" passive radiator had dual concentric surrounds and it could move 1" in either direction. It was quite a display.

 

[Brian Ruth]

Quoth the Rory:
For most people, that's a bad thing.

 

[Adam Bluhm]

PC speakers are a good comparison to Bose. My 3 piece Altec Lansing (msrp $35 when I purchased them over two years ago) sound just as good as Bose's cubes, in my opinion. I'd be fairly sure that those Logitechs listed above would put a hurtin' on Bose cubes.
I tried to stay objective.. and I did. I listened to a Bose setup in Sam's Club today. I'm not sure what movie was playing, but everything sounded muddied. I didn't want to make judgement too awful quick, so I continued to listen.
I noticed people talking in aggression at one point. However, I could hardly here them, let alone know what they're saying. It was tough to decipher anything.
After the little presentation was over, it continued on to have some text flash by on the screen. It said something like, "Listen to clarity. Clear voices and crisp instruments."
I found it kind of humorous for two reasons. First, they're telling me what I should be listening for. I know what crisp sound is, so I'm okay there. Secondly, the 'clear sound' they spoke of after the short film was totally non existant.
My brother was with me who couldn't really care less about HT. He couldn't believe the price tag on it compared to the Pioneer 10 feet down the aisle (about a $600 difference). There was a cd in the Pioneer HTiB so I turned the volume up a bit. While all the speakers were stacked together, it was clearer. That was for sure!
Anyway, for those that will take this the wrong way, this is my first "bose bash" post. I'm not just here to give my opinion on Bose, though. I'll tell you what I think is a bad product.. Bose or not.