Thinking about buying Bose Lifestyle 38

[oli]

My wife and I were at Pacific sales and saw a complete home entertainment setup for $1995.00 We know that there is a lot of hype with Bose and they have a price to match. If we could get a better system for less we would buy it, but from searching around, the best sound we would get is by mix and match and that would take a lot of time. Is there a better system you guys can recommend instead of Bose system. We have BestBuy and CircuitCity near us.
Thanks

[mudrummer99]

I'll be the first to mention this to you, Bose is not looked upon favorably around here, at all. Firstly, they are severely overpriced. Secondly you can do WAY better for $2k, I mean WAAAAYYYY better. I'm not nearly as good as some of these other guys at suggesting systems, so I'll let them take over from there, but I thought I would warn you of the Bose hate that is likely to follow soon in this thread.

Mike

PS you may want to ask the moderators to move this into the correct category, more than likely general AV or loudspeakers.

[Exit]

I would recommend the SVS SBS-01 speaker system with PB10-NSD with 5.1 being $999 and 7.1 being $1,175. It has a good subwoofer that goes down to 20 Hz. Both the subwoofer and the speakers have gotten good reviews and this represents a high value for the dollar. Also there is a larger 12" woofer available for 5.1 at $1,149 and 7.1 for $1299. Oh, if you get interested in the SVS speakers, they are fairly good sized so you would want the check the dimensions of the center channel and subwoofer in particular to be sure you can fit them in your room layout.

http://www.svsound.com/products-sys-sbs_black.cfm

HSU Performance 2 $549 (25 Hz)
http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/performance2.html

Aperion Audio Small Rooms $1179 to $2289
http://www.aperionaudio.com/catalog/Small-Rooms,70.aspx

Aperion Audio Medium Rooms $1749 to $3429
http://www.aperionaudio.com/catalog/Medium-Rooms,71.aspx

AV123 x-series System $996.00

http://av123.com/index.php?option=com_vm_dstore&sid=3&Itemid=132&phpMyAdmin=YbJVjkIDoHbfGxM3KDJWoOYA8h9

BIC America (customize system)

http://www.surroundsolutions.com/cgi-bin/surroundsolutions.cgi/results_man.html?manufacturer=BIC%20America&top_disp=1&OVRAW=BIC&OVKEY=bic%20speaker&OVMTC=advanced&OVADID=8082739021&OVKWID=92880038021

[mtrycrafts]

My wife and I were at Pacific sales and saw a complete home entertainment setup for $1995.00 We know that there is a lot of hype with Bose and they have a price to match. If we could get a better system for less we would buy it, but from searching around, the best sound we would get is by mix and match and that would take a lot of time. Is there a better system you guys can recommend instead of Bose system. We have BestBuy and CircuitCity near us.
Thanks

The recommendations also affected by what you and your wife will accept size and looks wise versus the Bose. Some like Bose for their small footprint more so than its performance capability.

[captiankirk28]

I would also recomend the SVS SBS-01 system, i had the SBS-01s and they are a fine speaker with great crossovers and great build quailty unlike the BOSE that you looked at:eek:

[TLS Guy]

I would also recomend the SVS SBS-01 system, i had the SBS-01s and they are a fine speaker with great crossovers and great build quailty unlike the BOSE that you looked at:eek:

That Bose system probably costs about $250 to build, and sounds like it. Tell you wife, "Do speakers have to be large, no but it really, really helps."

[stratman]

If she likes small speakers, try these....I swear by them.

http://www.roundsound.com/adiva-home-theater.htm

[Seth=L]

If she likes small speakers, try these....I swear by them.

http://www.roundsound.com/adiva-home-theater.htm
Indeed, far superior in every way.:) It's got the sound, the build quality, and the looks.

[Jack Hammer]

For that price you can do much better. FTR, I helped a friend setup that Bose system, which he picked up for ~$400 a few years back. For the price he's pretty happy, and I think it was ok for what he paid (he has no idea and could care less what actually sounds good or not). That said, he had already bought it (non-returnable) and I didn't see any point in sh!tting on his parade. For $2k look at some of the other setups recommended. You will be much happier int he long run. Think of Bose as paying steak house prices for a Mcdonalds burger.

Jack

[Exit]

Actually the HSU for $549 has small speakers, if small size is a requirement, and I am sure it is much better quality and sound than Bose at $1999.

HSU Performance 2 $549 (25 Hz)
http://www.hsuresearch.com/products/performance2.html

[Exit]

We have pretty much recommended internet direct sales speakers and you were looking for something local. I would suggest looking in the phone book under audio, speakers, stereo, home theater, etc. to see if you can find a small independent store you can visit. If they recommend Bose, leave. Otherwise they can probably direct you to a better system than Bose for less money, and you can listen to it to see if you like it. As you can see there are many good options buying internet direct, so there should be a few buying local. Hope this helps.

The only Home Theater In A Box (HTIB) I saw that might be of interest is at Best Buy is the Mirage Nanostat Prestige 5 5-speaker setup $899and separate Mirage - OMNI Series 8" 400-Watt Powered Subwoofer $349.98. at the Magnolia stores. You would have to listen to see if it sounds good to you.

[Jack Hammer]

If you go into BB, look at the Definitive Technology speakers in the Magnolia section. Those will sound much, much better than the Bose. For a little less, they have some Klipsch speakers in their regular speaker section.

If you post what area you are in, some members may be able to point you to a specific reputable store in your town where you can look at and hear speakers.

Jack

[Seth=L]

Definitive Tech systems not only sound vastly superior, but they look more refined as well. Bose has a distinct look that hasn't changed much over the years. They still use the plastic cube speakers with paper drivers and an elongated (ugly IMO) powered woofer (doesn't come close to sub hertz frequencies). The Definitive Tech systems come with a real subwoofer, that is also compact. Pair those with basically any receiver you want and a source and you are good to go.

http://www.definitivetech.com/loudspeakers/procinema/procinema.html