[Kirium]

Now don't get me wrong, I'll be one of the first to agree that Bose sell incredibly overpriced product for what you get in return.
Their headphones would possibly be the worst offenders in this respect...

However...

I have heard bookshelf speakers and a decent set of floorstanders by the above named company, that weren't all that terrible, infact, they were quite musical (not a Nautilus mind you..

) and produced quite a pleasant soundstage...

their little cubes and subwoofer systems also are not without thier charm, when used as a 5.1 system for movies, and only movies. they also appeal to home theatre numpty's who have no desire to have massive speakers dotted around their lounges and big racks of bulky components.

(cringing, waiting for the backlash)

That said, I would never buy Bose.

My cans will either continue to be Senns, (HD600's up next after the 280Pro's) or i'd like to try some Beyers...
My Speakers will continue to be B&W's
My Equipment will continue to be Denon/Marantz until i move up to Mark Levinson/Meridian/Krell as an old fart with 2.3 children (unless some other crazy way of listening to music is invented by some bright spark between now and then)

I'll take a break here and struggle to remember what my point was...

That's right...

There seem's to be a Bose bashing culture here just for the sake of having a big-name whipping boy to have around the traps...
I have listened to their Noise cancelling cans, and the tri-ports. both of which are severely over priced, but still offered a decent (not mind-blowing) sound.

This is most noticable when a newbie arrives to ask about headphones and brings up the bose name....
the individual in question often doesn't get much helpful advice, other then to stay away from bose because the suck balls...

Bose seem to have good people in marketing and cater to a crowd which have very limited knowedge of home theatre and good sound. I personally see Bose in the upper-mass-market somewhere above sony's home-theatre-in-a-box and similar products from JVC, LG, Kenwood, Panasonic ect... but certainly not audiophile hi-fi level.

(the purpose of this post was to see if i could still touch-type, noticing bose-bashing more and more (in most cases unwarranted) and a smidge of boredom here at work...

)

and i'm wearing new underwear today

 

[MusicLover]

Let me tell you a little story:

A few days ago I was at Best Buy and saw a speaker system they had up for display. It was 2, yes 2, little cube speakers by Bose that could supposedly simulate 5.1 sound. I listened to them and thought they sounded pretty good, although not that good. Then I saw the price tag: $1000.

You know why those speakers sucked? Because they were $1000. You could say anything sounds good. But who would want to buy the Triports when some $20 - $30 headphones sound better? This is why newbies are always warned to stay away from Bose, otherwise they would be wasting their money on something that sounds very bad, for the price.

Oh, and congratulations on your new underwear!

 

[ProFingerSk8er]

yes...bose's cube 5.1 tv system are quite amazing for something their size....i think everyone knows bose because of those speakers...

i think what happened is...after they invented those cube speakers, and after getting great recviews...they started thinking every 2" woofers they make will sound better than anyone else's 4" woofers..

but i still quite like their 5.1 cube speakers...but the $3k tag seems a lil high

 

[Kirium]

Mabey they should just stick to their Little Cubes and can the cans...

WRT their 3-2-1 system, i think it's a crock of **** too, no little 2 speakers can "re-create a surround sound theatre in your home" that's just BS, no matter how you look at it.

1 exception i have seen tho, is by some company starting with N.. or mabey it was M... or it could have started with A... anyway, they have 2 speakers and a sub. you put 1 speaker infront of you, and 1 behind. and each speaker has 3 mid-range drivers and 3 tweeters, and each mid/tweeter combo handles 1 discrete channel. so it's 6.1. 3 discrete channels across the front and 3 round the back....

and yes the bose system is overpriced.

i was merely concerned about a growing bose bashing culture that isn't required on such a lovely quaint forum where perfectly civil conversation takes place and a number of posts end with something like "and bose sucks..."

oh, and bose sucks....

 

[averydonovan]

Bose probably wouldn't get bashed so much if the common consumer wouldn't think their overpriced crap is high-end. And given that they sued Consumer Reports, a non-profit consumer magazine (even if their newer audio reviews can be taken with a grain of salt), when a reviewer stated the facts about Bose speakers...

Let the Bose bashing begin

 

[D-EJ915]

one way you can know their stuff is crap is the fact that they think a sub with multiple 5 1/4" drivers will sound better than a real sub using a 10" or 12" one (or better yet, 2 subs, one with an 8 and one with a 15

 

[Polygon]

Bose wouldn't be so bad if they didn't make middle line speakers at high end prices. I will never buy a Bose component or speaker. I'll can get that sound from my inexpesive Senns, plus I can get much better sound for much less from a custom built component system and speakers.

 

[blessingx]

I agree Bose bashing is a sport here. Bose has obviously had a big impact on the speaker industry. Look how many companies have small cubes now. I think a lot of us think as kids we'll grow up and buy some Bose someday. They're sort of a symbol that works both ways, including when the realization hits of what else is out there. Praise on the way up and bash on the way down.

When all is said and done though, their increasing popularity had one big negative effect- they sacrificed the mids for the lows and everyone followed.

 

[Jacobh]

Bose provides it's niche. Aren't you glad to know that you get better sound for a fraction of the price that some people pay?

Otherwise, while I don't buy bose products, I can't bash them. If people are willing to buy them is it wrong for Bose to sell stuff at the prices they do? Consider if you were in their position.

 

[D-EJ915]

It was actually Cambridge Soundworks who came up with the Small Sat/Sub system idea...and everybody else started to have them. I think it was called "ensemble"...

 

[blessingx]

Quote:

Originally posted by D-EJ915 It was actually Cambridge Soundworks who came up with the Small Sat/Sub system idea...and everybody else started to have them. I think it was called "ensemble"...

Small "cube" speakers were introduced as the Bose Acoustimass in '87. Cambridge Soundworks started as a company in '88 and it's first showroom opened in '91.

 

[Kirium]

For any doubters of my bose bashing as a sport and favorite forum past-time theory, i will simply refer you to D-EJ915's signature... (a quote by another member)

 

[stereth]

My dad says it best: Bose is a marketing company.

And the Bose FAQ (go here if I change my sig) has some of the best information on this topic that I've seen. I grew up with a distrust of Bose after reading their full-page ads for their radio. If the self-promotion sounds too good to be true, hang on to your wallet with both hands. It's amazing what claims of quality can do for a company.

After a quick listen to the Triports at Best Buy, I mentioned that they might compete with the V6s if you were willing to ignore the price tag.

 

[Kirium]

i first read the Bose FAQ a month or 2 ago. and agreed with it in almost all respects...

E.G. the Wave radio.

a damn good clock radio, especially in a sound for size basis. but like the FAQ describes, you pay dearly for it.

Bose has great marketing going for it, and is seen as a bit of a status product for those not in the know...

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Quote:

Originally posted by Kirium E.G. the Wave radio. a damn good clock radio, especially in a sound for size basis. but like the FAQ describes, you pay dearly for it.

I agree that the Bose Acoustic Wave radio provides surprisingly good sound for its size. The trouble is, it costs several hundred $$$. It would have been a good buy - if it were priced appropriately. Unfortunately, its actual selling price is ridiculously high.