What is Digg?207 Comments
- chrishill, on 10/12/2007, -10/+75Bose = AOL for home audio :)
- modian, on 10/12/2007, -5/+53Welcome! You've got bass!
- ksgant, on 10/12/2007, -4/+39Bose has never really been the holy grail of audio. They are, however, one of the top marketers around.
- modian, on 10/12/2007, -10/+34Well I for one think they sound great and besides, they look real nice next to my Ionic Breeze Quadra from Sharper Image.
- portis, on 10/12/2007, -4/+27They are considered mediocre to an audiophile. To the layman however, they have one of the best out of the box speaker sets.
So basically, if you know your audio stuff, you won't buy Bose. If you are new and want a decent sound solution, you might. - Paladin27, on 10/12/2007, -5/+24That's like saying McDonald's must have the best hamburgers in the world because they sell the most!
- mofo196, on 10/12/2007, -12/+29Having worked in the home audio industry, I can attest to the fact that Bose is absolute crap. Bose used clever marketing to convince the average idiot that they were the best speaker on the market.
- cgruber, on 10/12/2007, -4/+19They aren't crap, but they cost a lot more than they are worth. A lot of people never had a home theater so they don't know what good sound is. Going from tv speakers to bose is a pretty big jump and then add in there commercials saying they are the best and bingo.
- ksgant, on 10/12/2007, -2/+17Never underestimate the power of a fantastic marketing strategy. There marketing is something that should be admired, but not necessarily their products. And also, audio to many that buy it is "good enough" for them, not to mention they just laid down over $1k to buy it so that in itself will skew the people from saying that it's crap.
I mean, if you just shelled out 1,500 bucks for a system, are you going to go around and say it's crap? Sure, some would...and do. But the majority wouldn't, in fear that they would look really dumb. "Whoa, you paid that much for this? You're an idiot then!"....at least that's what they may think. - jer2eydevil88, on 10/12/2007, -4/+19how can you put Bose on a pedestal higher than JBL? Have you gone deaf?
- sheep555, on 10/12/2007, -5/+20In the professional audio world, Bose has always stood for Buy Other Sound Equipment. The simple fact is they don't put the cash into R&D - they put it into marketing.
The reason quite a few venues around the world use Bose (and particularly the 802 series speakers) is because Bose spend a lot of money advertising in the glossy weekend supplements and magazines targetted at executives. When said executives come to look at proposed venue specs, quite often they'll ask "why aren't you using Bose" - they believe that Bose's professional gear must be stunning, due to the heavy promotion and advertising of their domestic gear.
But the speakers like the 802s, whilst being a nifty idea in principle, are in reality one of the worst choices you could make for sound reinforcement. The fact that they require a graphic equaliser of their own is a pain, and the sound quality is actually pretty poor.
Their domestic equipment is generally better, but by no means top of the range. Bose basically skimp on the R&D, charge lots of money for what is by no means a cutting edge technology, and spend the profit on impressive marketing. I know few sound technicians who by choice go with Bose. - DaffyDuck, on 10/12/2007, -2/+15Top selling does not equal the best.
I have had Bose speakers before. They are not bad but they don't have a very clean sound. Bass and midrange is overstated. - bradford, on 10/12/2007, -4/+17The article makes an interesting point regarding side-by-side comparisons. Go to a local best buy's audio department. The Bose systems are showcased on an isle end cap or "feature area" far away from the speaker comparison rooms. Clever marketing indeed.
- christianw, on 10/12/2007, -7/+18no highs.... no lows.... must be bose...
- pierre, on 10/12/2007, -8/+17To say they are absolute crap is a HUGE overstatment. They are not top of the line as any audio pro will tell you. But they make decent sounding stuff that is just slighty better than the average consumer junk.
- AaronTyler, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11Bose does not offer the best product for the money. Period. What they do offer is two things:
1. An incredible marketing campaign that was viral from the start.
2. Incentives to salesmen who push their products.
- aragon127, on 10/12/2007, -5/+12Bose are junk. Any one who likes them suffers from 2 problems: #1) They believe the marketing that is crammed down their throat. #2) They've never heard a real home theater.
Go listen to Bose in your friends living room then spend the same money on some speakers from Ascend, Onix, Paradigm or any of the hundreds of other respectable speaker manufacturers. If you prefer the Bose, any of the above will give you a free refund. I guarantee you won't be keeping the Bose.
People really don't know what to listen for in speakers. That's why they end up with Bose. There are hundreds of ads and marketing ploys telling them Bose is great so they assume they are great. If a friend sees Bose speakers he's heard they're great from magazines so he thinks they're great too.
Take some NHT speakers which will completely blow the sound quality of Bose away; If your neighbor sees you with a set of those he's never heard of them. No one has told him they're great so he doesn't know. He'd be more impressed with Bose (despite they fact they sound like crap) then NHT. And that's what it's all about. Impressing the neighbors. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -10/+17"I mean, if you just shelled out 1,500 bucks for a system, are you going to go around and say it's crap? Sure, some would...and do. But the majority wouldn't, in fear that they would look really dumb. "Whoa, you paid that much for this? You're an idiot then!"....at least that's what they may think."
I think thats the reason that some people keep on expousing apple products (don't flame me yet). Some of the stuff is good, some very mediocre, but all of it selling at premium prices ($99 for a leather pouch that costs $0.80 to make?!).
The last thing you want is for a friend to buy a competing product and have it turn out better and cheaper than yours, so you heap praise on the thing and soon enough your friends buy one too, and do exactly what you did when you were disapointed at your expensive purchase. Misery loves company, as the old saying goes. This isn't just an Apple bash though, its just that their stuff immediatley springs to mind as way too expensive and nowhere near as innovative as it first appears but it looks really cool.
I used to work in the HiFi section of a large retailer and I too quickly got tired of the "Do you sell Bose?" question every day. They're okay, nothing all that special, but when you compare the cost of a Bose to that of pretty much all other consumer targeted equipment they're just plain nasty! - addicted44, on 10/12/2007, -4/+11Why do all digg users assume that the only reason to buy something is its performance?
How about looks? It might not matter a lot to you, but to people who do not really care whether their speaker systems are off by 6 db instead of 5, (which btw, is most people), they also consider what might look good in their home theater setups, and which company assures them a certain amount of quality everytime. Also, good sutomer service is important to a lot of people.
Most people have more intersting lives than to be bothered that their speakers might not be the best value ever. - MrUnderbridge, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9But if the people who get them in the first place aren't audiophiles or anything near it, they won't know what they're missing. The Bose will sound better than the $20 speakers (or TV speakers, yech) they replaced, and the owner will think they're great.
You've also got some "emperor's new clothes" effects, and I guarantee you the new owner of the $2500 pile of crap will be able to convince himself it sounds fantastic. And he *will* show it off to his friends.
So in that case, word of mouth will still help them. - tardmongerster, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Here's a funny story. I spent serveral thousand $ and a week of time setting up a new 7.1 system in my house. I bought Klipsch reference series and an Onko TX-NR901. All speakers are attached to the ceiling with Omnimount speaker mounts, and all heavy gage wiring is in wall with nice clean banana plugs and patch cables, etc. Needless to say, the results were very impressive, better than I expected. I topped it off with a Denon multi-format DVD player (I like SACD and DVD-A). Metallica's Black album on DVD-A will make you cream in your pants on this.
Anyway, my brother-in-law came over and was looking at it. He said to me "why didn't you get Bose?" I just said "listen why" and cranked up the Black album until his ears hurt. My other brother-in-law was amazed, but this guy (even though he was visibly shaken) just said he still likes Bose because he hates all the extra wires and it's too complicated.
He also uses AOL dial-up. - canyonblue, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Bose doesn't make "bad" speakers, they make speakers that are "bad" for the money. Like buying a Tiffany ring, you know you could do better on price or style elsewhere, but getting the Bose name means at least it won't be horrible. Me... I have a $2000 5.1 speaker system from Paradigm which is the equal of spending $5000 on Bose, but I also had to spend a lot of time researching what to get and going to custom stores. For Joe Average Bose isn't bad and it sure is simple.
- nograz, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7The best out of the box set, and more affordable than Bose would be the Energy Take 5.2 system (or whatever they are calling it now). Athena, which I think is a spin off of Energy also has speakers that you can buy to round off a package. Paradigm also sells some great little packages in their cinema series, a little more than the Take 5.2 system, but still cheaper than Bose.
- agarc, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7@indijay
Try Onkyo... For a home theatre system out of the box, their systems are pretty good.
If you want a really awesome home theatre system though, you can't really buy an "out of the box" system. - ivachen, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5My local BB's actually got a Klipsch setup at their home theater, I think they are those 800 per pair, comparing to the Bose set up they do sound a little less like tin cans. Also for me I will be more comfortable turning their volumn up than worrying to blow the Bose dices up.
- danpsmith, on 10/12/2007, -4/+9Bose should be called pose, cuz they are a poser brand. My dad bought a set of these for my computer and he still thought that my boston acoustics from my 6 year old gateway sounded better, probably because they did, or he doesn't know jack ***** about audio. Either way, he buys bose, so what does that tell you.
- MilenkoD, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Basically it comes down to this, if you want big, great, full sound you'll need a full set of speakers. I had the LifeStyle 35 system. Cost me $3000. After hearing a friends Klipcsh system I thought his sounded better and when he told me it was $1k less than what I paid, I cried.
Sold my LS 35 on CraigsList and bought an M&K system with a Pioneer Elite receiver for almost the same cost. There is NO comparison. The M&K speakers are better sounding than DTS at the theater.
In fact, M&K are the co-developers of the THX standard (not that it saying much, but at least there's some consistency in sound and quality). Even when I go to BB/Magnolia in their theater room, I still compare other "high-end" systems with the M&K. There's almost no other system that sounds as good as the "M&K 5.1 THX Select" system for Home Theater use....hands down. (Straight-up audio is a different story...not M&K strong point).
My sister has the same Bose system that I had. Every time I watch the TV or a movie at her place, it sounds like I'm listening through a toilet paper tube...it's horrible. If you sit off-axis, it's even worse.
- Kamarag, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7When I worked at Circuit City (in the old days, when you had to know your stuff), we sold a ton of those Bose speaker sytems. I still maintain they were sold not on sound quality but on looks. Women loved them because they were small and easy to hide (the Acoutsimass systems). Other than the original Bose 901 system in a studio setting, and the Bose Noise-Cancelling Headphones, I've never heard a Bose speaker that didn't sound like complete crap.
- johnhattan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Bose definitely knows how to pitch to a wealthy target market. My elderly parents own an $800 AM/FM CD player from Bose that they bought after hearing Rush Limbaugh and Paul Harvey incessently state that it was the finest and richest piece of audio equipment on the planet, much much better than anything they've ever heard.
And what fine rich $800 sounds fill their house?
Rush Limbaugh and Paul Harvey on AM radio. - jayhawk88, on 10/12/2007, -7/+12It always amuses me how much audiophiles have in common with wine snobs.
- Otto, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4>But there are people out there that want nice sounding speakers that are small and easy to hide. Those people are unfortunately the majority, and the ones that Bose so effectively targets.
No doubt, but the problem is that you cannot alter the laws of physics. A tiny little speaker is not going to reproduce the audio well enough for it to sound good. Ever. No matter what marketing magic you throw at it. What these people you're talking about want is a contradiction in terms. You can have it small or you can have it sound good. Pick one.
>What also may help Bose in the long run is that while their speakers are overpriced and underperforming, can anyone who is relatively impartial point out a bose system that was just a stinker?
Yes. All of them. Bose have never, ever, made a system that sounds good (where "good" is defined as "accurate reproduction of the original sound").
>Is it possible that while they are mediocre from the view of audiophiles, they are usually better than the base level of Best Buy entry level speakers? That would create the illusion of quality among the majority.
They are usually better than the $30 computer speakers you can get at Wal-Mart. However, even the worst component system with real speakers that you can buy will sound better than any Bose system-in-a-box. - VeganG, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7"Well I for one think they sound great and besides, they look real nice next to my Ionic Breeze Quadra from Sharper Image."
Bose customers and Sharper Image customers? That sounds about right. One can only hope you were being sarcastic. - nograz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4@Shadowe
I would actually buy a Kenwood or Yamaha ($250) HTB over anything Bose. For the money, they are exceptional value in HTBs with great sound and good speakers for what you are paying. As you are willing to spend a little more money, $500 or so, I would start looking into Onkyo and Denon, both are going to sound better than Bose.
Once you get much past $500, that is when you should start looking at picking up a 5.1 speaker package and receiver separately. A speaker package from a company like Athena, Energy (Take 5.2 system is GREAT!), PSB or Paradigm, that all have solid speakers that can be bought as or built into a 5.1 package. - blakespot, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6I just spent around $12K on a home theatre system (plasma, on-wall speakers). $3K of that was to do with quality, surround audio. I did lots of research into this, make no mistake. (I ended up with Energy Take on-wall speakers and a Yamaha receiver system.) Along the way, I confirmed what I had heard hinted at before. For the price, BOSE are very poor speakers. If BOSE speakers were priced something even approaching what one would call "reasonable," there would be little to gruff about.
Here's an excellent article that captures the essence of this situation. Don't miss it:
http://www.intellexual.net/bose.html
In the end, it is an excellence in marketing that Bose has displayed - not extreme quality audio. - nograz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Where the heck did that marantz phrase come from?
Marantz makes great receivers, on par with Denon and H/K.
Marantz is about not frivolous useless features, like a million + 1 DSPs. Tell me, why do I need a cave DSP? Marantz is about quality amps and electronics. Test will prove this, as marantz, along with Denon and H/K (H/K being the best) are among the best at putting out good clean power, especially when compared to what they claim. Marantz was pretty close to spot on, while companies like Sony were so far off, it wasn't even funny. - jamesvaughn, on 10/12/2007, -5/+9Bose fans seem like the kind of people who will say something is technologically superior but not truly understand why or know for sure. Like most Apple fans.
- nograz, on 10/12/2007, -6/+10No highs or lows.... must be Bose.
I think only reason why Bose are so popular is their price tag. People instantly think that they must be good. I am sure their marketing has a little to do with it also. They are geared towards people with money that don't do their research.
I will stick with my Paradigm Studio series and Anthem amp and pre/pro setup. Nothing Bose could ever hope to touch. - WeeBull, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5B&W, Mission, JBL.... Those are Speaker Companies
Bose, Bang & Olufsen... Those are Image Companies
You'll proabably pay more for the image, but it won't sound half as sweet. - thatautguy, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6Another good example is the SoundDock: while it sounds ok, it does definitely not sound 300 $ good. There's a bunch of little speakers for half the price (again, JBL comes to mind) that sound just as good, if not better.
But again, you have that certain crowd that gets drawn to Bose like moths to light. They won't even consider looking at anything else; and in the end, if they're happy with their purchase - more power to them. The economy definitely needs people like that. - LordOfTheSponge, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Monster cables - or high end speaker cables are the other Audio Rip-off.
It's copper wire with insulation around it! You can go to a place like Home Depot and buy Speaker cable by the foot much cheaper then monster cable. - david2, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I love this bose bashing, it made my day to see this digg and the 150 comments on it already!
Do yourself a favor and go out and buy Mirage's latest 5.1 system with the omnidirectional tweeters. I have their older 5.1 system that I got for $800 including a 6" subwoofer (I live in an apartment, anything bigger than 6" is going to get me in trouble.) The systems sounds incredible even at high volumes!
I do a lot of live recording as well as mixing and I can say that they are ***** just like all of you have said, too.
I've been saying this for years that bose is absolute crap. They spend 2 times more money on marketing and advertising than all the other audio manufactures combined! That tells you something right there..
Give me 10 minutes with a bose speaker system and a nice amp and I'll blow out the speakers guaranteed. Give me 10 minutes with a comparable Klipsch system and it will be distortion free and super high volumes without any problems. You can't say that about the bose system! You get above about 90dB with the bose system and I can start hearing just the faintest bit of clipping and distortion.
I love going into a best buy to get a cd and stopping by in the "home theatre" area and testing the salesmen. Start asking questions like "so what are you buying when you spend $2000 more on a bose system then the boston accoustics set next to them?" and see how they answer it.
Just to let anyone who is still skeptical know, the total materials costs of one of their $3000 systems is at the most $200 and that is being extremely liberal! Each of those tiny little cubes costs $20 to make at the most, as well. So basically you're buying the brand name which is the biggest joke of true audiophiles. - nograz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I have never and doubt I will ever be a fan of fake surround sound.
I still feel through listening, anything above 5.1 in the average consumers house is over kill. Now we have 6.1, and fake 7.1 that should be called 5.1+ because matrix rears are not true separate channels. We also will possibly be seeing 7.1 formats with DD+ and DTS+.
Either way, 5.1 is more than enough with a good setup.
Then there is DPL and DPLII that use "algorithms" to create sound out of no where from a two channel source. I can't stand this stuff, it doesn't sound real. I get better sound when I run a 2 channel source in 2 channels. My speakers do a great job of imaging with out produce fake sound.
13 speakers is beyond overkill. These 7.1 and greater system are nothing more than a marketing gimmick to get people to buy more speakers. Because, more is better... right? - mtfbwy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Bose = Oakley of speakers
- madIvan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3http://www.intellexual.net/bose.html was already posted here. There are some measurements there, and they are _very_ unflattering to Bose.
- drgori, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Okay, thanks to the audiophiles here, I now know that Bose is overpriced, if not crap. And a bunch of you have recommended some alternate brands.
Now, how can I set up a home theater system that actually lets me hear what people in movies are saying?
The audio channels on DVDs always push the special effects and music, so the dialogue gets buried. I hate having to turn the volume up to obscene levels just to hear what people are saying. This is especially true when I go to the houses of friends who have home theater systems--but it's the case on stock TV speakers, too. Is it the sound editor's fault, the audio mastering of DVDs, or is there some way to compensate in the home theater setup (like boosting a certain range on the EQ)? - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3What I have like about Polk Audio over the years is that you get good bang for the buck. At least to my ears.
You don't need to spend $1000's on Polk Audio speakers, though you can if you want.
I need to replace my front firing pair, but for surround I have polk for center, rear and sub-woofer.
Are there better speakers out there? No doubt. But I have been a fan of them since my first book shelf set from them, (now my rear speakers) that I am pretty content with everything I have purchased from them.
Comes to ear and prices tag. - bergur1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I have to agree that BOSE sucks. My parents decided to get Bose speakers for my computer and bought Bose speakers for their iPod.
The computer speakers I have had for about 2 years and I have the say they are REALLY *****. I mean like I can sometimes hear clicking noises.
As for the iPod speakers they are not bad considering everything else thats out there when it comes to iPod
The greatest speakers I have EVER heard are the ones from B&O - nograz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Denon the Bose of HT receivers?
Was that a typo, did you mean to type Sony?
Denon is one of the best companies out there right now making receivers. I would put marantz and H/K up there. Onkyo and Yamaha are also good, but they aren't as refined as a Denon, marants or H/K.
There are others out there, that aren't as well known or higher end. Outlaw audio is a good example, they only do factory direct and give you good prices for that. Rotel, a higher end brand also has a receiver or two. So does NAD.
But for most people and because of availibility, Denon, marantz and H/K are all solid buys. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Bose never was, never will be and never is the Holy Grail of sound.
A 2 part article is not needed to know that.
They are tredy speakers that grabbed maintstream attention.
Polk Audio ftw. - Trigrhapy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4go for klipsch for speakers, they are the best out there for the money. Denon makes awesome receivers, same with onkyo. Try either of those.
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