Bose Alternative

[Carlm1970]

Could anyone please offer an alternative to the Bose cube speakers insofar as cosmetic design is concerned. I'm looking for something that small or discrete. Of course, overall performance would be a nice bonus. I'm looking for a 5.1 speaker channel system. Thank you in advance.

 

[Johnd]

Anything. You might want to ponder the thread "The Dumbing Down of Audio" by Gene DelaSalla (President of Audioholics) in the Steam Vent. You might get a quick education. A direct answer to your question is Klipsch. Although I'm not their #1 fan, I do have a pair of their satellites from years ago that aren't too bad. A little bit bigger than your rubic-sized cubes, but also have a lot more oomph (punch, actually), as far as these miniscule speakers go. Be deliberate.

 

[Audioholics]

I'm also a big fan of the CT System from RBH Sound. I had that in my home, and while they are slightly larger than the tiny Bose cubes, they are still discreet and the sound is MUCH better.

http://rbhsound.com/ct7point1.shtml

 

[initech]

Some people are very happy with the small mirage speakers.

 

[j_garcia]

www.roundsound.com

www.orbaudio.com

 

[auge.dog]

Try to find the Xenon series by Miller and Kreisel. The LCR 25 is very small, but sounds terrific. I've compared them with Bose cubes and the Mirage Omnisat Micro, and they have a much fuller, cleaner and detailed sound. They aren't cheap, however. I've never heard their K5s which are also very small, and a bit cheaper. I'd guess they would also sound significantly better. If you can't find M & K, the Mirage are definately a step up from the Bose.

 

[marrypoppins]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000B647F2/sr=8-1/qid=1143148190/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-0578816-9464755?_encoding=UTF8

I thought these sounded fantastic, they may be a tiny bit bigger then bose but not by much.

 

[JaceTheAce]

I'd recommend the Energy Take 5.2's (if you can still find them since they are discontinuted with the new Take line that just came out). Or, the Act system:

http://www.energy-speakers.com/v2/products/product-page.php?id=288

Before I bought the Energy C3's, I had the original Energy Take 5.1's paired up to an Energy sub and they sounded very good for a sub/satellite combo. However, they still didn't sound good because of the following...

If you can avoide the sub/satellite combo, please do. There will often be a big gap of frequencies between what the sub can't produce above it's limit up to what the satellite can't produce below it's really bad lower limit, depending on the satellite speaker.

 

[Shane]

Hi my name is Shane and I'm a former Bose owner (well almost, still have an AM4 left in the house).

In the last 2 months I purchased and returned a Bose acoustimass 10, exchanged it for an acoustimass 16 only to find I still wasn't satisfied. I ended up going with the Paradigm Cinema Series

If size is important...
While a little bigger than the double cubes, the size of the Cinema 70 & 90 will give you much more accurate sound. Please note though, they are not as efficient as many of the bose models (meaning you may have to turn up the volume slightly to make it seem as "loud"). The Cinema CT packages give you that a 5.1 system "in a box".

Best advice I can offer is go and listen and pick the ones that sound best to you in your price range and that meet your size requirements.

 

[Johnd]

Hi my name is Shane and I'm a former Bose owner

Good move Shane. Without hijacking this thread, what convinced you to purchase the Bose system in the first place? Marketing? Lack of exposure to "full" frequency response?

 

[ricocetj]

The Monitor Audio Radius Series speakers sound very nice as well and are available in a variety of excellent finishes.

http://www.monitoraudio.com/products/radius/index.htm

 

[nova]

I'll second the recommendation of RBH CT Series for small speakers.

 

[Shane]

Good move Shane. Without hijacking this thread, what convinced you to purchase the Bose system in the first place? Marketing? Lack of exposure to "full" frequency response?

A number of things influenced my initial purchase...

• Ignorance - had next to nothing for exposure to decent speakers and a package put together that didn't require too much decision making had appeal.
• Marketing - for sure, when you don't know what to pick, you go with a brand you've generally at least heard of.
• What I knew. I owned a Bose set already - Acoustimass HT (AM4 w/model 100 for rears) that I purchased used for next to nothing many years ago from a former co-worker that was upgrading.
• Price - in this case... yes Bose is normally very expensive crap, but I was able to get the AM16 (6.1) w/stands for about $1k on sale at a Bose outlet store.

 

[Sheep]

If you can avoide the sub/satellite combo, please do. There will often be a big gap of frequencies between what the sub can't produce above it's limit up to what the satellite can't produce below it's really bad lower limit, depending on the satellite speaker.

This is not true. If you set the crossover properly it can be a seamless blend. The issue is the speakers need the subwoofer to handle some midbass.

There is no gap, but the sub will be localizable.

SheepStar

 

[Johnd]

A number of things influenced my initial purchase...

• Ignorance - had next to nothing for exposure to decent speakers and a package put together that didn't require too much decision making had appeal.
• Marketing - for sure, when you don't know what to pick, you go with a brand you've generally at least heard of.
• What I knew. I owned a Bose set already - Acoustimass HT (AM4 w/model 100 for rears) that I purchased used for next to nothing many years ago from a former co-worker that was upgrading.
• Price - in this case... yes Bose is normally very expensive crap, but I was able to get the AM16 (6.1) w/stands for about $1k on sale at a Bose outlet store.

Thanks for the honesty. Yet you kept going back for more. I'm glad you used the term "ignorance" rather than me. Without getting into primitives and derivatives, most people do not understand (or care to know, for that matter) that ignorant literally means "lack of knowledge". It does not remotely mean one is stupid, unless he admits (or is otherwise empirically found) to be entirely ignorant.

The bastardization of the English language. You speak properly, and some are offended because of their "ignorance." If you speak in a contemporary context, you can be deemed of limited capacity, even by those of room-temperature IQ. It's a real catch-22. Not really, I'm just having some fun with this post.

In any event, glad to hear that you know when and where you made your mistake(s); you are not doomed to repeat them. It is also refreshing that you have some command of the English language. Happy listening.

 

[gmichael]

This is not true. If you set the crossover properly it can be a seamless blend. The issue is the speakers need the subwoofer to handle some midbass.

There is no gap, but the sub will be localizable.

SheepStar

Agreed. But I don't like the sub being localized. Imagine, all of Neil's drum rolls coming from the sub instead of from all around you. Not cool.

 

[JaceTheAce]

This is not true. If you set the crossover properly it can be a seamless blend. The issue is the speakers need the subwoofer to handle some midbass.

There is no gap, but the sub will be localizable.

SheepStar

That's what I'm saying basically. In order for the frequencies that are localizable to be played where they should be played (and not out of a subwoofer) then a sub/sat combo may not be a good idea.