How do I tell people that BOSE is not high end?? (1 Viewer)

[Thomas_Berg]

i'm a lowly freshman in college with a nice HT (given the situation) that includes an SVS 25-31PC. when i bring people into the room for a quick demo of the stuff, they are, of course, blown away. the question i get almost EVERY time (after the initial 'wow') is, "Why didn't you go with BOSE?!"
the first time this happened, i went into detail about how, even though he'd heard of Bose and thinks they're top-notch, my friend had never actually heard them in comparison with another speaker. i then rant and rave until i go hoarse and give another person a demo. here's where the cycle restarts and i get sick of saying the same sphiel. (i'm thinking of handing out pre-recorded cassettes

)
my question to you is: how do i get people to understand that Bose blows? remember, these are college kids who dont have alot of inate discerning powers. i'm really PO'd when someone comes to me and tells me that their Bose system at home is better than mine b/c they paid more for it.

thanks for looking and/or responding, as this is not the most important topic!
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-Thomas
Click here to visit my webpage.

 

[Jeffrey Forner]

Just tell them the truth. Tell them that in relation to other products in the same price range (or even in those below it), Bose speakers do not sound as good. Tell them how people's perceptions of Bose as a cutting-edge speaker company are mostly created by a slick marketing campaign. Tell them that most hardcore audiophiles, who practically revolve their life around getting the best possible sound, frown upon the Bose label, because it just doesn't sound as good for the money you spend.
And for those people who are so certain that their Bose systems sound better than what you've got, invite them over for a little demonstration, and tell them to bring their Bose speakers with them. If you have a set of speakers as nice as that subwoofer of yours, they should be returning the Bose speakers in no time.
This actually happens to me on occassion as well. Shortly after I replaced my Bose Acoustimass 10 speakers with the Home Theater Direct Level III set almost a year ago, some guy in my dorm said that "Nothing beats Bose." And recently, I was chatting with a co-worker about HT-type stuff, and I had mentioned that a friend of mine had just picked up a set of nOrh 4.0 speakers. After describing these speaker's unusual design and the reasons for it, he just shook his head and said, "Doesn't matter. Bose would still kick their ass." Even my brother, who has heard my system, complete with an SVS 16-46PC is convinced that his Bose system--which is actually made up of the exact same speakers I used to have--sounds superior to almost everything else.
I'll tell you, being a former Bose owner gives me some powerful ammunition to tear them down. When people hear me say that I have a system that sounds many times better than anything Bose could produce and a fraction of the cost, it gets them to re-evaluate what they originally believed to be true. Either that, or they just don't know what to say to someone who gave up his Bose speakers for something else.
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-J.Fo
"And you can tell Rolling Stone magazine that my last words were... 'I'm on drugs!'"

 

[Thomas_Berg]

that's usually what most of my little speech consists of, but people are stubborn. i have mediocre speakers (they are actually Bose-esque Cambridge SoundWorks Ensemble IV's that i got for free by winning hifi.com's giveaway) i guess those normal Joe's will never know the greatness they are missing out on by staying with Bose...
(my speakers are in desperate need of being replaced, and so is my cash supply...)
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-Thomas
Click here to visit my webpage.

 

[Carl Johnson]

You'll never walk into a movie theater or a dance club and see Bose cubes because they just don't sound as good as full sized speakers.

Just tell em something like that. Regardless of the subject matter ranting and raving is a good way to get someones attention but it rarely changes anyones mind. Don't waste your time bashing Bose because they do sound great as compared to what the average consumer is used to (aka speakers built into the television).

 

[Martice]

What a hell of a price to pay for glorified TV speakers!! It's almost like telling someone who swears that McDonalds food is just as nutritious as home cooked steak, potatoes and vegetables. Hey once you're hooked on the stuff it's hard to say no. If you have a computer which I'm sure you do, show them some of these forums and they'll get the picture.
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What if it gets no better than this!?!

 

[Rick Radford]

Link Removed
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--RR

 

[Bill Slack]

I just tell them:
"Bose: Better sound, through marketing."
They think about it, and kinda chuckle. If they've been in my car, and seen my apartment, they usually deem it reasonable that I know what I'm talking about.
I'll also admit that, no, Bose does not sound absolutely awful. It's better than an Aiwa mini-system (which they often think is pretty freakin' sweet!), but there's not much you can do with a 3" mid-range and 6" 'sub-woofer'.
If they still don't get it, tell them about this bridge in Nevada you'd like to sell them....

 

[Marty M]

The best way to inform people is to give them an audition of what you consider to be better speakers. BOSE has done a wonderful job of marketing, haven't they.

 

[John Geelan]

Bose systems aren't cheap so I say God Bless those people who spend that kind of money on a sound system. Even if they are unwilling to go and audition real speakers, they did pay through the nose for those Bose!

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[DaleB]

Actually, the quote about not finding Bose in a dance club is quite ironic. In the 70's and through the mid-80s, Bose were often seen in clubs, used by live bands.
And they sounded good! This was before the concept of the cube and little sub. They were closer to the old 901s in design.
But I suppose the cube is bringing in more dough.

 

[Bob Tarabella]

Ask them if they've ever wondered why Bose speakers are rarely sold in a setting where they can be compared to other brands. Of course they sound great when you do the typical A/B test of built-in TV speakers vs. $2000 worth of Bose product.
It's almost like trying to explain why a Macintosh is better and easier to use than a Windows PC to someone who is basing his decision on what he heard from the saleman at Circuit City.

 

[BryanZ]

Ask the people what the listed frequency specifications are for their Bose equipment. There is a reason why Bose doesn't publish them. That reason is because they do not cover the entire audible frequency of the human ear (i.e. 20Hz - 20,000Hz). People sometimes feel that Bose is better than Paradigm because Bose has been around a lot longer. "Bose costs more so they must be better." "Bose has a much better name than (for example) nOrh." Ask them what they paid for their current Bose system and then search for what they could have bought. A $2,000 Bose system will not stand a chance against a similarly priced nOrh/SVS system. You could even buy a receiver or stands too along with a sound meter. Which ones the better deal?

 

[Bob_L]

Why bother? Just let them listen to crap.

 

[Dennis P]

Wow, I can't beleive I'm seeing this discussion yet again. What is it about Bose that causes people to be so vehemently one-sided?
I'm no audiophile, so I can't say that my ears discern such subtle differences as to require me to spend $3000 on stereo speakers. But I CAN relate what sounds good to me, and that I have enjoyed my Bose Acoustimass 15 speakers for several years now. I certainly wouldn't claim they're "THE BEST", but I also wouldn't suggest they sound inferior to $100 bookshelf speakers, either.
Many of the complaints against Bose are based on the high price, and I would tend to agree Bose may have overpriced many of their products (then again, they're not running a charilty... why faul them for making a buck?) Personally, I didn't pay anywhere near the $1200 list price for the AM-15s, but paid much much less to a mom-and-pop store that flouts Bose's unwritten minimum selling price requirement. Someone joked "Bose: Better Sound through Marketing"... but it might be more accurate to say "Bose: Better Sales through strict reseller arrangements".
So what about the sound? Has anyone independently proven that Bose speakers don't exhibit "better" sound? Better that what? And that they haven't acheived this through research? I'm sure Bose engineers do some very good research and I'm also sure that they have excellent manufacturing and quality control. Perhaps the bottom line is either 1) Bose has brainwashed a large setion of the population, including many audio magazine columnists who repeatedly write favorable reviews of Bose products, or 2) good speaker "sound" is a highly subjective topic and is difficult to measure. Which do you think is more likely to be the case?
Someone mentioned that the Bose 901s used to be seen in clubs, etc, and that they were somehow "better" than the more recent "cube" sub/sat design. Even if that were true (and it may be), I'd like to make the point that there's a reason the sat/sub format has been so popular in recent years... and it may have little to do with sound. When I was shopping for home theater speakers (5.1 surrounds) , I specifically wanted something inobtrusive. A sat/sub design was perfect for my small room, and interfered minimally with the decor. Bose is one of the few brands with the foresight (duh) to offer their products in black OR WHITE (Cambrige does also, I think). The 3" cubes sound great. The only issue I had was with placement of the subwoofer, but as this was a room dynamics issue, I would have had this with almost any brand of sat/sub speakers.
Finally, the original posts asks how he can tell people that Bose is not high end. Feel free to rant and rave all you want to folks who make silly statements like "NOTHING beats Bose", etc. But keep in mind that there are also lots of people (like me) who enjoy Bose speakers and acknowledge that there are lots of very good speakers in the $500-1000 range.
If any of you feels you can suggest a set of 5 speakers and a subwoofer for under $500 total, please do. I know I spent a great deal of time and research into making my purchase decision, and feel I made a good one. But in the interest of continuing to educate myself, I'm still happy to hear other suggestions.

 

[Martice]

I can't fault Bose for making money anyway that they can. However, it still doesn't hide the fact that for the price inwhich they are offering their products makes them not a wise choice for the knowledgeable consumer. I'll put it to you this way, what would you call a person who was willing to purchase a Toyota Tercel for 50,000 because he/she thought it fit in their garage better? Especially when there are other cars out there to be had at a fraction of the cost of the $50,000 Tercel that may fit their garage just fine as well? Add in the fact that the drivers of these $50,000 Tercels swear that these Tercels are the end all, be all in electronics and everything else is inferior to their product.
As I've said before on this forum, one of the main reasons why so many people are not happy with their current setup is because they either don't know the true capabilities of their equipments performance or they are not being honest with themselves when it comes to their systems capabilities, expecting more than what they paid for.
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What if it gets no better than this!?!

 

[Martice]

I can't fault Bose for making money anyway that they can. However, it still doesn't hide the fact that for the price in which they are offering their products makes them not a wise choice for the knowledgeable consumer. I'll put it to you this way, what would you call a person who was willing to purchase a Toyota Tercel for 50,000 because he/she thought it fit in their garage better? Especially when there are other cars out there to be had at a fraction of the cost of the $50,000 Tercel that may fit their garage just fine as well? Add in the fact that the drivers of these $50,000 Tercels swear that these Tercels are the end all, be all in electronics and everything else is inferior to their product.
As I've said before on this forum, one of the main reasons why so many people are not happy with their current setup is because they either don't know the true capabilities of their equipment's performance or they are not being honest with themselves when it comes to their systems capabilities, expecting more than what they paid for.
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What if it gets no better than this!?!

 

[JerryW]

If any of you feels you can suggest a set of 5 speakers and a subwoofer for under $500 total, please do. I know I spent a great deal of time and research into making my purchase decision, and feel I made a good one. But in the interest of continuing to educate myself, I'm still happy to hear other suggestions.

Ok... here's a stab at your challenge.
HTD Level 3 bookshelves (L&R main) - $199
HTD Level 3 center - $139
HTD Level 1 minis (L&R surrounds) - $39
Sony SA-WM40 sub - $139
$516 + shipping
Of course, you could upgrade to HTD Level 2's for your surrounds, but that would add $90 to the price. HTD speakers are available direct at www.hometheaterdirect.com and the Sony sub is available at almost any online electronics shop.
This system would kill a $500 Bose setup in both HT and 2 channel music.
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"But you have to remember that a worm, with very few exceptions, is not a human being." - Freddy

 

[donovan_chin]

I agree with Bob. Why bother? If they want to be suckered by Bose's marketing, let them. If they are happy, I don't think matters. Remember, ignorance is bliss

 

[Dan Hine]

Dennis,
try http://www.hometheaterdirect.com
Dan Hine
Awww....You're too quick for me Jerry.
[Edited last by Dan Hine on September 04, 2001 at 12:55 PM]

 

[John-D]

where do we get the SONY sub for $139???
P.S. the discussion bears an uncanny resemblance to the one outlined in this BOSE FAQ
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The things we own end up owning us