Why do people buy Bose? (1 Viewer)

[Ryan Leemhuis]

Do people buy Bose just because of the name? It seems to me if they were REALLY bad...people would realize this and not buy them anymore. I know they have a niche with the tiny speakers market...is this why people buy them. Just wondering why they are so often thought of as being "the best" among the misinformed...

 

[John Garcia]

1) NAME

2) Small, because the wife says so.

3) No other reason if you've done 2 seconds of research.

 

[Johnny_M]

most people dont know what "best" is and they dont care. they just want to tell their friends they have the best so they buy what they have heard is the best. the same people probably drop down tens of thousands on a car because of its fancy hood ornament.


Johnny

 

[Carl Johnson]

People buy Bose for the same reason they buy Cadillac, Starbucks and Evian. Similar products can be had for less money but a whole lot of people will pay a whole lot more money for name recognition.

 

[Ryan Leemhuis]

Can anyone point me to some reviews that show exactly how bad BOSE is?

 

[Matt_Smi]

Bose does not really allow people to publish reviews in magazines and such, but the closest you will get is the link below, it’s better than a review IMO, it’s an analysis.


http://www.intellexual.net/bose.html

 

[Joe D]

Get this straight, Cadillac is a great car, Bose are crappy speakers.

 

[JohnSmith]

1) Price- because they're so expensive, compared to a pair of "normal" speakers, they MUST be good.

2) Urban myth they are good speakers, mass public surrounded by constant advertising of the product, word of mouth from other duped friends & relatives who think they're great sounding speakers.

3) Small, so ideal for men where the women wear the trousers in the household.

4) Because the salesmen says they're the best speaker in the world.

5) Because Hi-Fi buffs dismiss Bose (this arguement is taken the other way)- we are "jealous" of the Bose sound quality.

6) Belief that the components are high-end parts, and the best design for speakers. But in reality cheap, thin plastic cabinets, cheap small paper multi-range drivers, spring-clip connections, cheap bass module parts & amplifier, cabinet etc.

 

[John Roger]

I just sold my boss and brought a jbl.Man! wat a relief!!!

The only reason is why i fell into this trap is the name.

 

[Brad_See]

The deeper reason for all this is an incredible marketing machine.

brad cook

 

[VinhT]

Another reason is that Bose dominates in the car audio arena. Since even luxury vehicles offer Bose Audio as an upgrade, it is not surprising that Bose is often regarded as elite.

 

[JohnSmith]

I know! My dad's looking at buying the Nissan 350Z- the "top of the range" sports model has a Bose sound system!!

 

[Ralph B]

uneducated or its the only speaker they have heard other than kmart brand.

 

[CalvinCarr]

Back in the late eightys Bose was thought of highly. Electronics and the amount of manufacturers have come a long way. Back then there weren't many companies to choose from. They are still making a name based on that.

For most people that buy luxury cars that want a descent sound without having to spec. out a system Bose isn't too bad.

 

[Chu Gai]

similar reasons as to why people eat mcdonalds or buy rheingold beer.

 

[Fred_Krampits]

I think of the Bose mythos as being similar to Heinz Ketchup. The big difference being is that Heintz is actually worth the extra cost!

 

[David James]

Amazing, 15 posts and no one thinks people buy audio equipment based on how it sounds. Since you guys don't like Bose, it must be all they other reasons.

Don't get ruffled, I'm not going to argue anything for or against Bose, but give some consideration to the possibility that at least some people who buy Bose do so because they like the way it sounds.

Why do you buy your stuff, is it because a bunch of people on the HTF rave about it or do you like the way it sounds? Perhaps people have different preferences, maybe?

Disclaimer:
I don't own Bose, work for Bose, know anyone who works for Bose etc.

 

[Iver]

There is one product where it's obvious why they enjoy not just a great deal of sales success, but customer satisfaction: their packaged HT systems (Lifestyle or whatever they're calling it now).

Bose actually goes to the trouble of producing products, and accompanying owners manuals, that allow the average consumer to purchase and install the system on their own without a great deal of difficulty.

This may seem obvious, but just take a look at one of your owner's manuals (say, Denon, just as an example ) and imagine an average person or even, god forbid, a technophobe, trying to make any sense of it.

And, I'll go out on a limb here and guess that in addition to providing owners manuals written in plain English, color-coded connections, and all those other things that make ownership a satisfying experience, Bose provides an 800 number where you can speak with somebody in your own language who will actually try to help you with any confusion you may have, rather than multiplying said confusion.

Now, to many HTF'ers, who probably like it when things are more complex than necessary (myself, for example), this may not seem like much, but to, let's say, a retiree who wants to treat themselves to a nice HT system that they can get running without a lot of annoyance and without having to hire a consultant, Bose products provide a very attractive option, both before and after the sale (yes, I know the Bose HTIB's use those little plastic cube speakers, but owners don't seem that unhappy with them).

To get back to what I think the original poster is asking, I don't think that all their speakers are that bad. They have a line with three-digit numbers (301, 601, 901, something like that) which is not totally out of line with the general values available in their price range. Can you do better for the same money? Yes. But are they total rips? No.

To sum up, as long as you won't be bothered by how much more you could have received for your money, the Bose HTIB's are very user-friendly (if not wallet-friendly).

As for the overall popularity of Bose, doesn't everybody want to get a "flat-screen TV"? Bose, on the marketing end, is pretty much the same proposition. People just know it's something they're supposed to want, without really knowing why or understanding the alternatives.

 

[Tuan Vo]

I remember that my dad bought the current acoustimass system that I'm using now because we didn't know any better. Without the research and such, it just seems like bose is better than the other choices at Bestbuy. It was also convenient to have everything in one package I guess. I thought the wall mounts were a rip off since it was like 100 bucks for all four. Bose is just known by name and not by quality for the non-researching home theater enthusiasts.

 

[Lev-S]

a couple and the university-going son came into the Shop to buy headphones. They had checked out Grado SR-60s elsewhere and asked for an opinion on the BOSE Tri-Ports. I gave them an honest one and suggested that they buy the BOSE or Sennheisers to audition against the Grados. They bought the BOSE and left. They never came back. Now, after buying a pair of SR-80s for myself, I can't help but feel a little sorry for them... :frowning: