Bose AM5 Series III - Your Comment Please.

[suri]

hey suri - did i get u right?? Mundorf or more like "dorFmun" for our deba with an absolute Level-2 upgrade. Better still mundorf polyprops with silver/gold :lol: (used in the upper-most models of B&W's 800-series) so that deba can then get true fidelity of his beloved Nak Dragon

yup, that should be the real McCoy!

 

[square_wave]

Yup. The B&W 685s in its stock form will be light years ahead. The cap upgrade will take it to a different level.

But then again I have my doubts about everyone liking it. Some of my friends who listen to bose systems do not like my system. Nor do they like systems which are technically correct and respected by audiophiles all over the world.
What a typical bose lover looks for in a loudspeaker is very different. Tonal purity, sound stage, timber accuracy, flat frequency curve, true frequency extension, high resolution etcwhich contributes to accurate sound reproduction are not what they look for.

I remember once playing a jazz quartet to a friend on his bose AM series system. I finally decided to put some sense into his head The speakers made a massive 20 inch Zildjan cymbol sound like a fake 10 incher made of steel and hit with a wrong end of a screwdriver. The glorious shimmer, rise and decay of the experience is reduced to something tinny. Forget about the double bass. It just goes whump, whumpa boomy one note thump. Very hazy hint of pitch differences or detail from the string.

Surprisingly the friend did not mind. He said, I do not listen to these kind of music ! He took a brand new filmy piece and played it on the system. The hard edged banshee shriek - over dose which arose from the tinny plastic cubes now seemed to please my friend. He had an ear to ear smile on his face. I realized it is futile to argue. He is after all a dear old friend.
I bow my head to Bose !

 

[thevortex]

Yup. The B&W 685s in its stock form will be light years ahead. The cap upgrade will take it to a different level.

But then again I have my doubts about everyone liking it. Some of my friends who listen to bose systems do not like my system. Nor do they like systems which are technically correct and respected by audiophiles all over the world.
What a typical bose lover looks for in a loudspeaker is very different. Tonal purity, sound stage, timber accuracy, flat frequency curve, true frequency extension, high resolution etcwhich contributes to accurate sound reproduction are not what they look for.

I remember once playing a jazz quartet to a friend on his bose AM series system. I finally decided to put some sense into his head The speakers made a massive 20 inch Zildjan cymbol sound like a fake 10 incher made of steel and hit with a wrong end of a screwdriver. The glorious shimmer, rise and decay of the experience is reduced to something tinny. Forget about the double bass. It just goes whump, whumpa boomy one note thump. Very hazy hint of pitch differences or detail from the string.

Surprisingly the friend did not mind. He said, I do not listen to these kind of music ! He took a brand new filmy piece and played it on the system. The hard edged banshee shriek - over dose which arose from the tinny plastic cubes now seemed to please my friend. He had an ear to ear smile on his face. I realized it is futile to argue. He is after all a dear old friend.
I bow my head to Bose !

I have no arguments on the Bose front! I just have not heard them enough. But hey, not all filmy music is trash, you know!

 

[square_wave]

I have no arguments on the Bose front! I just have not heard them enough. But hey, not all filmy music is trash, you know!

Yup. I agree No offence meant.

 

[deba]

So the end of the story is:

BOSE : enjoyable to the eyes.
B&W: enjoyable to the ears.

:lol::lol::lol:

but B&W seems to be more expensive than Bose :sad:Bose AM5 is 21000/- and 301 is 18000/- from Bose India.

 

[Raghav]

Comparing Bose AM5 with B&W 685 is comparing apple with oranges. A person looking at sub/sat 2.1 of Bose will be better of looking at similar systems of B&W / Quad / MA etc.

B&W - A Pair of M-1 or LM-1
Quad - A pair of Quad L-ites (also called 9L2)
Monitor Audio - Radius 45

These would be more comparable to the Bose and sound much better. Most important they also look better and can be easily wall mounted. One can add a sub to make a very decent 2.1

 

[suri]

Comparing Bose AM5 with B&W 685 is comparing apple with oranges.

comparing rotten apples with fresh oranges!

(sorry, could not help, last comment i will make)

 

[deba]

comparing rotten apples with fresh oranges!

(sorry, could not help, last comment i will make)

Very well said Suri........

 

[deba]

I am sure the B&W MM1 will blow the Bose Companion 2 next year.........:lol:

 

[gobble]

After all these anti-bose comments, I almost expect a fellow Hifivision member to lie in wait around a corner - to attack and mug me as I make my way to the Bose showroom in a few minutes ... Assure me please that I will be safe ...

Regards

 

[deba]

Dont worry You will be safe, but you have to let us know about what you think of the Bose Sound Quality......:licklips:
Feel Free to post your opinion.......to me Bose is never best audiophile speakers but few of their products are not that bad either.......liked their 301....not that bad.....

 

[illusion_heart]

After all these anti-bose comments, I almost expect a fellow Hifivision member to lie in wait around a corner - to attack and mug me as I make my way to the Bose showroom in a few minutes ... Assure me please that I will be safe ...

Regards

Dont worry mate....once you have settled down with the speakers they themselves will attack you when you think of the price paid.....no need for anyone else....j/k

 

[SaurabhK]

Buddy if you like it then jsut buy it and hell to everyone else on the forum...
Jai ho!!!

 

[deba]

This thread seems to be the longest running thread in this Forum........:lol::lol::lol:......

 

[SKR]

Hi SKR,

First of all, let us all participate in this thread without being irritated about another's subjective judgement-

in a forum like this there will be people who make strong (subjective) statements but that is because they feel like that - just like the opposite parties feel otherwise - let them be, because irritation about a forum member's thoughts eventually fouls a thread.

i lived for many years in my (parent's) house with Bose, including the one with nine transducers facing backwards, and even now they have a lifestyle system - i have had extensive listening sessions with Bose, and, of course, enjoyed it when I was first exposed to it - the previous listening was with the big Sansui boxes, and it was a step up, yes.

But now, i do not enjoy them any more, and i have to suffer them when i listen at others houses - it really irritates me, but that is because I have heard better (critically) and know how music should sound when played back.

so, when the thread originator was undecided about what to buy, i felt it was my duty to save him from Bose and guide him to better things -

here, if other thread participants feel strongly about guiding the thread originator towards the Bose systems and it's pleasures, they could do so easily without stepping on toes.

judgements are judgements, and any one judgement does not reign supreme over another - they are just that - subjective judgements.

and SKR, have you thought about why there are so many Bose bashers? - people start bashing not without reason - a woman scorned is a terrible basher!

likewise, you cheat a friend, you make him an enemy forever, and he will bash you forever - in the case of Bose speaker systems, people wake up suddenly and realise how many years were wasted listening to an undesirable system - and then start bashing Bose.

Hi Suri,
Sorry for late response as I am not a very regular members/visitor to the site. I will visit regularly for few days then forget it if I don't find any thread of my interest.
Also I am sorry if you felt i was sounding irritated. My contention is simply that Bose has a decent market share world over and there are so many people who like bose. But it may not be for audiophiles who have moved much ahead in quest of better sound.
I have also owned 4 pairs of Bose speakers including the 901 back firing you are talking about their flagship classic speakers. Others being AM-4, Floor stander 9.2 (now the series has been discontinued,may be my model number can also be wrong) and the smallest 101 black about 8"X 4" (again not sure about model number as it was in 80's and early 90's).
Also the price of Bose speakers compared to USA is much higher in India which makes them less attractive. BUT IF YOU CAN GET BOSE SYSTEM AT USA PRICE IN INDIA I AM SURE IT WILL MAKE A VERY GOOD VALUE FOR MANY MUSIC LOVERS.
Also I agree there are many Bose bashers out there on web. But as I said above, these people might have moved much higher in the audio ladder.
Bose is a very old company and was established much before most of the present day hi-end audio companies and took audio world by surprise by their accousticmass speaker technology. Their contribution to Speaker designing and sub-woofer using accousticmass technology cannot be ignored as their direct reflecting sound technology which gave importance to room interference in reproduction of sound and reflected sound that we hear in a theater hall. In short:
1. Bose is not for audiophiles who like to select their own system based on
web and press research,friends guidance and personal listening and those
who have moved up in their subjective listening levels.
2.Bose is for those customers for whom Bose make their systems :-
-- Complete music package without hassel of seperate component
selection. Ease of handling, cabling, smaller apartments/rooms etc.
-- Non critical listeners who listen to music but are not worried about highs
and lows,Impedance and sensivity etc. They listen to Bose like it and
buy it.
I think percentage of those falling in second category is much more world wide.
In anycase i am not recommending Bose here nor criticising Mr.Suri's judgement. But simply saying that a company like Bose cannot be rejected outright nor can we say flatly their sound is bad.. Yes it can be bad for some but very good for others. And this implies to every Speaker/amplifiers as some will like them and others may not.
Thanks and sorry once again if u felt offended.

 

[gobble]

Ok I sneaked into the Bose showroom today when no one was looking. I also wore a paper bag over my face so no one could spot me ...

First the salesman put on a all-in-one system that was taller than it was wide and played Eagles Live Hotel California. I thought it was pretty neat for a 2-in-1 type. Except that I never saw imaging so small. It was like the whole stage of the musicians had shrunk to less than one feet although the sound itself was quite loud. It wasn't like all musicians were stepping on each others toes, but rather like I was a towering giant overseeing tiny one-inch small people playing. Additionally with the paper bag over my head, I must have looked like a fearsome giant to those tiny musicians. hyeah:

The salesman noticed the vastly unimpressed look on my face and switched it off quickly. Then I got him to show me an Acoustimass 5 2.1 setup. He played the same song and immediately I realized I would not be able to conduct a neutral audition. Because it was like I was too influenced by this thread, and imagined a gaping hole in the mid bass frequency spectrum. I was fighting myself inwardly with an inner voice telling me that I had come to the audition deeply prejudiced, because on the face of it nothing seemed wrong with the SQ. Yep the highs were not something to sing about. The frequency extension definitely was not great.

Then I asked the salesman at what frequency the passive woofer crossed over to the satellites. The salesman had a confused look on his face before a fleetingly impatient look took over and he regained his composure the next moment. It was like a child had asked him a stupid question, for the next moment he smirked like an all knowing adult parent and counseled me that what I called a sub-woofer was actually a "Bass Additive Extraction Module", and that Bose did not indulge in throwing meaningless figures. He actually asked me "What type of frequency are you talking about?" before giving me the line about the BAEM.

At this time there were three devils in my head

One was clutching its belly with one hand and pointing a finger at him with the other extended hand while guffawing..
The other was leaning its forehead against a wall in the brief respite between uncontrolled maniacal laughter.
The third was lying on its back and cycling its legs in mid-air while rolling sideways in laughter. :clapping:

I made a hasty exit from there to the Landmark store across ... hyeah:

And yeah someone who's never heard a real audio system, he's likely to be impressed. :licklips: But for the price of 27K (or was it 21K) One could get a better sounding set of speakers for sure. You only have to research and audition to discover the truth.

HTH
Regards

 

[bhanja_trinanjan]

Most people do not know what 'Midrange' is... they need to discover midrange goodness to appreciate why BOSE and Japanese mini-combos aren't good. hyeah:

 

[deba]

Ok I sneaked into the Bose showroom today when no one was looking. I also wore a paper bag over my face so no one could spot me ...

First the salesman put on a all-in-one system that was taller than it was wide and played Eagles Live Hotel California. I thought it was pretty neat for a 2-in-1 type. Except that I never saw imaging so small. It was like the whole stage of the musicians had shrunk to less than one feet although the sound itself was quite loud. It wasn't like all musicians were stepping on each others toes, but rather like I was a towering giant overseeing tiny one-inch small people playing. Additionally with the paper bag over my head, I must have looked like a fearsome giant to those tiny musicians. hyeah:

The salesman noticed the vastly unimpressed look on my face and switched it off quickly. Then I got him to show me an Acoustimass 5 2.1 setup. He played the same song and immediately I realized I would not be able to conduct a neutral audition. Because it was like I was too influenced by this thread, and imagined a gaping hole in the mid bass frequency spectrum. I was fighting myself inwardly with an inner voice telling me that I had come to the audition deeply prejudiced, because on the face of it nothing seemed wrong with the SQ. Yep the highs were not something to sing about. The frequency extension definitely was not great.

Then I asked the salesman at what frequency the passive woofer crossed over to the satellites. The salesman had a confused look on his face before a fleetingly impatient look took over and he regained his composure the next moment. It was like a child had asked him a stupid question, for the next moment he smirked like an all knowing adult parent and counseled me that what I called a sub-woofer was actually a "Bass Additive Extraction Module", and that Bose did not indulge in throwing meaningless figures. He actually asked me "What type of frequency are you talking about?" before giving me the line about the BAEM.

At this time there were three devils in my head

One was clutching its belly with one hand and pointing a finger at him with the other extended hand while guffawing..
The other was leaning its forehead against a wall in the brief respite between uncontrolled maniacal laughter.
The third was lying on its back and cycling its legs in mid-air while rolling sideways in laughter. :clapping:

I made a hasty exit from there to the Landmark store across ... hyeah:

And yeah someone who's never heard a real audio system, he's likely to be impressed. :licklips: But for the price of 27K (or was it 21K) One could get a better sounding set of speakers for sure. You only have to research and audition to discover the truth.

HTH
Regards

But Bose says that they believe in auditioning than written Specification because the taste of the pudding is in the eating......if you like the sound you buy it or else not.........I am not a Bose follower but I strongly doubt how many audio equipments produce or perform as per the written specification at the back of the owners manual.

Few months back while visiting Bose Store in Kolkata I also started asking the guy at the store about the tech specs of Bose speakers and on the other hand he insisted me on listening to the system.

Thats their philosophy of sound ......whether we like it or not....:lol:


http://www.crunchgear.com/2007/09/1...ercrets-why-they-dont-publish-specs-and-more/

 

[gobble]

But Bose says that they believe in auditioning than written Specification because the taste of the pudding is in the eating......if you like the sound you buy it or else not.........I am not a Bose follower but I strongly doubt how many audio equipments produce or perform as per the written specification at the back of the owners manual.

Few months back while visiting Bose Store in Kolkata I also started asking the guy at the store about the tech specs of Bose speakers and on the other hand he insisted me on listening to the system.

Thats their philosophy of sound ......whether we like it or not....:lol:


Dr. Bose Tells All: Company Secrets, Why They Dont Publish Specs, And More

Yes I read the interview with Bose, and on the face of to nothing wrong with the philosophy - except that they deny the customer an opportunity to read published specs upfront and totally. It is true that going simply by specs can mislead as well. For the Bose candidate please remember that I use single drivers that do a a better than average job from 60hz to 12Khz and my comparison naturally will reflect that insight. There will however come a time with somebody else when the same Bose setup is compared to another speaker that does not shine like a full range driver and my audition may seem unfair to Bose.

Edit: The Bose source was a cheap Philips DVDP costing 3 to 6 K max and the amp was a Yamaha AV Receiver (Never checked the model sorry). So keeping that in mind it did not sound poor. The question is only - does it sound great and is it VFM? Not for me compared to my existing setup, but for others? They may never realize what they are missing.

HTH
Regards

 

[venkatcr]

At this time there were three devils in my head

One was clutching its belly with one hand and pointing a finger at him with the other extended hand while guffawing..
The other was leaning its forehead against a wall in the brief respite between uncontrolled maniacal laughter.
The third was lying on its back and cycling its legs in mid-air while rolling sideways in laughter. :clapping:

I wanted to add a Thank You to your post, but I did not know how to say Thanks for the combination of superb humour, sarcasm, superiority complex and a host of other things all put together. Simply superb.

BUT, irrespective of what we all think and say, Mr. Bose has continues to laugh all the way to the bank year after year lapping up a billion dollars every year. Hats off to him.

Cheers