Amar Bose

[Analogous]

… could it be that we love to hate “success”?

(Success all the way laughing to the bank at least)

As Prem mentioned above their business seems to be thriving much better than brands which are revered by audiophiles.

I am yet to hear of a company that makes the best audio equipment in the world according to…everyone

 

[Nitin K]

Bose gear do have their limitations. But they do have their plus points too and I do agree that they are pricey and there are better vfm products out there.

Basically their market is targeted at people who want to enjoy decent sound without the headaches of fiddling and figuring out in a compact physical form.
The founder actually lives up to his name as his products are still in demand despite so many haters.

 

[Analogous]

I found this on the inter web

Any BOSE haters left?

I recall about ten years ago that ‘hating on’ BOSE was a trend amongst the hi-fi community, but the latest products seem to have finally garnered...

forums.stevehoffman.tv

 

[Analogous]

And this….

 

[Analogous]

And the big reveal “Bose does not give a flying Frig about Audiophiles. Their target is the non audiophiles.
Now this is hurtful

 

[Dhruv.Arora]

 

[sachinchavan 15865]

You couldn't have been more succinct especially with the 'overpriced' and 'half decent sound'. It's a very acquired taste. I cannot define it. Either you love it or hate it. I've never liked the 'Bose sound'. I experienced it at my cousin's place with those godawful sounding Bose mini double cubes and then later on with copycat audio manufacturer Telome coming up with a poor man's Bose mini double cubes which were as bad.

A lot of us think of the mini-cubes when we think of Bose. And I agree, they sound awfully bad for music. No matter how you arranged them, they had their inherent limitations.

However, on the other two ends of the spectrum they have products that don’t sound so bad. And for some, good enough given all the other benefits (purchasing experience, brand image, resale value, longevity) Bose product brings. On one end are their larger speaker systems, and some users be elaborated their positive experiences in posts above. Others, like me find their Bluetooth speakers and Wave radios etc pretty good sounding, esp if you don’t insist on a flat curve response. The sound is voluminous, enjoyable, and they are easy to use. You like the feel of solidity when you handle them too. And then there are the headphone users who swear by their noise cancellation.

 

[chander]

… could it be that we love to hate “success”?

Not sure - there will always be haters of everything. Absolutely everything.

While there could be some truth to your observation as big corporations are all big target of hatred, but then if you hate a rock in your garden, no one really cares if you are going to crib about it on a public forum

However Look at Wiim (not a big corp - not yet). A device that costs nothing (relative to audiophile gear) and is packed with features & just works. People just won't stop comparing it to their Auralics & Lumins and hate on it. Could it be that they are upset as it does everything the big brands do, but doesn't cost a kidney? Or could it be that their systems really bring out the shortcomings of the WiiM that most systems can't. Well, it is all subjective again.

In audio I think all the hatred is targeted at Klipsch, Sonos, Bose - Soundbars, cables. Cause one can. However, what people fail to understand is that it works for somebody, that is why they sell, not because the buyers are idiots - barring maybe the audiophile rocks & crystal buyers (no offence).

But then again - I hate Kadhi (the food), everyone in my family loves it, its a Sunday thing. I eat Bananas + boiled eggs on Sunday afternoons. No reason, just hate it, but I love curd (which is basically the primary ingredient in Kadhi). So haters will hate.

 

[COOLDUDE7808]

BOSE always sounded good to my ears both in their showroom and in my friends house . Small speakers generated a Sound Quality which immediately caught your attention and they do have a engaging quality . But lack of features - ability to tune the sound to your liking was a factor which I did not like . At that time I was using Panasonic which had a Super Bass Button , Equalizers etc and I could change the SQ based on the CD I was playing .

Later When I went for separate's , I realized that the features provided in those amps did not really change the sound too much (unlike a equalizer) . So for me this concept of we know what is good (audiophile) sound and you the customer as no option but to hear that - is common across both .

For example - Amps have done away with Loudness button and give all sorts of theory to justify that . Some dont give a sub woofer option or a Pre-out , Power option and we see all sorts of audiophile garbage on how this circuit will interfere with that circuit and hence degrade sound . Path has been kept clean etc etc . I always wondered how a Vintage amp loaded with all these features , along with AM/FM sounded much better than these modern days Amps ?

 

[Nitin K]

Yeah! They surely haven't used Bose here.

...and then there is Schitt & Pyle too

 

[chander]

I have once heard enormous Bose speakers for PA that were installed in a Pub and they sounded excellent to me. Just goes to show how wasted I must have been.

Yup I have experienced their PAs in a couple of bars too where they sounded surprisingly good, however, the greatest surprise was a street performer with the Bose PA on a street in Czech Republic, he was singing and playing a couple of strange instruments all sounded through the PA. It was very good.

 

[sachinchavan 15865]

I too failed to understand why tone controls, balance and loudness buttons are not provided in most of the amps today as if all the recordings or rooms are assumed to be perfect and not to mention if one takes into account the listener's tone preference.

Because most music played today is digital and one can employ DSP at the source, which might turn out cheaper?

 

[ishmeet73]

Amar Bose was a visionary when it came to innovation in speakers ……

Growing up, around 15-16 years old, I could only dream of a combination of the Nakamichi Dragon and Bose 901 speakers. But, I could only dream….. I did get an opportunity to list to them in a audio store. I was totally mesmerised with the 9 driver arrangement, all tuned for different frequencies. It was path breaking technology then.

Today there is a lot more research regarding reflected sound and there are a lot of detractors of the technology of the 901s…… That said, even today, If I could I would still buy a pair of vintage 901s

But, after Amar Bose…..where is the innovation, where is the magic in their products. They have just become a name with bad to mediocre products.

 

[Bhaskar Jyoti Talapatra]

I think I am late in coming as this thread has already got a nice traction and really i have learnt so many things. Dislike is the word that can replace 'Hate' IMO because we have so many things around us to hate. Liking or disliking is entirely a personal choice . One may like Bose or dislike it . I think everyone who likes or dislikes Bose or anything has reasons behind his choice. As for myself , once I thought that Bose and Sony could only make audio products . But as I grew up and learnt , i found that there are other companies other than Bose and Sony which manufacture quality products. I like Bose products . I had a wish to buy atleast one Bose product , some thing that I can afford. However, my previous choice was Bose sound dock which was discontinued . Later I bought Sound link revolve plus . I was about to buy Bose sound wave but then I thought I should go along the separate route so it never arrived in my house. I like my sound link revolve plus. When I don't find time to take records or cds , i switch on the Bose BT speaker and listen to music .

 

[keith_correa]

Since posts [including mine] in this thread are restricted to just Bose audio products, I think it's best to veer ourselves to the genius of the man which [I think] was the intent of this thread.

Here's a good read: https://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-07/curious-genius-amar-bose/

 

[Analogous]

I think I am late in coming as this thread has already got a nice traction and really i have learnt so many things. Dislike is the word that can replace 'Hate' IMO because we have so many things around us to hate. Liking or disliking is entirely a personal choice . One may like Bose or dislike it . I think everyone who likes or dislikes Bose or anything has reasons behind his choice. As for myself , once I thought that Bose and Sony could only make audio products . But as I grew up and learnt , i found that there are other companies other than Bose and Sony which manufacture quality products. I like Bose products . I had a wish to buy atleast one Bose product , some thing that I can afford. However, my previous choice was Bose sound dock which was discontinued . Later I bought Sound link revolve plus . I was about to buy Bose sound wave but then I thought I should go along the separate route so it never arrived in my house. I like my sound link revolve plus. When I don't find time to take records or cds , i switch on the Bose BT speaker and listen to music .

There are a lot of similarities between successful marketing and propaganda. The main feature being that in both a majority of the audience only hears about them and drowns out the rest. Sony, Bose and other biggies of the era were quite successful in this regard. So successful that unrealistic expectations created were exposed over time and a backlash began?

 

[availlyrics]

I too failed to understand why tone controls, balance and loudness buttons are not provided in most of the amps today

IMHO, these were mainly required because vinyls and compact cassettes had a non-linear frequency response, muddy stereo imaging or hard panned recordings & poor SNR. Meanwhile playback devices introduced their own noises like turntable rumble, tape hiss, etc.(either due technological limitations of that era or just normal wear and tear due to regular use/misuse) . An Eq, or tone controls where very useful in enhancing the listening experience.
Furthermore, any slight misalignment in the playback / recording head or turntable pickup or non-ideal listening position could be easily adjusted with the help of a balance control. Current digital medium has no such drawback ( we have now built-in digital EQ function/ room correction in our system) , thus making these functions slowly fade away into obscurity (gradually replaced by sleek & modern looking front panels). Plus, these controls added their own colour and noise (most carbon pots. get noisy with the passage of time) in the signal path.(call me a snob)
But still sometimes, I do like to use tone controls , just to tame bass or treble response of "Digitally Remastered Editions" , as these may have unnaturally boosted frequencies in the upper or lower ranges.
BOSE? No comments

 

[availlyrics]

I always wondered how a Vintage amp loaded with all these features , along with AM/FM sounded much better than these modern days Amps ?

They sounded just good, even without boutique power or speaker cables(another hot topic)- Simpler Times

 

[Analogous]

Guttenberg weighs in … (how did he know? is he a forum member?)

 

[RRR]

Owned their 301 series 2 then series 3. Highly preferred them over series 4.
Also their AM 3 since 25 years which is still on duty in a small room.
The 901 series 2 preowned for a short period.
The best Mr. Amar Bose did was 10.2 series 2. However not many know or have heard them.