[taylor]

One of my friends is under the mistaken impression that Bose makes the best speakers around. He wants evidence that there are better. Unfourtunately, I don't have any nice new speakers, just some older Mirage and Altec Lansing stuff, so I don't know the names of the speakers better than Bose.

Please, post the name of the speakers you heard, and why they are better than Bose.

 

[kent1146]

Go to a magazine rack. Buy a copy of any hi-fi audio magazine.

Stereo Review
Home Audio
etc.

ANY brand in there is better than Bose.

 

[bhd812]

if done rite your mirage's should be able to do some damage nicely

 

[Topspin14m]

The proper question is: "what is not better than Bose"

 

[Sovkiller]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Topspin14m The proper question is: "what is not better than Bose"

Remember that Bose advertise and have their stuff selling, in the mass market stores, in those stores, mostly they are the best among what is shown there. You could barely find any good speaker on any store like Best Buy or Circuit City, with a few exceptions maybe (JBL, or Athena, or maybe a Polk), and you will not find Bose in any high end store, so they are the best among the crap, but yes there are a lot of things that are not better that Bose in the stores...a lot....

 

[waltermeyer]

Take him to a high end home theater place and let him demo a nice set of B&W 800 series. If he doesnt write bose off right then and there, he has no ear.

 

[gundam91]

Quote:

Originally Posted by waltermeyer Take him to a high end home theater place and let him demo a nice set of B&W 800 series. If he doesnt write bose off right then and there, he has no ear.

This is not a fair comparison and he will not be convinced. He will probably think that for the price, Bose is great, and you have to spend tons of money to get to the next level. Firstable, ask him if Bose is so great, why do they refuse to publish any measurements for their speakers? And like what others have already said, any other low-end speakers from NHT, Paradigm, etc. will beat the crap out of Bose with a proper set up. Oh, beware the tactics that those mid-fi stores use to make you think their speakrs are the best. They crank up the volume. (At least that's what they were doing about 18 years ago, the last time I visited a "Bad Guys" , and "Circus City" stores...when I was still in high school, and didn't know any better.) People tend to perceive that louder is better. To do a fair comparison, you need to make sure the volume is the same. (Not just place the volume dial at the same place, but the volume from the speakers need to be measured the same from the listening position) This is because some speaker are more efficient, so they will sound louder even though the volume dial is set at the same position.

 

[Necros]

Give him a demo of a 5.1 speaker (and amp system if his is the active + amp version) of a £600 and £1500 5.1 speaker system and £300. So overall both still cheaper than the Bose systems. Don't tell him how much they're worth..play some material.

After he's said "Bose is still better" inform him of the price. You don't need to demo a £10,000 pair of speakers, even £200 bookshelfs blow away Bose.

Unfortunately even if people realize they've been had, and their are cheaper and much higher quality products out there they won't admit it.

Bose use cheap drive units, cheap enclosures, physically incorrect drivers needed to do sound reproduction..but their PR department is first class!

 

[CRESCENDOPOWER]

Quote:

Please, post the name of the speakers you heard, and why they are better than Bose.

I think the real question should be:

What speakers are inferior to Bose at the same price point?

 

[Nak Man]

Quote:

Originally Posted by taylor One of my friends is under the mistaken impression that Bose makes the best speakers around. He wants evidence that there are better. Unfourtunately, I don't have any nice new speakers, just some older Mirage and Altec Lansing stuff, so I don't know the names of the speakers better than Bose.

Why don't you compare your speakers with his bose ? Leaving tone flat, use some nice songs with vocal, and compare the mids to bose. Use bass or drum heavy tracks, compare bass to bose. etc. If yours are >'90s full range speakers I'm quite sure they'll do better. The problem is that sometimes people prefer boomy bass and tizzling treble - and found them to sound better and 'exciting'. I once found DCM speakers next door to bose dem room at circuit city / universal (forgot, in dallas area) to be better at half price. But bose reps didn't allow comparison in the same room.

Quote:

Originally Posted by taylor Please, post the name of the speakers you heard, and why they are better than Bose.

Can't find the link now but there used to be a comparison of acoustimass with other sub sat from energy and the likes. Off head I can say b&w, kef, tannoy, paradigm, would be easy enough to find there to be compared.

 

[BigD]

To many to list speakers better than bose.
But adding to nak man's list around the price range: mission, paradigm, athena, energy, nht.

 

[Aman]

Bose 901 - $1250
Buggtussel Somu - $1000

'nuff said.

Look at these two next to each other and tell me which is better

Buggtussel:

Bose:

 

[Alu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Topspin14m The proper question is: "what is not better than Bose"

Agreed.

 

[morphie]

Hello,

As I'm currently looking at somewhat cheap speakers right now, maybe I can help. My dad bought for himself the Bose 5.1 sound system with a harman kardon amp (cheap one, cant remember which model). Compared to those I've personally auditionned quite a few speakers (not 5.1, 2.1).

Triangle Comete ES - bookshelf (500 euros a pair)
Quad bookshelf speakers
Axiom M22ti
Dynaudio bookshelfs
Klipsch bookshelfs
JM Labs bookshelfs
Quad sub woofer

Those are all around the same price. I can't and won't make a review of them because I don't consider I have enough experience in HQ sound to do so. However, what I can do is compare them to the much listened 5.1 system from Bose. And Bose is not even worth comparing to. Any of those speakers including the Quad subwoofer blow the bose system away easily.

Hope that helped a bit

 

[john_jcb]

Bose IMO are not necessarily bad, however I do feel they are overpriced. Many people, for that matter most people have never had the opportunity to hear a really well done system. Most buy a music setup in a box, others cobble a system together without regard to component synergy and a precious few truly assemble a nice sounding system.

Those that make flat statements that Bose equipment is bad are mostly parroting what they have heard, jumping on the bandwagon if you will. While I won't be getting Bose speakers anytime soon I think they are far from the bottom of the barrel as some would have you believe.