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Is Bose Any Good? (1 Viewer)

Dan Mertz

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Nov 14, 2003
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97
I don't know much about speakers, but I was under the impression that Bose speakers were very good. Since I started looking into getting a HT I have read some comments that make it sound like Bose is not all its cracked up to be. Is there a problem with Bose? Are they over-rated?
 

James~P

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Aug 8, 2003
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226
BOSE is a marketing scam. They are poorly built speakers, with equally poor preformance. For the price of a BOSE ACOUSTIMESS system, you could get a HT that will litterally blow it away.
 

Garrett Lundy

Senior HTF Member
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Mar 5, 2002
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Its a shame too. With the market saturation and huge bankroll this company must have (selling give-away drivers for hundreds) BOSE would be in a perfect spot to R&D some GOOD speakers and starting earning money with decent products. Can you image what SVS would be able to do for subwooferdom with BOSE's budget?
 

keir

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Joined
Jan 16, 2002
Messages
182
bose is only good if your main priority is having small speakers, they do NOT sound good compared to same priced competitors.
 

Chris Quinn

Screenwriter
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Jan 12, 2003
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"Can you image what SVS would be able to do for subwooferdom with BOSE's budget? "

I assume you mean marketing budget for R&D. SVS probably spends more on R & D than Bose already.
 

ChrisLazarko

Supporting Actor
Joined
Aug 13, 2003
Messages
867
Bose is just a scam. When they first started out they were a decent company but over time it has become just a name.

I went to BestBuy the other day and while my friend was filling out an application I decided to take a look really quick because I haven't listened to them in a while. The subwoofer I could locate very easily in my right ear, and the cubes sounded very bright and comparing it to other speakers like Athena, Klipsch, and even Sony it sounded poor and like something was missing.

Bose marketing will make you think that there product is top of the line and will not let you see any other way. They have no specifications on there speakers which is pretty low if you ask me for a speaker manufacturer that charges an arm and a leg for a setup that is worth about $1.

Take a look around and you will know why everyone says this.
 

LewB

Screenwriter
Joined
Feb 11, 2002
Messages
1,282
Let your ears decide. Do an A-B comparison between a Bose set of speakers and just about anything else priced the same.
 
Joined
Mar 19, 2002
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The problem with Bose is that you can't do A/B comparisons. They always have their own little display set up away from the high quality speakers, likely so people can't do this.
 

ChrisLazarko

Supporting Actor
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Aug 13, 2003
Messages
867
Yepp you never can. You ever notice how with Bose if you walk into a high-quality audio shop the Bose systems are placed far away? Also alot of high-end audio shops tell you to stay away from them anyways.

I know SoundCity near me has all there Bose systems out away from anything else and has everything else in show-rooms so you can compare other like products....

At SoundCity I often hear people come in and talk about Bose and the guy says how about taking a look at some of these speakers... in a few cases the person put up a fight but in the end the salesman finally made them see the light... in one case the person was deadset and unfortunatly bought it. To each his own I guess... to each his own.
 

ChrisArmour

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Oct 18, 2003
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I have to give Sony credit for saving me from BOSE. I bought a PS2 when they first came out, and at the time I had a Bose AM7 for the fronts, and model 100's for the surrounds, all running off of a Sony ProLogic receiver. Well, now that I had a PS2, I had a DVD player. So I started looking for a 5.1 reciever. I did my homework and found out what a LFE input is and a whole host of other info about building myself a 5.1 surround system. So I picked a reciever and then I went off to find my new BOSE system. I was about 5 seconds away from ordering the AM10 when I started to notice a few things about the shiny new BOSE speakers that I thought were the greatest thing in the world. The first thing I noticed that made me a little weary was the LFE input on the AM10, it didnt exist. How was I suppose to build myself a true 5.1 set-up with these speakers? I couldn't, 5.0 is the best I could do. So, I started to dig deeper. What I found opened my eyes, things like no THX certification(as an uneducated consumer THX certification meant something to me) got me rethinking how good BOSE really was. Then forums like this sealed the deal, I will never own another BOSE product(unless someone gives it to me for free, even then, I would take it with me to the range for target practice). So, thank you Sony, you saved me from years of audio ignorance.
 

Robert Cowan

Supporting Actor
Joined
Nov 10, 2003
Messages
504
i work in a relatively high end boutique audio/video store, and we actually bought a bose setup. we call it out secret weapon. when someone pulls out their "is bose any good?", we pull out the bose speakers. after a quick AB, bose is not mentioned anymore. since we arent a dealer for bose, we can do that.
 

Keith Mickunas

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 15, 1998
Messages
2,041
I've been in a couple of smaller shops where you could A/B bose with other stuff. The difference can be quite startling at times, even with music or movies you're not familiar with. Look around for an small, independent store and they may have bose set up next to other stuff.
 

ChrisArmour

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Oct 18, 2003
Messages
150


First I have to appoligize for reviving this thread, but I wanted to add to my previous post. I was at circuit city the other day and I took a look at some of the BOSE speakers, and to my surprise, it seems that BOSE has actually made some improvements to their accoustimass module. They have added a "true" LFE input to the module. Granted, you have to use their special connector instead of a traditional coax and the crossover probably eliminates any really low LFE signals anyway, but it's still an LFE input. Second, they changed the design of accoustimass cab from a "band pass" to a "transmission line". The Accoustimass module definatly sounds better than it used to, but thats still not saying much for it. Despite the improvements I'm willing to bet that a micro sub like the Pinnacle SubSonic would still destroy it in a sound-off. I still hate BOSE and hope they go out of business(I can dream if I want too), but at least they are making attempts at improving their products instead of charging the same price for the exact same thing year after year.
 

LDfan

Supporting Actor
Joined
Nov 30, 1998
Messages
724
Real Name
Jeffrey
Bose is fine if you like them. Don't let anyone influence what you like or don't like. If they sound OK to you then by all means buy them. As with any brand of speaker they may sound great at first but then when you hear them compared against another brand you may change your mind.

Jeff
 

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