Members Learman Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 Im in the hunt for my 1st home theater system. I hear good things about the Bose, are they worth it?? I want something high quality but compact. Any ideas?? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kannibul Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 Originally posted by Learman Im in the hunt for my 1st home theater system. I hear good things about the Bose, are they worth it?? I want something high quality but compact. Any ideas?? Thanks No. Bose is overpriced, and are anything but accurate. Start here: www.crutchfield.com They sell middle and higher end gear, and bose, but it will give you an idea of what you can find for your budget, and their pricing isn't bad - it's not great, but it's par. If I were to re-do my setup at home (all sony) I would go with Infinity for the speakers and Onkyo or Denon for the receiver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GCDEF Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 There's a reason Bose doesn't publish their specs and a reason Bose doesn't allow their dealers to place their products next to competitors for easy comparison. Bose is overhyped junk. Personally, I like Klipsch, but there are many products much better than Bose for the money. Crutchfield is okay, but it sells pretty much the same mass-produced consumer stuff as Circuit City and Best Buy. Try a dedicated audio store to find out what else is out there for the same or less money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members shredhead666 Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 Bose blose. Go to a high-end hifi shop and see what they recommend. I tend to like Totem, PSB, and certain Cambridge Sound Works speakers. They make Bose sound brittle and disgusting by comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Shintock Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 I've got PSB speakers. {censored}ing unbelievable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members shredhead666 Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 Originally posted by Shintock I've got PSB speakers. {censored}ing unbelievable. I like 'em too! But these are my current fav's right now - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jasps Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 Also, to me, it doesn't seem like Bose can get "good loud." They can be loud (in a bad way), but the more you turn them up--the more they suck b/c you can hear the nuances of what kind of crap is coming out. And they don't get as loud as a similar priced competitor's system. JBL is a reputable brand; I'll second Klipsch. BTW, I should mention, I hate Bose. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members shredhead666 Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 And although I haven't heard these yet, supposedly the Shaman series will just knock you on your ASS! Frequency response is 16 Hz - 22 kHz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members -=MYK=- Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 Originally posted by shredhead666 I like 'em too! But these are my current fav's right now - And those things sound good, eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members shredhead666 Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 Originally posted by -=MYK=- And those things sound good, eh? When hooked up to a good stereo system, yes they sound just unreal. I've heard some GREAT classical recordings played through those and you couldn't tell you were listening to it through speakers. It was as if the orchestra was playing right there in front of you. Completely transparent. It's a weird thing to hear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MCon Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 If you like the smaller satellite-style speakers like Bose then you should also check out Mirage. The Omnisats are really good. Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members shredhead666 Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 If any of you are looking at the Bose wave radio and think it's a cool idea... you REALLY ought to check this thing out. It's the Cambridge Sound Works radio, based on the same idea, but sounds WAY better and only costs $350. I've heard both, and it's hands down better than the Bose radio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MitchSchaft Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 Bose is way overpriced for what you get. Check out this forum: http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htforum/index.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GuitArtMan Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 No highs, no lows, must be Bose!A buddy of mine was looking at a Bose home theatre system a few years back. I steared him towards the Energy Take 5 (great starter speaker set about 5 years or so ago). Anyway, he found a room where they did have the Bose and Energy side by side. No comparison. He bought the Energy and thanked my later. Bose blows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sordid1 Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 My personal favorite home theatre speakers and what I use are B & W's. I have the 600 series which is one of their lower lines but compared to Bose, Klipsch, Monitor Audio, NHT and a few others I can't remember they were far and away the best sounding. Paragidm (spelling?) makes top notch stuff as well and if you aren't listening to music so does Definitive Technologies. I spent roughly $2800 with my five speakers and sub (sub is a Pinnacle and is the weak link) and it still floors me every time I watch a movie. You have to have good power too of course but being an amp forum you would know that. Stereophile guide to home theatre is a great reference because they don't bs in their reviews of products. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Digital Jams Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 I sat with a engineer from Bose on a train for several hours and discussed this very topic, it was interesting what he had to say. See........Bose is a private company and there are no deadlines to meet with a new product, they spent years developing the wave radio. He described how they would take factions off this and that on the waveguide to test, you would be very surprised how much a .001 cut would do. Yes, I own a set of Bose 601 speakers and they sound great and I enjoy them. I do not think they are the best but I feel I did not get ripped off either. Bose is not to far off from boutique amp builders if you think about it, they are small but build good solid products and back what they sell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nwright Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 If price is a concern, I really like JBL's speaker systems you can find at Best Buy. If it were me, and I were to buy again (I currently have all higher end Sony - not the best by any means), I'd go Klipsch. They sound nice without breaking the bank. The super high end stuff is nice, but the incremental increases in sound reproduction does not justify the huge increase in cost, IMO. I just can't justify paying 1000+ per speaker, heck even half that is a hard justification sometimes. Plus, high end SW's can get outrageous...But, a nice tight sub can make or break a home theater system. Going to a home theater or home audio specialty store is a good idea, but around here, they have really high prices, and not the best service. Once you learn what you need to know, you can find good deals yourself without being taken to the cleaners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sordid1 Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 The Klipsch stuff is ok but the B & W stuff is the same price and substantially better. The Klipsch stuff has kind of a harsh top endhigh mid range to them that some people like but others like me find fatiguing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jelle Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 Didn't read the whole thread, but see if you can audition speakers by Amphion, PMC, Acoustic Energy, ProAc, Paradigm, Elac, Monitor Audio or Dynaudio. For amp and disc spinner I'd look into Arcam, Cambridge Audio, NAD, Marantz and perhaps Denon. There's tons more and the more money you can and are willing to spend, the more nice stuff becomes available. But from the above mentioned brands you should be able to compile something that will sound better than a similarly priced Bose system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GCDEF Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 Originally posted by Digital Jams I sat with a engineer from Bose on a train for several hours and discussed this very topic, it was interesting what he had to say. See........Bose is a private company and there are no deadlines to meet with a new product, they spent years developing the wave radio. He described how they would take factions off this and that on the waveguide to test, you would be very surprised how much a .001 cut would do. Yes, I own a set of Bose 601 speakers and they sound great and I enjoy them. I do not think they are the best but I feel I did not get ripped off either. Bose is not to far off from boutique amp builders if you think about it, they are small but build good solid products and back what they sell. He blew smoke up your butt. First Bose isn't a small boutique company, they're a large company that produces overpriced crap. They bank on consumer ignorance to sell their products. Have you seen their TV ad a few years ago where they were showing how a pipe organ can produce low notes because of their pipes, then implying that because they have something like a pipe in their radio, it would produce low notes too. Stupid. Read this that mentions some specs. "The Bose Acoustimass cube speaker has a frequency range of 280Hz to 13.3kHz at + or - 10.5dB. " Also the bass module produces frequencies up to 200 hz, well into the range where sound becomes directional. The Bose systems are awful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sordid1 Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 Originally posted by GCDEF He blew smoke up your butt. First Bose isn't a small boutique company, they're a large company that produces overpriced crap. They bank on consumer ignorance to sell their products. Have you seen their TV ad a few years ago where they were showing how a pipe organ can produce low notes because of their pipes, then implying that because they have something like a pip in their radio, it would produce low notes too. Stupid.Read this that mentions some specs. "The Bose Acoustimass cube speaker has a frequency range of 280Hz to 13.3kHz at + or - 10.5dB. "Also the bass module produces frequencies up to 200 hz, well into the range where sound becomes directional. The Bose systems are awful. I agree that Bose couldn't be a small company, anything that Best Buy carries doesn't qualify for that distinction. I don't think their stuff is horrible I just think there is way better stuff out there for the same or less money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Deuterium Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 Originally posted by GuitArtMan No highs, no lows, must be Bose!A buddy of mine was looking at a Bose home theatre system a few years back. I steared him towards the Energy Take 5 (great starter speaker set about 5 years or so ago). Anyway, he found a room where they did have the Bose and Energy side by side. No comparison. He bought the Energy and thanked my later. Bose blows. ********************************* Guitarman is absolutely right. The quote "No highs, no lows...must be Bose" is a common rejoinder you will see about Bose on any Hi-fi / Audiofile site. Bose is all about Marketing and Hype, and little about actual performance and value...at least in the last couple of decades. There are SO many great speaker manufacturers out there offering superior quality / peformance and lower cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bostekrisco Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 Originally posted by Jelle Didn't read the whole thread, but see if you can audition speakers by Amphion, PMC, Acoustic Energy, ProAc, Paradigm, Elac, Monitor Audio or Dynaudio. For amp and disc spinner I'd look into Arcam, Cambridge Audio, NAD, Marantz and perhaps Denon.There's tons more and the more money you can and are willing to spend, the more nice stuff becomes available. But from the above mentioned brands you should be able to compile something that will sound better than a similarly priced Bose system. +1 And I say that as an owner of Arcam and Dynaudio. A lot depends on what you want it for- explosions and jet fighters flying by your ear, or jamming to concert DVDs. IMO you can get by with a lot less if it's the former. Another company that makes great bang for the buck speakers is Acoustic Energy. 80 to 90% of Dynaudio at half the cost. (actually, I own both AE and Dyns.) As for Bose, they are the Anheuser-Busch of speakers. Both companies literally spend more money on marketing than they spend making their products. With a little research you can do a LOT better for the same coin, especially if you don't mind buying used. With upgrade GAS that dwarfs what you see here, audiophiles have TONS of good used stuff for sale at sites like Audiogon.com. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members telephant Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 Id rather piece components together than buy one of them 5.1 deals but thats expensive. My parents have a nice set up with Sonus Faber speakers and a Lexicon controller (not the the lexicon you're thinking of) that sounds absolutely killer. But thats some serious {censored}. I like going to those super high end boutique stores for home theatre/stereo components and being able to hear the difference. Its amazing. Like having an actual Orchestra in front of you. If I was on a budget (and I am), Id go with one of those 5.1 systems from Best Buy/Circuit City. Ive seen some pretty nice Klipsche systems for reasonable prices. And I would NEVER buy anything Bose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Digital Jams Posted August 30, 2005 Members Share Posted August 30, 2005 Originally posted by GCDEF He blew smoke up your butt. First Bose isn't a small boutique company, they're a large company that produces overpriced crap. They bank on consumer ignorance to sell their products. Have you seen their TV ad a few years ago where they were showing how a pipe organ can produce low notes because of their pipes, then implying that because they have something like a pipe in their radio, it would produce low notes too. Stupid. Read this that mentions some specs. "The Bose Acoustimass cube speaker has a frequency range of 280Hz to 13.3kHz at + or - 10.5dB. " Also the bass module produces frequencies up to 200 hz, well into the range where sound becomes directional. The Bose systems are awful. They do have a "pipe" in their radio, it is an audio waveguide tuned for the wave lenght of audio freqs. A ported cabinet is tuned as well using the driver specs to determine to the tuned port lenght as well as the cf space of the cab. I am not a fan boy of Bose but they are a private company and compared to several of the names mentioned here they are small. Yes, I would not buy their home theather systems but I do understand the engineering and would know if the air was smokey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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