Bose Series III Speaker System (AM10)

[Takeereasy]

I recently helped an old neighbor of mine purchase an entire HT setup to the tune of about $6000 Canadian before taxes. For that $6000 he bought Paradigm Monitor 7's, 2 Mini Monitors, a CC370, and a 62" Toshiba DLP with one of the nicest pictures I've ever seen (it was pro calibrated). Included in the six grand was all the wiring and cables he needed (no big name stuff just thick, good, cheap, cables), a panasonic S77and an excellent surge protector/power bar by Belekin. Everything but the power bar and DVD player were bought from a local Hi-Fi Specialty shop. The shop came in, did a basic install, and even did a quick calibration on the TV for free and had my old friend up and running in less than 3 days from the order to delivery with zero effort on my ex-neighbors part! Originally a PW2200 was purchased to round out the system but it went back two days after purchase, apparently a huge sub like that is a bad idea in an apartment, who knew.

"What does that have to do with a Bose Series III Speaker System (AM10)?" you might ask. Well about a week after I'd done the setup for my friend I get a call from him. I'm expecting an invite to movie night but instead I get hit up for a favour. A friend of his recently spent a ton of money on a set up too, and now he needs help because he can't get anything to work. No Picture, no sounds, not even a "pop" from the Bass Module, no power to anything, etc... The good news? They'd been working on it for hours so all the cables were spread to hell and back and plugged in to all the wrong jacks. Seriously these two monkeys hadn't even managed to put together the speaker stands.

Some problems I encountered to explain the problems they were having: Digital Coax out from DVD player run into the red analog DVD in on the receiver. TV, Receiver and Bass module all hooked into the switched power section of the $319 plus tax Monster Cable Power Bar and they hadn't turned the switch to the on Position. (This is a side note. I had to ask the owner how much he'd paid for cabling, his answer was over a $1000 after tax!!!!! and he was three cables short!) I needed him to go buy another set of component cables and a 6 ft. piece of coax and another digital co-ax cable before I could complete everything.

Here's how the system I set up breaks down:
For the TV another 62" Toshiba, but a step down in models, cost of $3,300, those Bose speakers at a cost of $1500, a Harman Kardon AVR 135 at $500, LG DVD player $99, cables $900 (and growing) $400 for TV Stand.
There was a $300 "package discount" to bring the total cost to $6000 plus tax, the exact same as the setup I did for my neighbor. If anyone doubts these figures please go to Futureshop.ca, all dollars are in Canadian funds.

After fixing all the boo-boos that those two clowns had caused I set about correctly rigging everything together. I put the other two on speaker stand building duty and got down to it. My first impressions of the Bose setup is a very positive one based on looks only. Those speakers are Tiny and the stands they connect to are actually of very nice and attractive construction. This is a setup that is very easy on the eyes. As well this system is an absolute dream to put together, I've never had a setup that was this easy to assemble out of the box, never. Wires are clearly labeled and color coded, and connecting to the Bass Module is a snap. That is all of the positive things I have to say about this package. I will admit that I have a negative predisposition towards Bose but this product is a sub-par offering IMO. Once everything was connected correctly I listened to just the Cubes themselves, after unplugging the Bass Module. Those speakers made me think of the letter A for many reasons. The first A word that comes to mind is Anemic. I have never heard speakers that produced so little of the sound spectrum, save maybe for the speaker phone in my cell phone. I am not lying, I have no measurements and everything I'm saying is subjective, but I would bet those speakers bottomed out at over 200hz and I'm willing to bet the top end of their ability is nothing special either. The second A word is A**h*le. Both the purchaser for his decision, and the salesperson at Futureshop for ripping him off so badly. I also found out that the sales person talked the owner of this set up out of having it installed by a pro, thereby making my day suck, so again he is the second type of A. Finally, the biggest A was what A waste of money. Dear Lord, $1400 for these speakers, what was this guy thinking? Once the Bass Module was turned on the owners face lit up, and I have to admit that the sound was much improved. It went from unbearable to I can put up with this for an hour or so if I have to. The bass was muddy and easy to localize. I think that the Bass Module must play relatively high in the HZ scale, or else I made a real serious set up boo-boo because it was easy to tell which corner it was in. Bose takes a real rap on the noggin from me for this product. Overpriced, underperforming, cheaply contructed, plasticy, shoddy, over-hyped, and a complete waste are how I'd describe the Bose Series III Speaker System (AM10) offering. On the drive home I took my neighbor back to his new place and he told me that he hated the Bose setup and told me thanks agin for helping him out with his setup. This story tells the moral boys and girls. Shop around for prices and for goodness sake Demo major purchases before you spend your hard earned bucks. I won't even comment on spending $100 on a DVD player for a $3300 TV but not flinching at dropping $900 on cables.

 

[Sheep]

Good stuff.

I was down as FS yesturday and they had a similar system playing (the 16 I think, the one with 3 woofers). Horrid. BOOM. It sounded so, crappy.

All of their stuff just sucks, yet everyone is mesmerized by it.

SheepStar

 

[Cygnus]

Sheep, I have one word for you

Marketing


I also DESPISE those little bose things that look like an alarm clock...my grandma spent SO MUCH MONEY ON THOSE!!!....it amazes me that people actually think that they are getting quality out of these things.

Heh. once you buy one of those or any Bose product for that matter, quality isnt even a word in the dictionary.

'nuff said

 

[farscaper]

Incredible. I just don't fully understand spending that much money without doing some research. Then again I was surprised last summer when I read that a good percentage of new car purchases are done without a test drive.

Cygnus, your right about the marketing.
A lot more people are impressed when you tell them you own a Bose system then If you told them you own a Yamaha, Pioneer or Marantz system. Poor buggers.

 

[Sheep]

Sheep, I have one word for you

Marketing


I also DESPISE those little bose things that look like an alarm clock...my grandma spent SO MUCH MONEY ON THOSE!!!....it amazes me that people actually think that they are getting quality out of these things.

Heh. once you buy one of those or any Bose product for that matter, quality isnt even a word in the dictionary.

'nuff said

Oh, don't worry, I know about there marketing. Sometimes when I'm up late I watch the stuff they have on the shopping network. Its painful.

SheepStar

 

[Sheriff Guy]

Bose Demo at Bay Bloor Radio

I had a similar opinion to those posted above regarding the Bose speakers until I sat through a Demo at Bay Bloor Radio in Toronto, Ontario. If you ever get a chance to sit through the demo, it is worth it! The room was set up absolutely perfectly at the store for the demo of course. This resulted in a generally favourable performance for the Bose lifestyle 48 system. I must admit it, I was taken by the demo's little trick. The base was localizable at times during the presentation. The best selling point of the bose speakers is their relative obscurity due to their small size. Don't take your wife to this demo or she will never let you get a pair of full size speakers. The presentation is totally geared to addressing decorating concerns that come from trying to integrate oversized stereo equipment. Like the reviewer suggested above, I think you still get better value for investing in high quality, good value components and speakers like Paradigm, or others that can be bi-wired or bi-amped, etc....

 

[supervij]

Sheriff Guy, I've been to that same demo at BBR, and I was floored! I couldn't believe what great sound was happening in that demo room. This, of course, was way back in the day, before the notion of having a home theatre was a twinkle in my eye. Now that I have my own system and loving it (even though to many it's low-end), I'd love to go back to that demo room for a comparison. I've since learned that those Bose demo rooms are constructed to exacting specifications and have all the bass traps and whatever else in order to make the Bose sound absolutely perfect (or as perfect as can be). But it'd still be nice to make a comparison myself, and ask the Bose reps all those questions that they can't answer! That might make for a fun afternoon!

cheers,
supervij

 

[ducker]

yep... all about marketing and "status" for some reason people latch on to the notion that Bose = quality/staus.
And then are compeled to buy Bose products when available. Whether it's that little "wave radio" or a set of crappy speakers. if it has the logo... they'll get it. (same with the little setups Bose sells for the ipod... it's like these people are Bose for life!)

 

[jcPanny]

Demo room

How big is that demo room? Bet it is a lot smaller than most HT rooms. Also, have you noticed at BB and CC how they have the little displays with the Bose cubes playing about a foot from your ears.

 

[supervij]

The demo room at BBR in Toronto is small, but big enough to squish fifteen people or so together, using ordinary "waiting room" type chairs. The speakers, as I recall, were a fair distance away, maybe six feet or so. And the display was large -- I can't remember if it was a front projector or not, but the screen must have been a fifty-incher. Then again, I'm trying to remember something from years ago . . . what do you recall, Sheriff Guy?

cheers,
supervij

 

[Sheriff Guy]

The Bose Demo room at BBR

I estimate that the BBR Bose demo room is approximately 16' by 16' with a 12'-14' ceiling (the high ceiling aids the acoustics of the room). There were sound abosrption panels placed on the rear and side walls to absorb echoes. I believe that there were 3 rows of 5 seats in the room. I didn't focus on the video display, but it was at least 50". The demo disc was produced in DTS and when I checked at the end of the session, the equalizer settings were set to zero for all channels (i.e. the bass was not boosted beyond normal).

I have to admit that the Bose speakers sounded pretty good in that room, especially for their size. I think the direct reflecting design (where the stacked tweeters are pointed in different directions) added to the depth of the sound stage (bigger sweet spot).

The lifestyle 48 system features an ADAPTiQ "sound analyzer/adapter." During the demo, the Bose rep placed the centre speaker in a open wood box to duplicate potential sound distortion from placing the speaker in a AV cabinet or shelf system. I was amazed at how fast the ADAPTiQ worked. They switched it on and off several times in the demo and it literally identified and repaired the sound flaw in 1.5 seconds.

I have a Pioneer VSX-1015TX receiver with an auto MCACC feature to adjust sound for speaker configuration. It takes about 5 minutes to run and occassionally needs fine tuning. Regardless, i am not stupid enough to place my center speaker in a box. My system kicks enough *** for me right now. I love it when someone comes over to my house to watch a movie for the first time and they nearly piss their pants from excitement after only watching the THX trailer.

My biggest concern with the bose system after this demo was the price. It was way too expensive for what you get. Also, I don't know how many inputs and outputs the Bose receiver has!?! And...it archives music in an MP3 format which is subpar (lossless would be better.)