Bose products

Two main problems with bose speakers..

 

1.  Everything is TINY.  Cheap, tiny, full-range drivers, in tiny enclosures.

It is not possible to have a flat, extended frequency response from that kind of speaker... 

Bose compensates for it partly through innovative technology, but the SQ still doesn't quite match up to "real" speakers.

Bose also uses traditional tricks to appeal to the mainstream... smiley-face EQ/boosted bass mainly..

Bose is more about features rather than quality

 

 

2.  Big name means they can hike up the price..  priced higher than they're worth...

You can get better value with smaller specialty firms that have to have, high quality to compete.
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We have had multiple sets of their earbuds, 3 so far. I have a set in front of me to send back and make it 4. They sound ok when they are new and the kid likes them because they are comfortable. Sound quality is not on par with my full size cans or even my $29 Koss portapro's in my opinion ( we all hear differently.) We got them from AMEX with rewards points a while back so they were dirt cheap. The one good thing I can say is Bose has replaced them without issue 3 times already. I can't fault Bose for them dying as the kid wears headphones most of the time so they see lots of use via the ipod. The first 3 sets died at the jack even though they were well cared for. This set died at the ear piece.

That being said I don't personally feel that their speakers match the sound value per dollar that I've gotten from other mid-fi brands like Paradigm, Focal or my old Phase Techs.

On the other hand this is all just my opinion.

Most people who buy Bose products arent audiophiles and dont know any better.  They buy Bose because its higher priced, and they associate higher price with quality.

I use a pair of 301 Series IV as my rear surrounds, very happy with them for that use. Specifically since they are firing towards the couch I was looking for a pair of speakers that did not have a very energetic top end.

Agreed! I'm not giving up my full size cans for the bose earbuds. ( Personally they aren't my style at all. ) On the other hand I'm glad they work for the kid and with 4 pair replaced, they equal out to a better value. ( Unlike my semi-vintage Sen HD-414s that ended up dead the same way.) Now those were worth the $40 I paid for them at a closeout sale!

Edited by rprokop63 - 6/29/10 at 4:42pm

The only Bose products I've thought were decent were their older 601 and 901 speakers. Interesting designs and I might pick up a pair of used ones some day. They're relatively easy to refoam and spruce up. Used prices aren't too bad and they will re-sell if you've cleaned them up.

But I haven't liked any of Bose's headphones and find the little cube speakers dreadful. A few years back when I moved in with my then-fiancee she had one of those setups. It was truly, truly awful. I had also brought my homemade ribbons along. Now, the ribbons were called "ugly" and relegated to the basement. But for a few days, I had them correctly set up in the large living room with something like 16' ceilings. The ribbons were glorious. She'd sit there, mouth open, listening to favorite songs over and over. But, still, the ribbons were too ugly for the living room, so the cubes were left out. Can't think of a single time she - or anyone else - enjoyed music on them.