Why Do Audiophiles Hate Bose?

S

shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
Maybe it is "good enough" for the average person, but they're not marketing to the average crowd.
Bose is surely marketing to the average crowd. You see their ads in Better Homes and Gardens or Motor Trend, but you don't see their ads in Stereophile. There is a reason why they don't advertise in audio specific publications, because they know that would be a waste of money. They target people who don't know any better or don't care, and they make a fortune doing so.
 
j_garcia

j_garcia

Audioholic Jedi
Bose is surely marketing to the average crowd. You see their ads in Better Homes and Gardens or Motor Trend, but you don't see their ads in Stereophile. There is a reason why they don't advertise in audio specific publications, because they know that would be a waste of money. They target people who don't know any better or don't care, and they make a fortune doing so.
PRICE-wise they aren't marketing to the average crowd though. They're pitching their products as a high end product so it seems desirable to that average, generally less than audiophile crowd. Setting the price higher makes it seem as though the price is justified.
 
Good4it

Good4it

Audioholic Chief
PRICE-wise they aren't marketing to the average crowd though. They're pitching their products as a high end product so it seems desirable to that average, generally less than audiophile crowd. Setting the price higher makes it seem as though the price is justified.

+1
 
BMXTRIX

BMXTRIX

Audioholic Warlord
PRICE!!!

That's hopefully the right answer for most people. I mean, if some of these setups were available for $500 or $250, or $100, then we would be recommending them all over the place. The problem for most of us, or at least for myself, is that their price to quality ratio is just ridiculous. For a number of years, it was also very difficult to find smaller speakers from major manufacturers at a reasonable price. So, if you wanted small speakers in a room, you went to Bose and called it a day. That's kind of silly considering how much 'hate' existed out there for their product, which was selling really well. Now, you can find decent stuff for a much better price from almost every major speaker manufacturer. Some nice Def Techs, or Canton, Focal, Yamaha, Polk and others all have 'small' 5.1 type speaker packages. My headache kicks in when they have pricing that is near what Bose charges.

Perhaps my next biggest headache/complaint/gripe, is that they have systems that are 100% proprietary. You can buy a $2,000 system from them that can't even accept a standard subwoofer because there is no LFE connection. You can't swap out the 5.1 speakers with something new because the base unit doesn't allow for it. Or (worse) you can't swap in a new A/V receiver because the speakers aren't designed to make standard speaker connections. So, if your HDMI is out of date, you toss the whole setup in the trash. Who wants to do that?

That said, their noise cancelling headphones are supposed to be pretty darn good and for the money are supposed to be pretty darn price competitive. It's been a while since I've read some reviews, but I have read multiple reviews on those things and shootouts where Bose regularly ranked up near the top for performance. But, N/C headphones and 'headphones' aren't the same thing. I would only get N/C headphones because of the noise cancelling part.

They do have some standard speakers, that are overpriced, but sound fine to some and who am I to argue with their money if they already spent it? Install them, hook them up, call it a day. I'm not in the mood to make someone feel bad, but I will try to help them avoid that buying decision up front if I can. Unfortunately, the other 99.9% rarely cares.
 
BoredSysAdmin

BoredSysAdmin

Audioholic Slumlord
There's an alleged Bose or (Ex-Bose) engineer quote I've heard.
I can't vouch for authenticity it, but it makes a lot of sense to me . It goes like this:
"Bose Wave Radio is the best possible alarm clock we could've designed on $21 budget"
For the uninitiated this system priced at $499.
 
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D

Drunkpenguin

Audioholic Chief
Decided to browse some user reviews on Amazon for the Bose Acoustimass 10. Their buyers all love it, but I'm not getting an audiophile vibe from any of them. When did Pandora become audiophile grade? lol

Heres some examples:

"No doubt about it!! Best Home theater out there. After all it is a Bose system."

"Husband could not be happier with his surround sound! Feels like we are in a movie theatre!"

"Really love the sound which comes from this Home Theater, especially when listening to Pandora."

"I've gone to other on-line sites and read some of the anti-Bose comments. It boggles the mind to see how short-sighted and ignorant some people can be. The sound in my family room rivals the display set-ups inside the Best Buy store."
 
B

bikemig

Audioholic Chief
I own a pair of the quiet comfort 25s and they are not bad at all. They are my go to travel headphones... after over three years of owning them I have no complaints. Actually got a pair of replacement pads earlier this year. My dad has a portable speaker of theirs and I think it sucks though. It’s only good for listening to NPR IMO
Yep, they're travel phones have a very solid reputation. I just picked up a pair of QC 25s on a cybermonday Amazon deal at $109 for the pair. I like that they use a triple A battery and not li on.
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
In my experience, Bose boils down to three little letters....WAF
 
Out-Of-Phase

Out-Of-Phase

Audioholic General
I just watched the whole video. And it wasn't because of the radio, it was because that lady is really good looking. :cool:
 
B

bikemig

Audioholic Chief
I enjoyed the review especially since I just bought my first bose product in a long, long time, a pair of QC 25 headphones on a cyber Monday sale.

I was a little bummed by the clock radio discussion and nothing was said about Sangean, :). They make pretty decent products. My favorite clock radio is still my boston acoustics receptor radio, still going strong for over a decade.

I guess no one needs good clock radios anymore with a smart phone to wake you up and you can listen to all the radio you want online.
 
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bikemig

Audioholic Chief
I just watched the whole video. And it wasn't because of the radio, it was because that lady is really good looking. :cool:
I loved the line that if you paid $200 for this, they'd throw in a cheap mini jack cable so you could hook it up to your TV, :)
 
Kvn_Walker

Kvn_Walker

Audioholic Field Marshall
BOSE is a different company today than when Dr Bose owned and ran it. Their headphone offerings are reasonably good, sometimes excellent.

Like a lot of companies who struggle to overcome past poor performance or value ... an automotive corollary is FRAM; very poor quality oil filters in the past but their current offerings are actually quite decent ... the XtraGuard is perfectly good, for example ... they struggle to win back customers who became disgusted with their previous offerings.

Anyone who has serviced a non-headphone BOSE product knows how cheaply they are made and how expensively they are sold. Doesn't make the audio industry as a whole look good either.

And then of course you have to struggle to contain yourself at Xmas dinner when relatives brag about their recent BOSE speaker or radio purchase, or when visiting innocent acquaintances. Lord Help You if they discover you work in the industry or have a reputation as the "hiFi Guy", as they prod you for assurances of how wisely they have spent their HiFi dollars.

What do you say? Offend them with your true opinion, or hold your tongue and do them a dis-service by going along with the conspiracy? That's no way for a brand to make friends. Not to mention a habit of suing reviewers who fail to leave flattering prose. Of course once you silence the audio press, you are free to say whatever you want in your own ad copy. No fool, that Dr Bose.

It annoyed people who know or learn it's a multi-billion dollar company that earned that money by selling really bad speakers before venturing on and marketing a really bad BOSE radio product(s). These days the company is owned by some form of MIT nonprofit that offers scholarships and bursaries to deserving students. In America, anyone can be redeemed.
You politely invite your friends/relatives to bring their favorite music to your house and have a listen.

It will go one of three ways: they realize what accurate reproduction sounds like and fall in love, they hate it because their ears are tuned to the "bose sound" and different=worse, or they are consumed by pride and refuse to accept the inferiority of their own equipment.
 
Kvn_Walker

Kvn_Walker

Audioholic Field Marshall
Value: something they don't really have. My only issue with them has been that for what you spend, you can get better audio quality for less with other products. They're selling a brand name not quality. Maybe it is "good enough" for the average person, but they're not marketing to the average crowd.
No different than Monster Cable, but I've noticed people have begun to catch on to their bullshit. The lack of audio stores has hurt the chances of smaller and superior speaker brands though. It's all about what's convenient, so if you can get your stuff into walmart and best buy, you can reach the most people.
 
Johnny2Bad

Johnny2Bad

Audioholic Chief
You politely invite your friends/relatives to bring their favorite music to your house and have a listen.

It will go one of three ways: they realize what accurate reproduction sounds like and fall in love, they hate it because their ears are tuned to the "bose sound" and different=worse, or they are consumed by pride and refuse to accept the inferiority of their own equipment.
I'm not worried about my friends, and I still have former clients call me up for advice, almost 40 years after I left retail Audio. They know better, and they ask if they don't.

But casual acquaintances can be a problem since you have to maintain a certain level of decorum so you can't just start deriding their recent purchase, and as to relatives, the ones I like have been to my house, and the others, I don't want them there. Sharing a table and a turkey with them once a year is enough, I don't need to save them from their own mistakes on top of the three hours I cordially endure annually.
 
Kvn_Walker

Kvn_Walker

Audioholic Field Marshall
I'm not worried about my friends, and I still have former clients call me up for advice, almost 40 years after I left retail Audio. They know better, and they ask if they don't.

But casual acquaintances can be a problem since you have to maintain a certain level of decorum so you can't just start deriding their recent purchase, and as to relatives, the ones I like have been to my house, and the others, I don't want them there. Sharing a table and a turkey with them once a year is enough, I don't need to save them from their own mistakes on top of the three hours I cordially endure annually.
You sound like me with computers! I used to build for people I knew, and it was NEVER worth the headache, especially once their kids had their way with the things and downloaded every piece of Spyware known to man.
 
DigitalDawn

DigitalDawn

Senior Audioholic
Gene,

Great thread.

I met Amar Bose when I was an Assistant AV Editor at High Fidelity Magazine in the 1980's. I flew to Boston to interview him for a story I was writing. He was a very nice guy and most importantly for his company, a very gifted marketer.

That's really what Bose is: an ultra-successful marketing company. When I first joined the industry I was taught the following: "No highs, no lows, it must be Bose" -- that is, unless you have a lot of money to buy into the hype. There are a lot of folks who still believe Bose is the best audio company on the planet. Marketing is king.
 
Steve81

Steve81

Audioholics Five-0
While I don't have much interest in the majority of their products, I've got no animosity towards Bose. If I hated companies for engaging in marketing puffery and/or charging more than what I think is a fair price for their product, I'd have a pretty long list...
 
H

Hobbit

Senior Audioholic
I wouldn't mind a pair of Bose on my patio.... they always seem loud with a lot of mid-bass.
 

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