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

[steve_jk]

oops, apologies for double post

 

[KeithH]

Fair point, Steve. I would never criticize someone's sound system (Bose or otherwise) unless the person asked for my opinion. The other night, when I was at my friend's house with the Bose/mass-market Sony system, I held my tongue. It would have been rude if I had come out and said that she wasted money on the Bose speakers and that she could have bought far better speakers for less money. That's my opinion, but it's not my call. She knows I am into audio in a big way, but she never asked my opinion. We didn't even listen to music that night, nor did we talk about audio. We were there to watch a football game.
On the other hand, I have told people to stay away from Bose in general discussions about audio. I offer that opinion when talking to people who are looking to buy new gear. Of course, this is different than telling a Bose owner that his or her speakers are no good.
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KeithH: Saving the Home Theater World Before Bedtime
[Edited last by KeithH on September 06, 2001 at 11:40 AM]

 

[Mickey Brown]

As a recovering Bose owner, I have been down this road before. I'm the only one of my friends that was a music major in college, and really cares about sound. But when people stop by to hear my setup (Paradigm Reference with PW2200) the first thing they usually say is "Man, what happened to your Bose?"
All I say is,
"I auditioned these speakers and I thought they were just better for the types of music that I like."
And that's all I need to say. You see, I truly think that 98% of people could do a double blind test and tell you they hear a difference between 2 bose speakers and 2 paradigm speakers. But they couldn't tell you which one was BETTER. So it's really a moot point.

 

[KeithH]

Mickey, solid point. Certainly speakers, amps, CD players, etc. sound different, and I feel most people will agree with that notion upon making comparisons, especially with speakers. Which component is better is obviously subjective. Even when talking about two components that are disparate in price (say, a $400 CD player vs. $1000 model), determining which one is better is a matter of opinion. The $1000 model may very well communicate recordings authentically in a relative sense, but some people may not appreciate that. The double-edged sword of high-end audio is that you get take the bad with the good. Lower-end equipment may mask the flaws in certain recordings, which some may appreciate. I prefer to hear the recording for what it is, but some of my friends do not.
A few months back, I gave a friend a demo of SACD. We compared CDs and SACDs of various recordings (i.e., recordings that were available on both formats), including WHAM! Make it Big. To my ear and most others I have demoed this album for, the SACD (Japanese import for those interested) is worlds better than the CD. However, my one friend told me that he actually preferred the CD when listening to "Careless Whisper", which I think is amazing on the SACD. He found the bass on the SACD to be too "present" for his tastes and more subdued on the CD. He later conceded that it was likely that the SACD allowed him to hear WHAM! as intended for the first time in his life. I agreed with him 100%. The CD sounded like what he always remembered from this album. The SACD, on the other hand, brought out a lot more information, which can be a bit overwhelming at first. Does that make the SACD better? To me, absolutely. To others, maybe not.
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[Avi]

This is fun thread!
Saurav - If someone posts here, then you're right - they're trying to learn the nuances of this hobby, and should be "shown the light." But for the rest of the world (including the fellows the original poster is referring to), I don't see why we need to get evangelical. Good enough sound is good enough for them.
Chris PC - if someone tells me that their Bose system is better than my Carver system, I don't just set them straight with an A/B comparison - I punch them in the nose! And then we have an arm wrestling contest, and I rip their arm off! ...OK, basically, like many of the other intelligent folk here have posted, if they want to learn, we sit down and do some listening. And if they just want to enjoy their Bose system, then I don't have a problem with that!
Hank - thanks for the praise. However, I take issue with your characterization of "#2" (design/form factor) being "disgustingly" true. This is a common lament of enthusiasts in every field, and it overlooks the obvious -people have different priorities, and absolute quality is not always the most important. I can't agree that it's "disgusting" that many people care about aesthetics over sound quality.
VHS beat Beta because (initially) you could only tape an hour on Beta machines. Did Beta have better video quality? Yes. But for most people, taping a whole football game or movie was more important than resolution, and VHS provided two hour tapes.
The PC beat the Mac (despite a 10 year lead in technology) because hardware choice, software availability, and networking technologies were more important to IT managers than end user ease of use.
And Bose outsells most other brands of speakers because tiny speakers are more attractive than big speakers. The no-comparison big-box-retail sales strategy helps, too.
But even when you deal with performance-aware advisors - custom installers - you'll notice that aesthetics is one of their most important customer requirements. They choose to deal with aesthetics by using in-walls, not Bose sub/sat.
And JamesMartin... everyone has issues that they will not compromise on. But I think if you press us, even some people on this forum will admit that they don't define themselves as "home theater nut" *first.* It might go something like: Father. Yankees fan. Husband. Born Again Christian. Ad exec. Home theater nut. Republican. Car enthusiast. Vintage Scooby Doo lunch box collector. So if this guy's wife insists on sleeping around, rooting for the Red Sox, or converting to Islam, husband puts foot down. If wife insists on no monoliths in the living room, voting for a Democrat, or driving a minivan, husband (may) choose to compromise (or "live to fight another day.")
...and no flames on religion, baseball, or politics. I was NOT describing myself!
DaveF - The Bose Wave Radio follows the general Bose model: design something to accomplish a specific set of objectives, and charge accordingly. I think that the Bose Wave Radio sounds better than any other clock radio I've heard. It's also ten times more expensive, and doesn't meet MY primary clock radio needs - gigantic bright numbers and simple clear AM radio sound. So I certainly wouldn't buy it, but like the Bose speakers, if your requirements match their design goals, it may be worth purchasing.
Similar questions could be asked about other Bose products. I haven't heard them, but Bose airline noise-reduction headphones ($300) are supposedly even better than the decent Panasonic noise-reduction headphones ($40) I bought. If the economy picks up and my travel schedule soars, I may audition them to see if there's a $260 difference.
Bose custom car stereo systems also sound pretty good to my ears, and I'm not critical about neutral sound in my car. Given that there the price differential vs. alternative upgrades is not huge, I'd probably go with the Bose option if my next car offers one.
-avi

 

[Thomas_A]

I dont know... I think it would be quite obvious if you did use the same amp at same levels...and switched between bose and any brand speaker...and pick the bose out 100% of the time. Too me...there is just too big of a difference between bose and "other" speakers... Not just the little cube things either (wich I've owned)....
Amps ...doubt you could tell diff in a blind test... but bose..that would be easy..IMO
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[DaleB]

From a pure fidelity stand point in my opinion, I think the KLOSS table radio sounds better than the BOSE clock radio. From a fidelity perspective, not "room filling sound" (in Paul Harvey's words).
Listen to a vocalist and compare.

 

[Paul Ward]

A couple of places in fort worth that have bose on display for an A-B comparison.
1.) Toby Speakers about 1 to 2 miles north of I-35 on Montgomery on the west side. He builds custom speakers that sound very good and will sit around and BS with you if you want to.
2.) Sound Idea about 4 miles south of loop 820 on Hulen street on the west side. It sits on the southwest side of Hulen and Oakmont. Turn west on oakmont and its on the south.
I would round up your buddies and go to both and let therm hear for themselves.
I live in Haltom and would not mind letting them listen to my modest system.
My bose story:
I had a pair of Klipsch Heresy's that I bought when SPL's meant a lot to me. I found an pair of Bose 901 IV at a pawn shop that had a bad case of foam rot and was missing a driver. I picked them up for $30 bucks. I them bought a re-foam kit for $50 bucks and "fixed" them. One of my good buds loved Bose and after hearing that I had a pair of 901's told me that they would blow away my 15 year old Klipschs. After a good amount of break-in time for bose I had him come over for a listen.
I gave a blind A-B test of them for him. He said that one pair of speakers was muted, slow, no imaging, no sound stage just kind of bad. the others where bright, clear, pin point imaging, good bass, ect.... Well guess which ones he liked better... the 15 yearold relics from day gone past. Well he now no longer defends bose, rather just the opposite.
Paul

 

[Trey Fletcher]

Thomas,
Why not just print off this thread, and hand it to someone when they utter the unthinkable? It will save you time, and give them something to do in class

. TF

 

[Saurav]

Weren't some Bose speaker models designed to be used along with an equalizer unit? I'm not sure if the 901 is one of those, but if it is, then it's really not a valid comparision if you're not using it with it's "brain" or "controller" or whatever. I don't know what that box is supposed to do, but if it's meant to be used along with the speakers, then you're comparing apples to oranges if you're playing those speakers without that box. IMO.