[Aardvarks]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 883dave /img/forum/go_quote.gif Anyone?

Me, I am on their mailing list and go to listen to every product evening and launch that I can.

I have been to Bose demos in the US and at home and we always take along our selection of cans as comparators.

Bose makes products which meet the needs of a lot of people for having music in their lives from a simple system.

If a chap says to me that he enjoys Bose then great. If he says that Bose is the best sounding kit in the world then I am forced to ask politely to what he has made the comparison and if no refereences are forthcoming then he has to see that what he is really saying is that he enjoys his Bose very much and he wishes to recommend others to take a listen.

I enjoy my Linn kit very much and I recommend anyone to take a listen. However as I have only done comparsions with Arcam, Marantz, Cambridge Audio, Denon, Sony, B&O, and my speakers with B&W, Kef, Castle, Mordaunt Short, then I can not say that Linn is the best kit in the world (although for me it is)

Enjoy what you have and have what you enjoy

Anyone fancy a cup of tea?

 

[soloz2]

when I come across people who think bose is the greatest I just tell them to listen to other gear in the same price range and make their own decision. Most people that think bose is the best thing since sliced bread have never heard other systems in the same price range. They have a crappy HTIB or cheap earbuds and they save up to get something that says Bose thinking this is the best there is! and from what they had it does sound pretty good.

 

[dgbiker1]

I used to say that, but then felt really bad a few times. Now I'll just say something like "if you like Bose you might like ______ too". Then they can figure out for themselves what else is out there and I can be the one that informed them instead of the jerk that told them they wasted their money

Bose is like Red Robin, you know you can do better for the price, but you know what to expect and it's not too bad. The majority of people would rather go the safe easy route than come spend too much time on head-fi and go completely broke

 

[NajoBB]

I came in Italy 4 years ago, and never heard about bose before. Here people really thinks that bose IS the best there is that money can buy. Thats ignorance. Exept for the 901 speakers that I've heard in my friend's house and my triport AE (paid 50$ NIB and wort it) all the stuff sound average at best, and you pay premium price for it. They do have good customer support but prices are absurd. You pay up to 4 times of the real value for they products. Publicity is a miracle really...
As for "teaching" friends about HI-FI: it's good to show them if they want to know. Almoust all my friends now rip music in 320k, have sennheiser/Akg/shure headphones (before they didn't know they exist, it was sony, bose or...whatever the brand of the month was) and some of them who had 3000watt subwoofers in the trunk are now making some really god car audio systems. If you sound like an audio snob it's normal that all thinks you're crazy for paying headphone cable 300$ (actually i too think thats crazy...) or some nice amp for 1000$/2000$ or even more. I don't give a crap about.....i don't know....famous designer clothing (sorry, still learning english). You can tell me whatever you want, ill never pay 1000+$ for a pair of shoes or 300$ for a belt. But, for example, i needed some digital camera and i don't know anything about them. Instead going for "the best there is" or the most expensive in that price range, i've asked my friend who uses them for years for advice and he show me some models. My girl doesn't know how to install a game on pc even though she's using one for about 3-4 years, and i'm a computer geek and know to fix it with my eyes closed and i've bought my first computer 2 years ago. If i'm needed i help her for computer problems, but i don't think she's stupid or something for not knowing some stuff. She doesn't give a crap for computers. She's using it for msn, internet, movies and music. People are not stupid for buying bose or whatever, they don't know better, or doesn't care. So show them if they want to know, if not leave them to be happy with what they have. But be polite, as you want to be treated the same way for the stuff that you don't know.

 

[Kirosia]

Many people listen to Bose while eating churros, coincidence?...

 

[uofmtiger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 883dave /img/forum/go_quote.gif How many Bose bashers have actually taken the time to listen to a Bose product?

A long while ago, I bought a Bose Acoustimass system with 3 satellites (2 speakers stacked in each one) and a subwoofer. I had a small apartment so I chose it based on the size and the number of people that liked them. Also, giving a quick listen in one of their sound rooms made them sound pretty good. However, I never liked their sound in my apartment and did some research (should have done that it the first place) and ended up with an Energy Take 5 system that was cheaper and sounded much better.

The great part was that the Bose speakers held their intial value up until I sold them a couple years ago. I had them in a guest room and no one ever listened to them anyway.

Back on topic:
I have a coworker with Bose cubes and I just let him believe they sound good. For his needs, they probably sound good enough, anyway.
I think the form factor is why a lot of people like them.

 

[lobehold]

I have a few friends that have Bose headphones, but they got it on specials (they don't think a headphone is ever worth >$100) and they like the sound and how light they are (shoddy build quality).

Personally I have heard Bose and it is not all that bad since the source that those plugs into is pretty much being maxed out by it (crappy computer sound card and mp3 players), so details/resolution doesn't matter that much. As for colouring the music lots of people like Grado and everyone agrees that Grado colour the sound massively, but they're still considered good headphones so....

I think the main problem people have with Bose is how the the company is overpricing and deluding the masses about the quality of their product, not that the product itself is abysmal.

Back to the main topic, if you know the guy raving about Bose would probably get offended then don't say anything, but there should always be ways that you can pass on the information without making him look bad. Personally if someone told me to try high quality headphones (instead of finding out about them myself) I would be very thankful that he or she did so.

So if the guy's a friend, then you'd be doing a service to him to let him in the "know", just don't act like buying Bose is a crime or something.

 

[xnothingpoetic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xzjia /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think the main problem people have with Bose is how the the company is overpricing and deluding the masses about the quality of their product, not that the product itself is abysmal.

My main problem is the sound quality and the price to performance ratio.

I don't care about their marketing ethics and strategies- in fact that is what they do best, and they do it very well.

 

[JGP08]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xnothingpoetic /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't care about their marketing ethics and strategies- in fact that is what they do best, and they do it very well.

I definitely agree with this... their ridiculous price/performance ratio is actually what gives their products the image of prestige and desirability. A student I just met on campus (who was wearing some Sonys) told me that he was saving up for the best headphones on the market. I asked him what those were and he said Bose, and he told me that if I had the money I should buy them too. It's just how the average, uninformed consumer reacts to effective marketing.

With all that said, I do not mean to put down Bose or Sony. If people enjoy their cans, then I say good for them, regardless of the brand.

 

[Budgie]

I find it always best to treat people's beliefs with kindness, when ever possible. Only exceptions I make are for prejudice, animal cruelty, and dangerous behaviors.

Oh ya, and audio snobs!

 

[John E Woven]

I don't like the bose sound; it's not fast enough, the bass is too emphisized, and it's not particularly accurate. It's like pre-equalizered headphones.

Their speakers, it just sounds bad in a real situation, not the endcap at bestbuy. There's no real competition there, since they seperate it away from everyone else, nobody else has 5.1 setup like that, and you're never more than a few feet away from the speakers. Now after you take it home, it just won't be the same.

Then, there's the pricing. It's just not good value. Their stuff isn't particularly well built, but most people don't know that, only that 'bose is the best' based on their marketing.

 

[Brian_the_King]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 883dave /img/forum/go_quote.gif How many Bose bashers have actually taken the time to listen to a Bose product?

I have heard the Lifestyle 28, the Wave, and the on-ear Triports. I don't think any of their gear is bad, simply overpriced. I would be happy with Bose as a brand, and would probably buy their products, if they cut the price everything they sell exactly in half.

 

[Gross]

I work for pro-sound company, we install sound systems for Schools, Churches, Arenas, blah blah blah. We are in the top 10 for volume in the US for Bose Pro. (we also are dealers for Shure, Sennheiser, AKG, Beyerdynamic, JBL, Crown, QSC, Crestron and tons of other stuff) The Bose reps leave us headphones and whatnot everyonce and a while, so I have had the opportunity to listen to the QC2s and the Triports as much as I wanted too. One thing that I repeatedly see some up about the headphones is the "one note bass". I couldn't agree more. That is how their pro stuff is too. You will have a rocking church system with bass at about 90hz that just pounds. And I could not tell you how many times I have heard "Has no highs, Has no Lows, Sounds like Crap, Must be Bose". Well, I use an RTA regularly at work to tune systems, and it is pretty predictable on most systems they drop off at 160hz and 16khz, respectivly. Don't get me wrong, Bose surely has a place in this world, and they do certain things very well. They do voice reproduction very well, but if a church wants a rockin system, Bose isnt the first brand I recommend. One thing that still amazes me though is when church members come in while we are installing a new system, and they see a Bose box on the floor, they always exclaim how good it is going to sound, because they chose Bose. Maybe I will grab the Triports and plug them into my MillettMAX and see what happens, maybe it will be awesome. And although Bose pays my paycheck, You won't find a single bose product in my house.

 

[shigzeo]

got to agree. if the person is happy, let him/her be happy. if the person expresses that the bose is not quite to his/her liking, then express you opinion.

if i like my opus bicycle but every other biycler tells me they are rubbish (though the marketting position is different) and to get another bicycle as it will change my life, they are not helpingme.

firstly, i am not a true performer. i participate in races not to win but to enjoy the conjestion at the beginning and at the end, the nice free roads!

 

[wanderman]

the best thing about bose is that they get people to care about sound. Once someone feels the quality/workmanship is lacking they will do research and upgrade to something else.