AudioDwebe
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- May 1, 2006
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My 2 cents:
Bose-bashing is a rite of passage for anyone who considers themselves an "audiophile". As a person grows up, they see the name, "Bose" everywhere. It's the speakers used in hi-end cars, they're sold pretty much everywhere, and are advertised remarkably well. So one grows believing that Bose is, indeed, the best there is.
Some folks stop there and continue to believe, while others venture off the main roadway to Bosedom and find other speakers/headphones which they come to realize is better suited for their musical needs.
With this newfound knowledge, and feeling as though they've somehow been "duped" by Bose for a number of years, they shout out at every given opportunity just how lousy Bose products are. I guess many feel empowered by breaking the chains of Bose and feel better about themselves, as audiphiles.
No longer being a newbie, they try and spread the words of anit-Bosedom to show the world just how much of an audiophile they really are.
At least that's my take on Bose-bashing.
Having said that, I find certain Bose products to be as good or, dare I say it? Better than other products for their intended uses.
In my personal experience, I've purchased and enjoyed the following: 301 Series II, 601 Series II, 901 Series VI (twice) and their little IE earbuds. I find their earbuds to be a very dark sounding canalphone which requires ample amplification to sound really good, but even unamped, once I'd gotten used to their sound signature, found them to be very warm, comfortable and a relaxing listen. They're something that has to be used alone, without swapping out with other IEMs/cans, for the enjoyment to begin. In constant swapping mode, I could never get past their dark and somewhat muddy sound signature. But that's only compared to other IEMs/cans. On their own, by themselves, very enjoyable. The only thing that I absolutely hated was that I couldn't keep their eartips on the stems. They kept coming off.
As for their speaker line, for music, I do not like their little cubes. Those, to me, are only for movie special effects, for which they work really well. The 301, 601 and 901 I find to be excellent speakers. They're definitley not audiophile quality with pinpoint soundstage imaging, but they also cost nowhere near what an "audiophile" speaker does. Even the 901s, with their cost of over a grand, is relatively inexpensive, as "audiophile" speakers often tend to cost more, and you need the proper upstream gear to take advantage of what a given speaker is capable of. I'm talking retail price, not what one can find used.
I think Bose products are for people who just "enjoy" music without the need for constant upgrades of this or that in order to make incremental improvements in their sound systems. Their for non-audiophiles, or for audiophiles who can live with them with an appreciation of what they do, which, in my opinion, is give you a really nice sound, at a reasonable price, without the need for ultraexpensive components to match them with, or for one who has limitations in their music rooms which doesn't allow for other speakers (audiphile-type) to excel.
Again, this is just my 2 cents.
'Dwebe
Bose-bashing is a rite of passage for anyone who considers themselves an "audiophile". As a person grows up, they see the name, "Bose" everywhere. It's the speakers used in hi-end cars, they're sold pretty much everywhere, and are advertised remarkably well. So one grows believing that Bose is, indeed, the best there is.
Some folks stop there and continue to believe, while others venture off the main roadway to Bosedom and find other speakers/headphones which they come to realize is better suited for their musical needs.
With this newfound knowledge, and feeling as though they've somehow been "duped" by Bose for a number of years, they shout out at every given opportunity just how lousy Bose products are. I guess many feel empowered by breaking the chains of Bose and feel better about themselves, as audiphiles.
No longer being a newbie, they try and spread the words of anit-Bosedom to show the world just how much of an audiophile they really are.
At least that's my take on Bose-bashing.
Having said that, I find certain Bose products to be as good or, dare I say it? Better than other products for their intended uses.
In my personal experience, I've purchased and enjoyed the following: 301 Series II, 601 Series II, 901 Series VI (twice) and their little IE earbuds. I find their earbuds to be a very dark sounding canalphone which requires ample amplification to sound really good, but even unamped, once I'd gotten used to their sound signature, found them to be very warm, comfortable and a relaxing listen. They're something that has to be used alone, without swapping out with other IEMs/cans, for the enjoyment to begin. In constant swapping mode, I could never get past their dark and somewhat muddy sound signature. But that's only compared to other IEMs/cans. On their own, by themselves, very enjoyable. The only thing that I absolutely hated was that I couldn't keep their eartips on the stems. They kept coming off.
As for their speaker line, for music, I do not like their little cubes. Those, to me, are only for movie special effects, for which they work really well. The 301, 601 and 901 I find to be excellent speakers. They're definitley not audiophile quality with pinpoint soundstage imaging, but they also cost nowhere near what an "audiophile" speaker does. Even the 901s, with their cost of over a grand, is relatively inexpensive, as "audiophile" speakers often tend to cost more, and you need the proper upstream gear to take advantage of what a given speaker is capable of. I'm talking retail price, not what one can find used.
I think Bose products are for people who just "enjoy" music without the need for constant upgrades of this or that in order to make incremental improvements in their sound systems. Their for non-audiophiles, or for audiophiles who can live with them with an appreciation of what they do, which, in my opinion, is give you a really nice sound, at a reasonable price, without the need for ultraexpensive components to match them with, or for one who has limitations in their music rooms which doesn't allow for other speakers (audiphile-type) to excel.
Again, this is just my 2 cents.
'Dwebe
