Funny Bose story (1 Viewer)

[John Garcia]

I took my daughter shopping, and got tired of wandering aimlessly with her, so I just let her go off on her own for a while. If I don't have a reason to be at the mall, I really have little interest in being there, but I figured I'd drop by the Bose store just for some laughs. Fortunately, they were just starting their new demo in their promo room, so what the heck. Midrange was extremely clear, but deep bass was sort of lacking as expected. Bass centered around 40Hz or so, though it wasn't boomy; pretty standard fare from Bose otherwise. One thing I found interesting was, they said "The room your system goes in will have a big affect on how your system sounds." So then why do they not demo in a room that is more like what a typical home looks and sounds like rather than a well damped, custom treated room?

The one thing that did actually surprise me was the effectiveness of AdaptiQ. It worked surprisingly well, though with their demo so well rehearsed, it's hard to tell if it was recorded that way or if it was doing it's job. The guy comes out and puts a box around the center, which becomes muffled, then they turn AdaptiQ on and it regains some of its sound quality, most likley by shifting the sound out to the other speakers. Not bad, but it's not like I would put my center in a box...duh. "Sure, I want to keep my speakers inside a drawer, can your system auto calibrate for that?"

The theater was nearly full, I'd say about 12-15 people. Once the demo was over, the guy asked "Any questions?".......not one. Everyone had already walked out while he was asking, LOL . One guy stuck around and I HAD to ask a few inevitable questions - "How much power does that thing put out?" He answered, "Well, we don't publish that information, but it's sort of irrelevant because the system all works together, Why?" to which I replied "Well, what if I wanted to use some other speakers with it?" "Um, you can't, you're sort of stuck with them." The other guy asked two questions: "How much? Do you guys install it?" He didn't stick around after the price was revealed...$3699! Amazing. Dumbfoundng. Too bad I didn't have a drink to spit out on him in surprise, because I would have.

Admittedly, it is a well done demo, and if you've never heard a decent HT, I would expect it is quite impressive from that standpoint. Definite cool factor for the total noobie. However, it was clear that almost everyone in there just wanted a place to relax for the 15 or so minutes, because not only did they all walk out of the room, they walked out of the store.

At least it was some free entertainment And my daughter still wasn't done shopping...

 

[Leo Kerr]

the last time I was there, they did a slick demo (but this was some years ago,) and I've often been tempted to wonder: given the way Bose often does 'surprise' demos, what are the odds that the visible speakers that they claim they're using... aren't? That they're using hidden ones and processed recordings?

Leo

 

[Kenneth Harden]

I am too proud to go in to a Bose store unless it was with a baseball bat

Any idea if the current systems are at the end of their life? Wonder what Bose will come out with next.

I guess HDMI and iPod dock on the Lifestyle.

 

[John Garcia]

They already have an I-pod dock with speakers that is "easily connected wirelessly to a Lifestyle system."

Someone on here a few years back said got in the room before the demo was ready and found a host of gear that was definitely not Bose. Sound did seem to be coming from their satellites, though I am certain the power was not coming solely from their system.

 

[Shad R]

A friend and I went in one time just to give the guy crap. He played Armegeddon. I asked watts/power question, and a question about the "sub" He replied pretty much the same way. If it sounds good to you, it doesn't matter. One time, though, I almost bought one of their "demo" recievers! It was an Onkyo 7.1 reciever for about 200 bucks cheaper than it was at CC.

 

[Nhan_H]

Can you bring your own demo material in one of those stores?

 

[John Garcia]

I had a hybrid SACD with me that I was taking to use at another equipment audition at a REAL hi-fi store. I was thinking about asking him if I could bring it in and run it on that particular system (with no other customers in the room, of course), just to see what he would say. My guess is no.

 

[Richard_Fuentes]

the last time i was in a bose store, the demo was lion king, and to be honest it sounded alright. the next day, i went again and i brought in a retail copy of lion king and a few other dvds. so i asked on of the bosers if they can play a different dvd. to which he replied, 'the next demo will be ready in about another month.' so i say, 'i brought in a few of my own including lion king. how about you put in lion king just to see if it sounds the same as your demo disc?' at this point boser offers to play the demo one more time just for me. which i reply, 'maybe you can put in my matrix reloaded dvd so i can watch the opening sequence?' before he can wet himself, he askes me to 'please leave the store if i'm not interested in purchasing speakers from them.' i say, 'i would be more than happy to to buy your highest end system with cash if you play one of my dvd's.' the outcome, i guess they dont want my hard earned money. so no sale for boser.

 

[Citizen87645]

Ouch. That's awesome.

 

[Hank_P]

and to think you said that without busting out laughing. You could hurt yourself holding that back like that. Or, you're really not a good "bluffer"..hehe

 

[Grant B]

I saw one about 6 years ago at a Frys; nothing great but when they mentioned the price I laughed out loud which embarressed the salesman.


What is that for? I am confused and could not stand going to the Bose website to find out

 

[John Garcia]

Basically Auto-calibration and EQ like most other brands are coming out with. It seemed to do a decent job, but I have a feeling it was just the recording, not Adaptiq in operation.

 

[Adil M]

Accusations:
1) Hidden Equipment in the back to power their cubes a touch better.
2) They won't let me bring my own demo's despite possibly buying their best setup.
3) Crazy prices for music hardrive storage and ease of operation w/ their RF remotes and fairly invisible speakers.
4) AdaptIQ that helps deal w/ the room, but who has a box around their speaker anyway.

My local Bose store is not like this. First class employees actually.

It really bugs me when the same beaten horse comes up again and again. It usually starts w/ some interesting point and valid criticism and turns into.. heh ..heh Bose Sucks. Off my chest.

 

[Ryan_McG]

Well, I think it is safe to say Bose does suck in most peoples eyes on this board. I agree with that statement 100%, decent bang for buck can not be accomplished with this company, it's more like, no bang for big bucks! But hey, at least they are making billions off of unassuming customers.
Happy Bose bashing everyone!

 

[Dick Boneske]

Yes, Bose sucks! For the dollars they charge, you can do better anywhere else--even if your wife forces you to use small speakers.

However, the OEM Bose system in my Pontiac Bonneville sounds great! I often hear words in songs I never could understand before. People who remove these factory systems and put aftermarket ones in really puzzle me. I have heard very few aftermarket systems that sound as good as the Bose system in my Pontiac. The ones that sound better use Infinity Reference or Kappa speakers.

 

[Torgny Nilsson]

Adil M,

I am curious. Are you saying that your local Bose store actually gave you any specs on their products and let you demo your own DVDs and CDs? I have never heard of a Bose store that will do either one.

Buying stereo equipment from Bose is like buying a car from a dealer that won't tell you the engine size, gas mileage, or safety features of a car you are looking at and then won't let you test drive it but will only let you sit in a driving simulator they have set up. Only a fool would buy a car from such a dealer, and only a fool would buy a stereo from a company like Bose.

 

[PaulDA]

I've been to Bose stores, and invariably they refuse to answer real questions or allow you to play your own material. On that basis alone I would never buy ANYTHING from a Bose store. However, I've been in shops that sell Bose, along with other products, an in those places I've been able to play my own material--though they don't have any real spec info (they're honest about why, though). Perhaps Adil M is referring to such a store.

 

[gary-C]

Pro Audio enthusiasts here have an acronym for Bose:

Barely
On
Sounds
Excellent