Bose

[Taxman]

Hey Audioholics,,

I was thinking about purchasing the bose speaker system which is approximately 800 to 1000 dollars. It include 2 fronts 2 backs a center and a sub. Do you think these are the best speakers for around this price or would you suggest something else? I do like how the speakers are small!

Also, it costs approximately 800 dollars more for the receiver that auto adjusts for the distance from the speakers and has a remote that isn't infrared, which means I could change it from my bathroom. I thought shouldn't I just go with something like a Yamaha 663 which is only 500 bucks and probably is better. Plus I kinda like fiddling with settings on my new toys so I wouldn't mind adjusting the speakers for distance. Although the non-infrared remote did sound cool, but not 300 dollar cool right?

 

[Alex2507]

In case you missed it there is a sticky thread in this forum regarding Bose that you might read to get opinions from a wide range of people:

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38446

 

[jamie2112]

NO HOSE....b

i would suggest anything else other than hose. I would recommend listening to as many speakers as you can. You have a good budget and you can get yourself something WAY better than hose speakers. I think most people on this forum would agree as to not buying hose. Have you listened to anything besides hose? I understand you liking the speakers small,but there are plenty of OTHER companies out there that make much better speakers than hose and are small as well. Orb being just one of them.

 

[Adam]

Whether they are the best speakers for the price depends on whether you like them better than others. Some people love Bose, some people hate them. Me...I'm not a fan. When I auditioned them at the store versus other brands, there were sounds from movies that I could not hear with the Bose but that were very clearly heard with the other speakers. I recently read an article on Bose frequency response (I'm sure that it was either here or linked from here) that supports my own experience with them.

If they are what you prefer, then get them. You are the one who is going to be using them and paying for them, so always get what you want. Please take Jamie's advice, though, and go listen to a few different brands and models of speakers in your price range. That will give you a much better foundation for making a decision.

 

[Nomo]

The RX-V663 is an excellent choice.
Bose, Not so much.
Have you actually listened to the Bose? IMO, choosing them over anything, especially without doing some comparisions, would be severely compromising your choice in receivers.

Have a listen to other options before buying anything.

 

[rnatalli]

If you like small, the Orbs someone already suggested are your best bet.

 

[MDS]

Although the non-infrared remote did sound cool, but not 300 dollar cool right?

For a little over 200 you can get an RF remote and basestation that can control ALL of your equipment from anywhere in the house and not just some proprietary Bose receiver that doesn't play well with most non-Bose equipment.

 

[mazersteven]

Hey Audioholics,,

I was thinking about purchasing the bose speaker system which is approximately 800 to 1000 dollars. It include 2 fronts 2 backs a center and a sub. Do you think these are the best speakers for around this price or would you suggest something else?

That is not a subwoofer with the Bose system.

I would suggest this system over the Bose Acoustimass system.

SVS SBS-01
http://www.svsound.com/products-sys-sbs_black.cfm

 

[jcPanny]

HT system

There are a lot of better performing options in the same price range as the bose system. For an RF remote check out this package for just over $80.
http://www.amazon.com/RFS200-PowerPak-Bundle-MasterControl-PowerBlaster/dp/B000FL9E6U/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1213038800&sr=8-1
I have a similar URC remote and it works great. However, you have to manually "learn" most of the commands from your other remotes.

The Yamaha receiver and SVS speakers are great options. Also check out the X-series speakers from AV123.com and some of the EMP speaker backages on this site. If asthetics are an important factor also check out the the EMP on-wall speakers or other on-wall or in-wall speaker options.
http://store.audioholics.com/product/1831/17/emp-ef30t-5-1-speaker-system
http://store.audioholics.com/search?xSearch=emp+on-wall&x=0&y=0

 

[annunaki]

A system that would outperform the Bose would be five BIC DV32si along with their V-1020 subwoofer. You could probably get this system for a street price of around $300.00. Match it up with an Onkyo 606 any you have a pretty stellar system (that decodes all audio formats and does HDMI switching) for $600-$700 depending upon where you purchase it from.

 

[gwilks98]

I'm not a bose enthusiast, but whenever Bose gets mentioned in audio forums, many people make bold statements like "all bose sucks" or "you can get better for your money."

What irritates me about this is no one has posted something other than gross generalities about bose, which is far from providing evidence as to why they feel that the claim is justified. (I'll grant an exception for the acoustimass system: someone actually backed that statement up with some facts.)

My suggestion is to google some bookshelf speakers for your price range and see what results you get from internet direct brands. Check the forums for owners in your area that have some brands that interest you and ask to audition as many as you can.

All speakers, including Bose, have different flavors to the way they sound, and you won't know what sounds best to you without sampling a range. (Some speakers are great up high, others are better down low, some sound warm, others detailed, some muddy, etc.)

Here are some places I'd suggest you start:

http://www.svssound.com - fantastic home theater subs, I have one.
http://www.av123.com
http://www.theaudioinsider.com

As far as brick and mortar goes, check out Bose 301s or Infinity Beta 20's. However, you'll pay a bit more per speaker to go with Brick and Mortar.

Do plenty of research first, then buy. You don't want to buy a speaker that isn't going to suit your needs.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

A simple equation: Bose=Suck.

 

[Seth=L]

Wow, you guys bite hard don't you.

 

[no. 5]

Wow, you guys bite hard don't you.

Bose = best bait for audio forum.

 

[fmw]

What irritates me about this is no one has posted something other than gross generalities about bose, which is far from providing evidence as to why they feel that the claim is justified. (I'll grant an exception for the acoustimass system: someone actually backed that statement up with some facts.)

.

The Bose specifications are available all over the internet. What would irritate me more would be someone cutting and pasting the stuff every time the Bose thread arrives.

Bose products are not just a poor value when compared to other products. They are actually inferior to most products that compete with them. I'll leave it up to you to go find the specs on the internet.

 

[Soundman]

Friends Don't Let Friends By Blose

Seriously,
A true friend would never let a friend purchase anything from that company. I'm not trying to be anti-bose, but it's hard not to be. There are so many better options out there that I would hate to see you throw money out the window for an overpriced system. Seriously, my comptuter speakers sound better then all the Bose speakers I've heard. And honestly, even if Bose manages to one day release a good performing product (for the money), I'd have a hard time supporting them due to their marketing tactics (preying on the ignorant).

 

[Joe Schmoe]

What irritates me about this is no one has posted something other than gross generalities about bose

Fine, here is something more specific: My brother had a pair of 301s, for which he paid $350. When I gave him a pair of Athena B1s to replace them with ($120), the sound was so much better that his wife even commented on it!

Another example: In high school, a friend with rich parents was given a pair of 901s. It did not take long to realize that my Radio Shack Optimus speakers (all I could afford on my Hardees salary) sounded substantially better.

Even their headphones suck. A $40 pair of Sennheisers utterly blows away their $150 Triports.

 

[Midcow2]

That is not true .. did you look for evidence?

....What irritates me about this is no one has posted something other than gross generalities about bose, which is far from providing evidence as to why they feel that the claim is justified. (I'll grant an exception for the acoustimass system: someone actually backed that statement up with some facts.)
.....

Did you really look for some Bose information or test? Here is a pretty objective one that should satisfy curiosity seakers and doubting Thomases"

http://www.intellexual.net/bose.html




PS. did you know that Bose uses encryption technolgy? abeit not the best
B=S
O=U
S=C
E=K

but it fools the common hacker... er fool

 

[Soundman]

I'm not a bose enthusiast, but whenever Bose gets mentioned in audio forums, many people make bold statements like "all bose sucks" or "you can get better for your money."

What irritates me about this is no one has posted something other than gross generalities about bose, which is far from providing evidence as to why they feel that the claim is justified. (I'll grant an exception for the acoustimass system: someone actually backed that statement up with some facts.)

My suggestion is to google some bookshelf speakers for your price range and see what results you get from internet direct brands. Check the forums for owners in your area that have some brands that interest you and ask to audition as many as you can.

All speakers, including Bose, have different flavors to the way they sound, and you won't know what sounds best to you without sampling a range. (Some speakers are great up high, others are better down low, some sound warm, others detailed, some muddy, etc.)

Here are some places I'd suggest you start:

http://www.svssound.com - fantastic home theater subs, I have one.
http://www.av123.com
http://www.theaudioinsider.com

As far as brick and mortar goes, check out Bose 301s or Infinity Beta 20's. However, you'll pay a bit more per speaker to go with Brick and Mortar.

Do plenty of research first, then buy. You don't want to buy a speaker that isn't going to suit your needs.

Here's something you can try, Go to BB, look at the little Bose speakers, look at the type of connectors they use, then look at the cheap, plastic enclosure, etc. Now go over to the $50 Insignia speaker, and see which one looks better built. It's kinda sad if a $50 speaker is better built then a $3,000 setup. I'm not saying the Insignia is better. What I am saying, is look at the type of products Bose is comaring itself to, look at where they sell their products. That in itself should give you an idea of the quality of the product. There have been many tests done on Bose speakers. There speakers are just overpriced, cheap, mass market HTIB speakers. That's it.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

Here's something you can try, Go to BB, look at the little Bose speakers, look at the type of connectors they use, then look at the cheap, plastic enclosure, etc. Now go over to the $50 Insignia speaker, and see which one looks better built. It's kinda sad if a $50 speaker is better built then a $3,000 setup. I'm not saying the Insignia is better. What I am saying, is look at the type of products Bose is comaring itself to, look at where they sell their products. That in itself should give you an idea of the quality of the product. There have been many tests done on Bose speakers. There speakers are just overpriced, cheap, mass market HTIB speakers. That's it.

Excellent point. The insignias have MDF cabinets, real binding posts, and carbon fiber cones. The Bose have plastic cabinets, spring clips, and untreated paper cones. Aside from a bit of harshness in the treble, the Insignias also sound halfway decent, which cannot be said of Bose.