Older Bose system (1 Viewer)

[Bose-Man]

Hi I recieved an older Bose system from a family member. Its kind of old but not ancient.. My question is


Can a system this old be hooked up to a HDTV for surround sound there is RCAs on the back of the receiver and its 6:1


I know it cant go with HDMI cables but I have 2 flat screens and want the system on the other one which is just RCAs


Figured I would ask first and maybe save myself a head ache or 2.. Any thoughts would be awsome !!!

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Rob:


Welcome to the forum!


Regards,


Joe

 

[Bose-Man]

Hi thx for the comment and yeah ive seen that bose is hated by all from this forum as well as others.. But the model of the system I believe well I thought it was an old acoustimass 15 but looking at the copy of the sales order it says Bose Lifestyle and it dated 96 lol

almost a dino HT, the TV is just a 30 HDTV inch with a cable box and a reg dvd player nothing special.. If I couldnt get the system to work I was just gonna pitch the receiver and buy something down the road..



the system is this one but it has 6 speakers err they say each speaker is actually 2 so I guess theres 12 speakers?? lol


Im pretty sure I can hook it up to any TV by useing RCA's but my womans dad is pretty dense at times

Claims that it cant be hooked up to a HDTV because its a digital signal which I almost laugh at thinking about it.. but is there any truth to this?

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

The reason I asked for the make and model of the other components is that the available inputs and outputs on them will make all the difference in what you can and can't do with the Bose system.

Unfortunately, "...30 HDTV inch with a cable box and a reg dvd player..." doesn't give me anything I can work with.

For that matter neither does "Bose Lifestyle", since Bose made a number of different models in this series, which had different features. The Lifestyle 28 went through at least three series, and the 38 at least four (shown as Roman numerals in the advertising.) The Lifestyle V20 was another variant.

Once you list your equipment, we can try to figure out how to get the most out of it.

Regards,


Joe

 

[CB750]

Rob


If you have a Bose Cube system with 6 speakers and no Bose receiver then you have a 5.1 speaker system and your speakers should be able to be used with a either a modern 5.1 or 7.1 receiver made by another company. If this is the case you may want to invest in a self power sub as the bass module that comes with the Bose systems is pretty weak but you will need to use it to connect your speakers.


However, if your Bose speakers are powered by a Bose Lifestyle receiver than you are probably out of luck as Bose tended to use priority wiring and the speakers many not work with another receiver so you are stuck with the limits of what the Bose receiver will handle.


If you find the model number you can find a manual for it on line and we can help you with what can and cannot be hooked up to this system given its available inputs. At the very least you should be able to get a two channel analog input to the Bose with RCA jacks from either your TV or cable box and the Bose will convert it so some form of 5.1 surround.

 

[Bose-Man]

Hi thx for the replys guys. As for the model numbers and what not I have the original owners guide all I see everywhere is lifestyle 12 system but on the back of the receiver it says model 5? But I hit a snag there is no 13 pin cord for the sub to the receiver and I refuse to pay 70 bucks for the cord and the unit not work anyway so I might just pitch the receiver and sub and use the cubes with a different receiver since my main media setup is HDMI anyway.. unless if anyone knows if you can get the main connecting cord maybe an after market. From what I have seen there are TONS of variations of this cord but the 13 pin is the only one I've seen that looks the way it does

And as far as useing the cubes with a different receiver I'm pretty sure I can since you actually plug the wires into the backs of the cubes and there just reg speaker wires on the speaker end. What I think is funny is in the manual theres diagrams with Laser disks lol


ok after searching online from what I see its a lifestyle 12 series II 5.1 and is so old its discontinued......

 

[David Willow]

Be very careful plugging the cubes into your receiver. They are made to work with the bass module and you could damage them or your receiver. You may want to confirm with BOSE before you try it.

 

[CB750]

The missing connector is probably the reason the Bose system was given to you.


I remember asking that question a number of years ago to a Bose store demo. They told me the cubes that are designed to be used with the Lifestyle receiver cannot be used with other brands of receivers. The Bose receiver adds some electronic boost to make up for the small low quality speakers that made them sound better than the cube speakers that are not without the Lifestyle receiver. I think the Lifestyle system that was being demonstrated had what Bose called the smaller Jewel size speaker as opposed to the slightly larger speaker that is sold as speakers only.They did tend to sound better with the specially produced Bose sound demonstration as that is part of the marketing hype. Who knows if this it true or not or just what a Bose tells you to get you to pop for the more expensive Lifestyle system.


I don't think you will find any specs on those Jewel size cube speakers as to what Ohms they are without that information you are at risk connecting them it to a non Lifestyle receiver as you could damage it. You see Bose want's you to spend $70 for that connector as that is how the company currently operates and they may not give you a straight answer. I think this is the reason this forum gets so many questions concerning how to connect Bose Cubes.

 

[Bose-Man]

OK after a week of hunting and searching I finally found out the system is a AM12 series II hard to find info on the unit not sure if this one just didnt sell alot or its just that old.. Now could I just do away with the module and get a powered sub for a new receiver and the 5 double cubes? since the cord im missing is a 8 pin din that goes from the module to the receiver, I could make an adapter since I did find specs as to what wire is what but thats to much effort.. I was thinking about getting a Pioneer or Yamaha 5.1 as a new receiver.


Any input would be great

 

[David Willow]

It looks like you have a very expensive home theater in a box. It has all the problems HTiB's have (proprietary connections, bad speakers, and uncommon resistance) and none of the advantages (most HTiB's are cheap). Breaking the components apart does not seem to be a good idea. The speakers are made to plug into the bass module and the whole system is made to plug into the 'control unit'.

So I have to repeat my earlier warning. Be careful using the speakers by themselves. You could damage your receiver. Plus, they will sound even worse than they do when used as a system.

 

[CB750]

Rob


Dave is right, even if connecting the Bose Cubes to a new receiver does not cause damage to the receiver, the speakers are not going to sound right. I have as set of of old Bose 901 speakers which comes with it's own electronic equalizer which connects to your receiver which boosts the frequency response of the speakers. Without that active equalizer the speakers sound like crap not matter how much you try to adjust the controls on your receiver. Bose uses the same concept in the cubes but builds that equalizer into the bass module and the receiver.

Bottom line is if you cannot find or make the necessary Bose connections to the receiver and bass module you cannot use the system. My advise it to start saving and establish a budget for a new Receiver and speaker system.

 

[Bose-Man]

I dont see where the problem is bose are 4-8 ohm receivers that I have seen are the same granted it may not sound the best

but it will work is all im wondering for now.. Im not looking for a blow my windows out system at this time just looking to use what I have for the time being and im willing to bet with a new real sub and a good receiver they would sound just fine.

 

[CB750]

I still think you would be farther ahead and would save a lot of money by making your own 8 pin connector and using the Bose system as HTib for your second TV. Then save up for a new receiver and better speakers for your main TV. But you seem to have convinced yourself that you want to spend money on a new receiver so go for it.

The College of Hard Knocks is a great way to get an education, provided you can afford the tuition.

Let us know how your project works out.