Need help winning a Bose convert. (1 Viewer)

[NickSo]

WHY BOSE SUCKS
Might apply to your mom, might not, but it does deal with the marketing stuff BOSE does to ignorant consumers (not saying your mom is ignorant, but the population in general is ignorant to HOME THEATER)
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[Gareth]

I have a BOSE wave radio. It is awesome. It is so user friendly and the sound is pretty incredible. Is it worth 500 bucks? Probably not, but I keep being amazed by its features. For example, when it wakes you in the morning, it slowly cascades the volume up. Nice feature so it doesn't just hammer you when you wake up. My girlfriend at the time gave me the worst time for it, but in the end she went and bought one!
I was out of home theater for quite some time, and then got the Bose Acoustimass speakers because I was moving so much. My friend got me interested again with a demonstration of his company's system. However, the funny part of the story is I bought an ADA-MPA501 5 channel amp first and ran the bose speakers on that. I don't think Bose has ever sounded as good.
Let your parents get the radio. Its really good and won't break for years.

 

[Gareth]

and just for the record, the bose speakers are long gone. =)

 

[Duncan Barth]

In my opinion, the high price of the Bose wave radio buys three things: 'status', decent sound, and a good user interface.
I'm not going to go into the percieved 'status' the thing provides... we're all familiar with Bose marketing.
My parents have one: it does sound pretty good for its size. The key there is 'for its size' Yes, my paradigm atoms sound better, but they also take up more space... which brings us to user interface issues.
The real win for the Bose is the user interface. It really is designed to be simple to use... and this counts for a lot in a non-dedicated system. It works very well as an alarm clock, and fits unobtrusivly in a room that may not have space for a full sized system.
I'm half tempted to get one actually: I'd like an alarm clock that doesn't sound like crap.
I was thinking of setting up a spare NAD C340 amp I have lying around with a cd player and getting a pair of Magnepan MMGs, and using that as a bedroom system. It'd sound a heck of a lot better than the bose waveradio. But it'd take up a heck of a lot more space too. The part I really haven't figured out though is how to use the thing as an alarm clock. There really isn't a good way, as far as I can tell. Ideas anyone?

 

[Vietor]

The part I really haven't figured out though is how to use the thing as an alarm clock. There really isn't a good way, as far as I can tell. Ideas anyone?

The way I did things back in HS, when all I had were some klipsch promedia 4.2-400 (computer speakers), would work just as well with a real stereo system (as it does for me now if I want it to).
The deal was I learned to turn my alarm clock off in my sleep senior year (don't get enough sleep and you can develop some pretty cool skills). So I had to find a better way of getting up. Set my computer BIOS to auto power on at a set time, and had winamp load and start playing a song on startup (just drop a winamp playlist in the startup folder, this of course only applies to a PC).
But I am a 'computer guy' and thus most everything revolves around my evil black box, but thats one easy way to do it.

 

[Duncan Barth]

I used to do the computer alarm thing too, back when I lived in a dorm. It works well, except that 'usability' is a bit finicky, and it requires a computer in your bedroom. Since that's currently not the case, I rejected that idea. I thought of trying to find a cd player that automatically plays when it gets power, and a wallwart timer plug, but that has finicky UI problems as well.
Bose seems to have a total monopoly on the whole usable, decent sounding, clock radio device. Its no wonder they're selling them by the truckload. Its a niche need, but it seems to fill it quite well. If only it wasn't so expensive.
I'm just surprised that no one has made a cheaper/better sounding knockoff yet.
Oh well. This has been a pet peeve of mine for some time now: I strive to tweak my home theater system in search of higher and higher fidelity, but I wake up everyday to an alarm that sounds horrible.
One day in my life I'll have money or time. If I have money, I'll get one of those evil Bose radios. Or a Linn Classik (which is significantly more expensive, but is a 'real' audio component that is designed well). If fate deals me only time, I'll build something myself.

 

[Todd Terwilliger]

Don't some bookshelf systems have wake-up/alarm functions?
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Todd.
"Ah, mercury, sweetest of the transitional metals..."
- Sealab 2021

 

[Kevin P]

Don't some bookshelf systems have wake-up/alarm functions?

Some boom boxes can double as clock radios--I have a $100 Sony in my cubicle that can do just that. The only thing it doesn't have is a snooze button. Although it's bigger than the average "clock radio", it's probably no bigger than the Bose.
But if someone really wants the Bose Wave Radio but doesn't relish the idea of spending 500 clams on it, I'm sure there are used ones on Ebay for less.
KJP

 

[Mike LS]

We need an HTF dictionary around here.
BOSE = open a can.
I'm really not trying to talk my folks out of spending $500 on a clock radio. Heck, I couldn't care less if they spent $5000 on a clock radio. I'm not living in their house any more...it's not like they're spending my tuition or anything.
What I guess I was really asking is if anyone has used any of the alternatives? The Cambridge clock radio/cd player seems to be built off of the same mold as the Bose. I just wonder if anybody has any first hand experience with both of them that can say that the Cambridge sounds almost/just as/better than the Bose?
I'd just like to be able to say, "Hey, if you think $500 is steep, check this out....it'll save you a couple of hundred bucks and sound just as good and do exactly the same things".

 

[Duncan Barth]

Mike: AFAIK, the Cambridge Model 88 radio doesn't actually have a clock built into it; it's just a table radio.
One of the alternatives not mentioned is the Nakamichi soundspace 3. Its also designed as clock radio, but like the Bose, the price/performance ratio is way out of whack.
It all seems to be a matter of perspective. In my mind, a device thats designed as a clock radio that sounds 'decent' and costs ~$150ish would be great. Any more than that, and the temptation is just to go all the way: Set up a music only system and figure out some way to make it 'also' work as an alarm clock.

 

[Mike LS]

Cambridge has a newer model of the 88....I think it's the 88CD, that gives a CD player and an alarm clock....so there's a good alternative (seemingly).
Hey, I've told them for the money they're looking at I could fix them up with a VERY nice bedroom system, but she wants the whole thing to fit on the table next to the bed.
Oh, did I mention it has to be white?

 

[Dave Poehlman]

I love my generic think-I-got-it-free-someplace clock radio. It doesn't get any radio stations and doesn't play any CD's. I just wake up to static and then I get off my ass and go turn on my real stereo.
Who needs a waveradio!?!?

 

[DaveF]

I can get to the Sony site again. I suggest looking at this:
High-end Sony alarm clock. This is a fair substitue for the Bose, for much less. Available at Circuit City, I think. http://www.sel.sony.com/SEL/consumer...io/index.shtml
Or this (doesn't have digital tuning, though). This is at BestBuy. http://www.sel.sony.com/SEL/consumer...cf-cd830.shtml
And now, for something completely different, I thought this was way cool: "Desktop AM/FM Weather Radio" Notifies you of storms and bad weather. http://www.weathershop.com/orsci_WR196T.htm

 

[John Tillman]

I'm thinking about the Model 88CD Table Radio by Henry Kloss. The research I just read, trashed the Bose (as compared to the 88).

Has anyone experienced it? At 14x10 it is kind of large for the ol' nightstand, but is a one plug solution that beats trying to incorporate a small system into the area.

 

[DanaA]

For what it's worth, I ordered a Cambridge CD/clock radio to give to my daughter for Christmas. The sound was very clear, but the volume, or lack thereof, bothered me. Nonetheless, I much prefered it to the Bose, so my choice would be much in favor of the Cambridge. Another note: I think I also ordered from the same mail order that you mentioned. They treated me with extreme class when I wanted to return it, so you might give it a try. I think they too have something like a 45 day return policy, but I can't be sure. By the way, when I discused it with my 14 year old daughter, she became very excited when, as an alternative, I suggested she adopt my old Onkyo 70 Pro, Denon tape deck, Onkyo CD changer, and Polk 55i speakers. I too became excited because that means I got myself a whole new system. Whoopie from both of us.

 

[Holadem]

I didn't read every reply, but I shall offer my opinion
Your mom wants a Bose Wave radio, get her a Bose wave radio. Really.
Not everyone is a HT nuts or cares about specs. While you and I only worry about how the dman thing sounds, she will get great satisfaction in have something with Bose printed on it in her bedroom, and giving her that satisfaction should be the only thing that matters, really. No better system will replace that feeling, no explanation of yours will. Get her the damn thing.
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Holadem

 

[rajiv]

Mike,
I see that you live in Atlanta, GA and I know that you folks out there have severe weather. If your mom lives south of Boston, MA and north of San Juan, PR and east of Phonix, AZ, then a weather radio is certainly desired. This way they can get official National Weather Service warnings and alerts. It could be a life saver. Unfortunately the Bose don't have this feature. So convince your mom she needs to have one if she's going to spend $500.
Good Luck,
Rajiv...
DEATH TO BOSE SYSTEMS

 

[John Tillman]

Sorry to drag up an old thread but:
I received a Kloss Model One today which will be plugged into a digital timer and used as a bedroom radio/alarm clock.
http://www.tivoliaudio.com/
Link Removed
So for $120 you get a great sounding $500 Bose killer.
The Model One pulls in all local stations with no fuss (built in AM/FM antenna). FM sounds great, AM is fine, pulls in NYC stations from like 40 miles out. I have to go to my car to match that. Will also take an external CD player.
Simple, sounds great... beats the static out of your $29 alarm clock.

 

[Marc Rochkind]

One thing that somehow gets ignored when discussions of Bose come up, whether it's the Wave radio or the 3-2-1 system, or whatever, is the way Bose designs for small physical size or, in the case of the 3-2-1 system, for both small size and reduced intrusion into the room.

In the case of the Wave radio, I am sure there is no radio of its physical size that sounds nearly as good. I have the larger Acoustic Wave (I think that's the name), and it is the only example of a good-sounding one-piece system that I can put in a carrying case and load into the car. Yes, there are minisystems that sound as good, I'm sure, but they are very inconvenient to load up for traveling and then unload when you get to your hotel room.

It appears to me the when Bose designs a system, they start with the desired physical size and arrangement for the intended use, and proceed from there, often coming up with extremely innovative solutions. Most everyone else starts with some other priority and lets the size just end up where it will.

It is definitely true that if you rearrange the design priorities you can come up with a different solution. Every engineer knows that.

Then, because they have an established brand, an excellent positioning, and good channel marketing (retailers, etc.), they are able to charge more than most of their competition. Business people would recognize this as an real achievement, nothing to scoff at.

Whether the folks on the forum like Bose or not is quite irrelevant to Bose, since we are not only not their target market, but we actually LIKE to spend our time doing what Bose customers want to AVOID: fooling around with electronics.