Why does B*se blows?

[sahihai]

Guys,
I am on the verge of taking my first steps into the HT world and based on my research my first speakers are going to be the likes of SVS and Axiom. As we all know, these are "true to their bone" affordable speakers.
I have read enough to know that some of retail chain brands suck. That includes our famous B*se speakers. Many of my friends bought them because they are suppose to be the best.
What I want to know is, what are the exact reasons that B*se or like suck. I understand that they are overpriced because of their marketing gimmicks. But is that the only reason? Is is just the "expensive" factor?

 

[Sheep]

The "Search" function is your friend.

SheepStar

 

[gmichael]

Bose are not all that bad. (no hate mail please) They just are not as good as many cheaper systems. Those little cubes sound very strained when pushed to just semi-loud volumes. And even at lower volumes they can not compete with most well made speakers & systems. The average Joe (or should I say Jane) wants little speakers that disappear into the decor. And they do sound way better than your average TV speaker. Somehow Bose has brainwashed the masses into believing that they are the best you can buy. This is far from the truth. You can easily put together a $1k system that will outdo a $3k Bose system. If you spend $3k on other products you will blow away anything Bose makes. Other than that, they are just fine. Even better than some $300 all in one systems from Wal-Mart.

 

[caupina]

I own Bose but not because I was brainwashed or something like that. I just happen to like the way they sounded, got a good deal on them and never had a problem with that brand before, so you can say in my case was a matter of preference (listening to them), price and experience. By the way I own the floor standing speaker model , 701 SII which didn't get a good review here.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

Bose obtains its sound from heaving eq'ing, and not quality parts. You can find their drivers for under $5, and their cabinets are usualy plastic. As Sheep stated, just do a google search for "Bose $ucks" and have a laugh over a few beers.

Caupina - no pun intended. Glad you are happy with your speakers - those aren't your typical "cube speakers." Most Bose owners are (they don't shop for audio like us nutjobs do), and most don't hang out at audio forums. Ignorance is bliss.

 

[wafflebird]

Frequency response

Hmmmmmmm...... Well why do all of the other speaker manufacturers post their specs, frequency response, oh they (Bose) don't list that. They do tell you however how big they are and what the shipping weight is. Without anything further being said this is a huge issue, especially for all of their "Research" they supposedly do, you would think that they would be happy to publish this info. Truth be known the cubes don't really work below 280 Hz and only go up to 13.3 Hz. That is really very poor frequency response for a satellite for sure. The "Bass module" only goes down to around 46 Hz, and then it goes up to 202 Hz. SO what you are presented with is a huge hole in the frequency between 202 and 280 Hz, and a system that is very easy to localize the lower (notice I said lower not actually LOW) frequency sounds. Most floor standing speakers go lower than 46 Hz. Also the "Speakers" in the bass module are only 5" in diameter and made of cheap paper. Now with these few issues brought to light look at what they want you to pay for their system that is missing from 13.3 Hz to 20 Hz, as most speakers easily cover, has a hole in the frequency, and they are plastic enclosed satellites. Need I say more?????????????????

Not bashing just informing, spend your money wisely, don't buy Bose.

 

[caupina]

Caupina - no pun intended. Glad you are happy with your speakers - those aren't your typical "cube speakers." Most Bose owners are (they don't shop for audio like us nutjobs do), and most don't hang out at audio forums. Ignorance is bliss.

No worries mate!!!!. I know what I have now is not the best I could get. If something comes along that we (wife) really like, we'll definitely go for it, I guess I haven't looked around hard enough, but at the same time we're very satisfied with what we have now.

 

[sahihai]

Its true...ignorance is bliss. I would have set up my HT 2 months ago if I were so, and would have never known what I missed.

 

[highfihoney]

the best thing anybody thinking about buying bose or even thinking why they get a bad rap is to do a simple speaker a & speaker b test with bose on one & just about any other speaker on the other,the reasons are clearly heard.

the thing about bose stuff is that it actually does sound decent........until you do a direct comparison against just about any 2 way speaker then they sound like a wet fart.

here are some of the main reasons people hate bose.

1 plastic cabinets.

2 speakers designed around either midrange or tweeters,no woofers in anything they make.

3 cheap vinyl(more plastic) laminate instead of veneer.

4 unknown specs & tolerances on all their products.

5 100% bs infomercial advertising.

all the makings of a white van special at 10 times the cost.

 

[Nuglets]

Waffle means 13.3 to 20 kilohertz...not 13.3 Hz to 20 Hz.

 

[majorloser]

To be honest, Bose appeals to the WAF. The small cubes and "subwoofer you can hide" market strategy will lure women in every time. There are plenty of people who have worked for the big box stores who can second that opinion. It's an easy sell. And now they came up with a clock radio they advertise that "sounds as good as a full blown system". And of course, if something costs that much it has to be quality stuff, right?

But let's face it, Bose did help make the idea of smaller main speakers with a powered subwoofer more acceptable to the masses. I'll give 'em that much credit.

 

[Toka]

Yea...its no secret they don't perform well, but I don't really understand why people get all up in arms over Bose either...just don't buy them if you don't like them. They exist for a reason, its a totally different market/customer mindset...like comparing a minivan to a Mustang. A friend of mine worked for a Bose store while he was in college, and told me that at least once a week some audio dweeb would come into the store and try to start an argument over stuff like frequency response, imaging, blah blah blah. Sheesh, get a life! Odd that some people who hate Bose for 'brainwashing' will go on and on about how a $5,000 mains cord improved imaging and removed a veil and all that, so I guess irony is alive and well.

 

[gmichael]

Yea...its no secret they don't perform well, but I don't really understand why people get all up in arms over Bose either...just don't buy them if you don't like them. They exist for a reason, its a totally different market/customer mindset...like comparing a minivan to a Mustang. A friend of mine worked for a Bose store while he was in college, and told me that at least once a week some audio dweeb would come into the store and try to start an argument over stuff like frequency response, imaging, blah blah blah. Sheesh, get a life! Odd that some people who hate Bose for 'brainwashing' will go on and on about how a $5,000 mains cord improved imaging and removed a veil and all that, so I guess irony is alive and well.

The people on these boards get upset because they don't want to see their fellow posters get ripped off. Paying more to get less is not good.
People who don't care about sound and only want small speakers that can be hidden usually don't post on forums like this.

 

[flyv65]

Yea...its no secret they don't perform well, but I don't really understand why people get all up in arms over Bose either...just don't buy them if you don't like them. They exist for a reason, its a totally different market/customer mindset...like comparing a minivan to a Mustang.

Only in Bose's case, the mini-van (mini-cube, perhaps?) costs $40k and the person driving it will swear up and down that they turn better 0-60mph times and pull a 0.91 on the skidpad. A better comparison might be to Harley Davidson, wherein an occaisionally competent product is grossly over-priced and flys out of the showroom based on the cachet of marketing a "lifestyle". HD has a brilliant marketing strategy, and that of the folks at Bose doesn't lag far behind.

Bryan...OTOH, if you like the sound from 2.5" cubes, knock yourself out-it's your money..

 

[billy p]

How do BOSE and BIKES get tied into two different threads.

 

[Toka]

The people on these boards get upset because they don't want to see their fellow posters get ripped off. Paying more to get less is not good.
People who don't care about sound and only want small speakers that can be hidden usually don't post on forums like this.

Oh I agree, I don't want to see anyone get ripped off either...but I guess it depends on what someone considers a good value. I mean, if some housewife is solely concerned with size/style, it doesn't matter how much better the Axiom or whatever stuff would be, as it doesn't meet her primary need. Sure, if someone just doesn't know any better, then by all means steer them in the right direction (like this website)...but some people act personally pained by Bose being around, which is just plain odd.

 

[Nuglets]

Oh I agree, I don't want to see anyone get ripped off either...but I guess it depends on what someone considers a good value. I mean, if some housewife is solely concerned with size/style, it doesn't matter how much better the Axiom or whatever stuff would be, as it doesn't meet her primary need. Sure, if someone just doesn't know any better, then by all means steer them in the right direction (like this website)...but some people act personally pained by Bose being around, which is just plain odd.

I think people act "personally pained" for the exact reason Flyv65 gave. Very good mini-van comparison. It gets annoying when I talk to people who just saw an infomercial about Bose and like flyv said, absolutely swear by it's performance. That's when the people coming to the store and giving their opinions about the company come into play(which I don't do, but could see why someone would). It's one thing to advertise that it's small, cute, hidden, etc., but to start justifying the cost by it's supposed performance is just plain wrong. I mean come on...look at this http://www.bose.com/controller?event=VIEW_PRODUCT_PAGE_EVENT&product=premium_dvd_subcategory. Is that not just plain wrong?

The top one has a hard drive to store 340 hours instead of 200 hours, so that makes it $1000 more?

And...is there any difference in the bottom two? It isn't very clear if there is, except the extra $1000.

[EDIT]Sorry my mistake, the $1000 is for the "Award winning jewel cube speakers" which are smaller than the other choice . $4k for the top one. I'm pretty sure other companies make very small speakers that will be far less than $4k, and outperform them. As for the saved music, use iTunes with a damn 3.5mm to RCA adapter and get a really cheap PC just for music.

 

[spyboy]

I don't own any Bose products, however, I know people who do and like them fine. Their noise cancelling headphones are a good product. Also, Bose is a shining example of American business practices.

Bose may be the best example of ignorance is bliss. Check out this chart of brand trust among regular users:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/showthread.php?t=232506&highlight=bose

No other company even comes close to Bose.

Of the 300 million people in this country, how many are hobbiests? You can snicker, but people just love their Bose products

 

[mulester7]

.....Bose couldn't care less what is said at sites like this, pro or con, period....can you say, Bose Cube Sales Meetings in The Bahamas?.......

 

[wafflebird]

Ok this is sad but I just have to tell ya.....

Laying in bed last night 11:30 or so I realized my type-o on the Hz instead of KHz. Thanks for the correction there Nuglets. Does it mean anything that this came to me in this way in bed at night, spending a little too much time here possibly.................

ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz........
ZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz......


Thanks again and sorry for the type-o guys.