Truth about Bose?

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I've always told people that for the same amount of money, I can buy a better surround system than the Bose surrounds. Most of them believe that Bose is the best audio brand in the world, so they get upset that I don't start raving the Bose products along with them. This "Bose vs. Traditional" argument's been going on for very long time. Most people do not know much about stereos and if they want to overpay for (just)good quality sound system with cool brand image, I think that's OK.
 
Bose Blows.

It's like mainstream rap. All show and all front.
 
I'm an experienced speaker builder, and I've known long ago that Bose is nothing more than a marketing company. They don't manufacture their products. They contract people to make the products they dream up. They use fancy names like Direct/Reflecting tweeters, which all tweeters are, btw. Tweeters are directional drivers. The sound is reflected off the face of the speaker box and the rooms surroundings, plus the driver is sending sounds directly to your ear. It's common acoustics 101 knowledge.

Their "Waveguide" technology takes advantage of the bass frequencies natural acoustic properties. Bass frequencies need time, and therefore distance, to sound full and complete. Take notice, ever wonder why you speakers sound like they have more bass the farther away you are to them? The lower the bass frequency, the more distance is needed to hear that frequency. It take 23 feet to fully hear the 30 to 40hz frequencies. The "Waveguide" takes a pipe directly from the output of the "woofer cone" and makes the sound travel the proper distance by switching the pipe back and forth, all around the inside of the "bass module," which gives the sound greater distance to travel, and therefore a more bass sound. Their "technology" is all known acoustical trickery.
 
yeah. that's why you don't hear that loud, high crash of thunder when lightning strikes very far away. you just get the bassy rumble.

I always laugh when I look at people oogling at crap in the bose store.
 
Omnis
yeah. that's why you don't hear that loud, high crash of thunder when lightning strikes very far away. you just get the bassy rumble.

I always laugh when I look at people oogling at crap in the bose store.
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My brother bought their high-end sound eliminating headphones. I tried them, and they worked pretty damn good. But, they were $300. I found a decent pair that performed the same for just under $80. Bose can contract somebody to build them some decent items, but it'll cost ya more than it should.

Cerwin/Vega is the same way. They're mostly crap. JBL is the only decent large speaker manufacture that offers great products, for a decent price.
 
So, what ARE the best speakers for the money you pay for a Bose one?
 
Oh,yeah I've heard about them.They're the ones that sell a £30k speaker system.
 
you can get reference class headphones for 300 dollars. Bose triports and QCs are horrible. Their build quality alone is atrocious. they're basically two thin plastic shells and a metal wireband.

edit: a few best bang for your buck headphones compared to bose's QC's are Sennheiser 595-650, or Beyerdynamic DT880s. These few cans alone will vastly outperform the QuietCrapfort headphones.
 
There is just one thing to remember about Bose a salesmen told me once...

"All highs, no lows...you guessed it, it's Bose." Ever since then I couldn't bring myself to buy it. In fact I bought a lower end truck off the lot because the one I liked better had a $700 Bose system in it. I'm way happier with the Alpines I have in my truck now.
 
That Bose sucks and is grossly overpriced?

Don't worry Jspec...they shouldn't be able to fire the truth.
 
I recently experienced Blose's crappy quality myself, as I've shopped for quite a bit of AV home theater equipment recently. The $3,000 Bose "Lifestyle" system was the first I heard in a Bose retail outlet in a mall. The older, less informed people with me were extremely impressed...ready to buy them on the spot. Fortunately, I pointed out the speaker's miserable failing points and they agreed to shop around more (they finally agreed with me on an outstanding set of Bowers & Wilkins 600 S3 speakers, powered by a Rotel). After movie watching on our system now, even the worst ears agree there is no comparison. It's a perfect example of how clever marketing, high-pressure sales tactics, and brand recognition can sell even the worst products.
 
Bose..... meh. I'm sure they're better then average, but they're certainly not the best.

I'm wondering about Celestion. How do they compare with everyone else?
 
I heard that Creative and their line of speakers are huge rivals. Maybe you should look into those?
 
Slicks
Bose..... meh. I'm sure they're better then average, but they're certainly not the best.

I'm wondering about Celestion. How do they compare with everyone else?
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I used to love Celestion. They once made my favorite guitar speaker. Not anymore. It's made with new, cheaper material, at a new, cheaper, manufacturing plant. It's no where as good as they used to be, but still OK. I hate how they made the greed play in the name of quality, though.
 
Bowers and Wilkins are the best speakers in the world.
 
This article (and discussion about it) seems to revolve around their speaker systems. What about their other products, like guitar effects pedals and so on?
 
There's no doubt about it, Bose kit is expensive. I would never buy a Bose source. However, I use the Acoustimass speakers commented on in the linked article, and find them to be excellent. The thing is, they're small speakers for a small room. They offer me more than the absolute best sound quality: they're discreet, they're versatile, they're hard-wearing (I have a couple on stands that have been knocked over 10-12 times, and they still work fine).

On this basis, they do the job I require of them, and they do it very well. Only recently has another product come out that I would wish to switch the Bose for, and that's the B&W MT-30, but even so, that costs 50% more than the Bose AM15 kit.

So, sure, they're not the last word in hi-fi quality, but as a lifestyle choice, they work, because they offer performance and convenience. I would love to have a full-size Quad package in my house, but it's architecturally impossible. So there we go.

In the study, I did audition a Bose pair, but didn't like them. Settled on B&W DM602 S3s. I'm actually something of a B&W fan.
 
I could tear apart the article referenced in the first post...but I'll restrain myself.

Just remember that the person who wrote this has never been to a Bose R&D lab. Bose components are far from off-the-shelf.

That said, appreciation of music is highly personal, so go listen to whatever system you want instead of reading other people's jaded opinions.

Omnis
you can get reference class headphones for 300 dollars. Bose triports and QCs are horrible. Their build quality alone is atrocious. they're basically two thin plastic shells and a metal wireband.

edit: a few best bang for your buck headphones compared to bose's QC's are Sennheiser 595-650, or Beyerdynamic DT880s. These few cans alone will vastly outperform the QuietCrapfort headphones.
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Bullsh**. Active noise cancelling headphones and regular headphones aren't even in the same leauge.
 
Solid Lifters
JBL is the only decent large speaker manufacture that offers great products, for a decent price.
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spot on, thats why Air (Formaly Known as Code) in Birmingham is the best superlcub in England.

HiFi is all about quality of sound for the price you can afford, and Bose tend to be overpriced for what they sound like. My uncle bought my Grandad a Bose system (cant remember which one) and it sucked, and ive herd some good setups. My own equipment isnt that good, i Have a Denon D-M30 with speakers, in my bedroom because its only very small. And my Parents have an Arcam Amp and CD, with Lentek Speakers and a home made tuntable with Sugden Tone arm.

In the near future im looking at a Sugden Headmaster Pre Amp the Sugden Musicmaster pure class A power amp and a Sugden CDmaster. Im unsure what speakers, but im still in the research stages.
 
sprite
HiFi is all about quality of sound for the price you can afford, and Bose tend to be overpriced for what they sound like. My uncle bought my Grandad a Bose system (cant remember which one) and it sucked, and ive herd some good setups.
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"Good" depends on your idea of good. If you want "thump-thump" like a your typical adolescent Civic driver, then Bose will definitely disappoint you. They go for "live performance" realism, not overemphasis on bass or stereo seperation.
 
Isn't the one with the greatest range of frequency considered the one with the best sound "quality"?
 
PS
Isn't the one with the greatest range of frequency considered the one with the best sound "quality"?
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Yes, but the lower frequencies should not be over emphasized. It should sound "natural"...but the speakers should have the capability to drive a lot of bass if the upper frequences are also increased.
 

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