What's your favorite anti-bose saying?

[Ameesh]

really out of hand, christ guys youre getting worked upover speakers, besides nothing touches wharfedales hahaha

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

I've never heard a BOSE hometheater so I can't comment on that

But their commercial systems that are in places like Air Canada Center is simply amazing. I went there for a concert and the sound was freaking crazy! I think BOSE is really made for commercial-level stuff than household stuff.

I also have the BOSE soundsystem in my Maxima and I think its amazing for a stock system. It doesn't rattle like those people who have 15inch subs in their trunks, and you can actually hear the highs instead of just bass.

 

[Viperoni]

<< tubes is where it's at these days >>



Krell's are nice too

 

[Adul]

you guys are going to run me into the poor house. J/K

I been wanting to put togther my own home theatre system and off course I am on a budget.

How are harmen kardon high current amps?I was look at one with 5 channels at 100 watts. it was about 900 bucks.

I was thinking of going with the yamaha yst subs. they are dual 8&quot; and sound much better then a lot of the other subs I have herd. With except to the $50k HT system this guy had. Oh god that was awsome.

Anyways, last question. I haven't a clue has to what speakers I would even look at has far has center, front and rear. Any suggestions?

 

[Adul]

<< I've never heard a BOSE hometheater so I can't comment on that

But their commercial systems that are in places like Air Canada Center is simply amazing. I went there for a concert and the sound was freaking crazy! I think BOSE is really made for commercial-level stuff than household stuff.

I also have the BOSE soundsystem in my Maxima and I think its amazing for a stock system. It doesn't rattle like those people who have 15inch subs in their trunks, and you can actually hear the highs instead of just bass. >>




bah, they are marketing driven. There is nothing really amazing about them. I have assemble a better sounding car audio system for a descent price.

 

[Adul]

<< I've never heard a BOSE hometheater so I can't comment on that

But their commercial systems that are in places like Air Canada Center is simply amazing. I went there for a concert and the sound was freaking crazy! I think BOSE is really made for commercial-level stuff than household stuff.

I also have the BOSE soundsystem in my Maxima and I think its amazing for a stock system. It doesn't rattle like those people who have 15inch subs in their trunks, and you can actually hear the highs instead of just bass. >>




bah, they are marketing driven. There is nothing really amazing about them. I have assemble a better sounding car audio system for a descent price.

 

[Viperoni]

My suggestion is to make sure all 5 speakers are identical, if you can't, then make sure they are timre-matched.

 

[GasX]

Adul,

If you are budget concious, here's a decent set-up for you:

Sub1 - $99
Sub2 - $199
Sony is not known for its speaker line, but this line of Subs has gotten some very good press.

Center - FREE*
*Free - if you buy more than $399 worth of Polk Speakers

Front &amp; Rear Combo 1 - $700

Front &amp; Rear Combo 2 - $520

Sub1, Combo2, Free Center costs $620 + tax.

Should set you free if the receiver doesn't suck.

You can do better, but you have to spend a lot more.

Cheers,

Matt

 

[gumbysucks]

I tried several setups in my home a few years ago for home theatre setup(dolby prologic) wound up trying bose , b+o ,cerwin vega,some bose wanna be(atlantic technoligy) Wound up KEEPING paradigms with mk200 subwoofer
Its your money spend it on what you think sounds best. I like to feel my bass though..

 

[The Stigenator]

How dare you have something against me.. WHY!.. what did I do to you.. :|



j/k


I like the bose speakers....

 

[chiwawa626]

&quot;If it blows it bess be Bose&quot;

 

[lowfatbaconboy]

madd indian - umm thats cuz 15 inchers were not made to be put in cars =P and car audio is nothing like home audio

german speakers blapunk(i really dunno how its spelled just pronouced bla-ow-punk)
nice aluminum cones instead of paper =P

 

[Mapidus]

A friend of mine have the &quot;horned&quot; Klipsch Legends or something like that with a dual channel Krell something amp. What are these &quot;horns&quot; and are they better or worse than normal speaker designs. Also how important are the cables, since this friend spent 1500 in cables. I think the amp was the most expensive part of her system though (maybe the pioneer elite LD/DVD was more expensive). I have not heard it myself, so not sure of the quality.

I know the thing about some people and bose though. I had this guy friend who would pee his pants whenever he heard the name Bose. Always talked about how he was going to get a car with Bose system and all that. This friend was also a great fan of some other company -- I think they are a Dutch company or something. Can't remember the name -- maybe B&amp;O or something like that. With his taste though, it is probably a European version of Bose, expensive, low fidelity stuff that sells on marketing and style.

 

[ThisIsMatt]

did ya notice how everybody except for like one person shut up after I asked who had actually listened to the 901's?

:disgust:

 

[SupaDupaCheez]

Helpless: I gotta say that I am not a fan of MOST Bose stuff (especially anything made in the last 5-10 years) but I will say that the 901's were damn good for their time and purpose. Bose just seemed to stop 'aspiring' to higher levels after the 901's. I remember the review in Hi Fidelity magazine (and the subsequent adds by Bose) stating that the 901's 'can handle 1000w or you can just plug the bare wires into an electric socket' (or something to that effect). HiFi acutally did that and it handled it with no damage. True, this doesn't say anything about how it might SOUND but interesting nonetheless.

All your bose is suck!! (no offense Helpless )

 

[AKgamer]

OBJECTIVE DISCUSSION:

I do NOT put much value on Consumer Reports audio recommendations. Nevertheless, in the 2001 Consumer Reports Buying Guide, page 292, two 3-piece systems are rated:
Bose Acoustimass 5 Series III, and
Cambridge Soundworks New Ensemble II.

Both received a &quot;Very Good Performer&quot; summary, but the Bose received a slightly higher overall rating.

The Bose cost 50% more money ($600 vs. $400).


SUBJECTIVE DISCUSSION:

In my opinion Bose produces niche products, focusing on features such as size, power handling capability, and convenience, rather than sound quality. I remember Bose literature talking about 901 power handling capability in these words: &quot;...no limit in non-commercial applications...&quot; Bose spends a lot of money on advertising.

I HAVE purchased a Bose system based upon convenience and price considerations (for my father who has a hearing aide and who wouldn't notice quality differences anyway). However, I believe many (most!) other products offer better sound quality and better value for the same money. I bought Dad's system at Costco (a warehouse outlet like SAMS, etc.). I have never seen a quality speaker system at that type of warehouse outlet.

Admittedly, I am an audiophile snob, and my CD system, made of primarily used and demo equipment, cost over $10,000. Generally, Bose products don't even qualify for a review in the audio magazines I read (Stereophile, The Absolute Sound, Home Theater, The Audiophile Voice, etc.), but products recommended by others in this tread do get reviews - good reviews.

I recommend looking at these brands as good combinations of value and sound quality. They all have products that have been favorably reviewed, and offer low to moderate cost solutions: Paradigm, B&amp;W, Atlantic Technology, NHT, PSB, &amp; Pinnacle.

Regarding power capacity, even the most exotic home speakers aren't rated to handle 1000 watts. My friend's $15,000 Avalon Radian HC's (High Current) are only rated for 500W. Audiophiles frequently buy huge amplifiers (my friend's cost $4,000) and do most of their listening in the very lowest power range of the amp because it operates in a pure class &quot;A&quot; mode rather than lower quality class &quot;A-B&quot; mode at higher volumes. My own inefficient speakers (89db sensitivity) produce more than 105 decibles in my living room from a mere 180 watt amp, which is loud enough to cause permanent hearing loss over time.

In summary, speaker performance and value is all about an individual's own definition of &quot;good.&quot; Some are satisfied with Bose' level of sound quality, while many others (professionals in that business) do not recommend those products. I am among the latter.


EDIT: PS - I have spent time with 901s, and recently experienced a $400,000 Wilson/Levinson home theater system; that was the equipment cost only - it excludes the cost of the huge wing on the mansion.

 

[ISAslot]

Hehehe, while reading through this thread I happened across a bose wave radio ad on CNBC.
I've never had the opportunity to hear this radio, but if I did purchase it I would be afraid I'd be spending a large amount of cash for a clock radio, WITH NO FRICKEN CLOCK!
Not that the addition of the clock would justify the large expense of the concert hall in a plastic box the size of a deluxe toaster, but at least it would have another practical function.

I have no idea what a good system sounds like.
My home speaker set up is a circa 1995 sony mini system MHC-S200. When I play mp3's it's over my computer speakers, creative CS120's, + the mini system (I have the line out from the creatives to the aux on the mini system). Sounds pretty good, but it's about all I know.

I'm starting to get a bit off topic...
but, are polk speakers okay speakers?
I use those in my car, which is probably where I get the best sound (with engine off).

 

[AKgamer]

Adul:

Take a look at Rotel, or consider a newer Denon or Yamaha receiver. A $1k Denon receiver is my preference, then step up to Rotel or even Adcom if you go with separates. The HK reputation has been up and down over the past several years; but it is better than the [JVC, Sony (not ES), Kenwood, Technics] solutions.

I am not a fan of Yamaha speakers, although their YST-50/80? looks like a great solution for a PC. Look at Paradigm, PSB, NHT, etc. for HT.

I'm a hard-core audiophile (I've got tubes in my audio system and spent WAY too much on gear), but for HT I decided to go with a ($1.5k retail, <$1k actual price) Yamaha receiver and Paradigm speakers because they did everthing I wanted and were on sale for such a great price.

 

[Idiot56209]

I have to pipe in here.... Someone said that Bose &quot;used to make&quot; good speakers? Maybe the setup the put in the back of an RX7 (very innovative design and good use of space), but what else?!?

I have a pair of Interaudio 3 speakers. It's a 10&quot;/5.25&quot;/3&quot;. sound quality? Excellent in the mid range. And I don't listen to bassy stuff, but I'm sorry... when bass guitar riffs like the one in Manfred Mann's Blinded By The Light or Natelie Imbruglia's Torn is only audible at the level of &quot;muddy&quot; and the cellos in ELO's Eldorado Overture sound more like a viola, you've got a problem.

I took the speakers apart and found POOR quality, and these speakers are from the Bose hey day of the mid 80s. The 5.25 was of fair to better quality, but the 10&quot; had virtually no voice coil, no magnet weight and the cabinet was fairly thin particle board.

I have a pair of 8&quot; Sensuis and 8&quot; Cerwin Vegas that accel beyond the level of quality of the Bose speakers that I couldn't even BEGIN to rant at how good they sound in comparison... at HALF the price.

Bose might have a niche market, but I'd like to find where it is, because there might be my chance to sell off this bridge I've got sitting up in Brooklyn.....

 

[MrWhiteUK]

B&amp;W all the way baby, and they're British

 

[Viperoni]

There's actually a reason why paper cone tweets are good.
They provide nearly flat response throughout their whole operating range.
That's a big plus, because rather than having a crossover manipulate the driver, the driver is already flat to begin with.
Also, the less crossover (slope, and in general) the better.

I'll always bea DIY'er though. For $600 I can build a sub that you can't even fathom for under $1500

 

[Adul]

Thanks guys for the advice.

 

[ThisIsMatt]

<< Hehehe, while reading through this thread I happened across a bose wave radio ad on CNBC.
I've never had the opportunity to hear this radio, but if I did purchase it I would be afraid I'd be spending a large amount of cash for a clock radio, WITH NO FRICKEN CLOCK!
Not that the addition of the clock would justify the large expense of the concert hall in a plastic box the size of a deluxe toaster, but at least it would have another practical function. >>

Well, the only place I've been to hear one of them is a bagel store/small restaurant. It was plenty to fill the room with good sound. Of course no bass, but of course.

 

[spamboy]

You guys miss the point on the cube and block units. The bass module is not supposed to take the place of a powered subwoofer. It is supposed to reproduce the same lows you would get from any other normal speaker. You can't treat it as a powered sub replacement because it's not and it's not supposed to be one. If you want extra bass, buy a real sub in addition. You wouldn't expect just some normal bookshelves to put out tons of bass, so why do you expect a paasive woofer to do it?

And as for bass, maybe you people have crappy amps or something, because when I run my Pioneer amp through Bose AM-3's it'll blow the F!cking windows out, with no powered sub required. And I have to turn the treble down a little as the volume really gets pumping. If they had &quot;better&quot; highs, they'd make you go deaf. And NO speaker other than Bose can accurately reproduce the bridge in Smashing Pumpkins's &quot;Quiet.&quot; I listened to multi-thousand dollar setups from all the big names, ALL of them lost the background vocals except for Bose. That and my Sony studio-monitor headphones.

 

[beer]

Spamboy -

If you're listening to a dolby digital movie, the response of the sattelites must get down to AT LEAST 80 HZ. The crossover on most DD receivers for DD movies is fixed at 80 hz. If your speakers drop at 130 hz then you basically have a 50 hz window where your sound is weak. The sattelites must down to a reasonable level before a subwoofer can begin to realistically produce bass tones - that is, 80 hz.

Bose can't.