How I made my peace with Bose

[ak47]

First of all, I would like to say that like most forum members I have hated Bose since the day I was born. And with good reason too. All the arguments about it being too pricey, being a marketing gimmick, bass that sucks to the core etc etc are in fact to an extent very true. I believe that is the reason why Bose doesn't have dealers and sells directly because if it is compared with other brands in the same room, it will be a losing battle. All this being said, I hated it when my mom decided to buy a Bose 2.1 system for her room. I was almost in tears. It was like a son going against everything his father believed in because my mom used to go with my advice on everything that is remotely related to audio. But, the demo she got in the Bose showroom won her over, and ignoring her son's desperate cries, she decided to go with it. So yes, the worst nightmare of every audiophile that ever lived came true for me. Bose had entered my house. For the past 2 years I did my best to avoid it as much as I could. But something happened recently that changed this hatred a lot.

A friend of mine wanted to buy speakers for his living room. He hadn't even decided on 5.1 or 2.1, as his only criteria was that he needs something better than the TV speakers when he's watching his flicks and something better than the average iPod dock when he wants to listen to some music. He came to me for advice and I offered him a demo of Onkyo 3400 and JBL SCS-140Bk in my house. He loved both, but wasn't quite impressed with the taam-jhaam of the avr's. Then came the dreaded question. He wanted a demo of the Bose speakers installed in my mom's room. I refused at first, but after a lot of insisting on his part, finally agreed reluctantly.

Now for the showdown:

As my mom didn't have a DVD player attached to the system, I decided to play an HD movie from the set-top box. As soon as I changed the channel, Van Helsing was on at Star Movies HD, and the sound of bats flying around filled the room, surprising me for a bit as it was in the end a 2.1 system. The dialogues were really crisp and clear, and the fight sequences were a delight to watch because Bose made up for what was lacking in Bass with its sheer clarity of sound. Needless to say, my friend was impressed, and surprisingly, so was I. All the questions like I would have got bigger and better things with the same price and how the bass is lacking didn't come to my mind. It was an enjoyable experience to say the least. After my friend left, I took a moment to reflect upon what just happened.

I realized that what Bose offers is in a way unique. True, their speakers are more priced more than what they are worth for. But for an average consumer who is willing to spend good money on good sound and doesn't have the time or passion to go through other hi-fi brands, Bose is almost perfect as it does offer a good sound with very visually appealing speakers. And I would substantiate it by saying that my mom is very satisfied with what she bought, and does not care if she could have got floor standers with enough bass to blow your mind away for the same price. And the sound is very pleasing to the ears if one doesn't get into the critical analysis mode and just decides to enjoy the movie. So, I, who has hated Bose all his life made peace with it today. I am okay if both of us co-exist in the same house. I would not avoid it from now on. That being said, I know I still won't buy it ever in my life, but at least I won't stop other people from buying it.

 

[Shivam]

How do you compare the system in your room to your mom's room in terms of sound quality?

 

[ak47]

How do you compare the system in your room to your mom's room in terms of sound quality?

In terms of sound quality, I prefer my system to my mom's because of the DAC and the amount of settings I have done to tweak it as per my liking. But if you talk about sound clarity, my system is beaten hands down by Bose.

 

[rpanand25]

In terms of sound quality, I prefer my system to my mom's because of the DAC and the amount of settings I have done to tweak it as per my liking. But if you talk about sound clarity, my system is beaten hands down by Bose.

well my experience with Bose 2.1 was that it was clear but as in shrill and much more than bright. in fact but for the clarity i would have thought of it as something built to a cost in China in a blindfold test. But the bass was not disappointing and the test was in a partially open space in a Croma outlet. But i would not buy for clarity alone as the Bose sound could make it tiring for moderate period of hearing. The Bose sound is not to my liking. I am no Bose lover but i had tried to objectively view the sound experience.

 

[ak47]

well my experience with Bose 2.1 was that it was clear but as in shrill and much more than bright. in fact but for the clarity i would have thought of it as something built to a cost in China in a blindfold test. But the bass was not disappointing and the test was in a partially open space in a Croma outlet. But i would not buy for clarity alone as the Bose sound could make it tiring for moderate period of hearing. The Bose sound is not to my liking. I am no Bose lover but i had tried to objectively view the sound experience.

Point taken. I am no Bose lover either. Never have been.

 

[maniac_2004]

i found the paradigm + oppo + anthem combo to be far better than bose . This was a 1 on 1 test . In all respects (including clarity).

I think the confusion is clarity over excess treble ??

sadly there were entire sections missing when same music was played on bose.

 

[rpanand25]

i found the paradigm + oppo + anthem combo to be far better than bose . This was a 1 on 1 test . In all respects (including clarity).

I think the confusion is clarity over excess treble ??

sadly there were entire sections missing when same music was played on bose.

in so far as i am concerned the sound of Bose was clear to the extent that mids and highs separation was ok meaning you could hear ir clearly i.e they were not muffled.(CLARITY) But these sounds were not pleasant to hear particularly at above mid volumeSHRILL). i hope this does not confuse more.

 

[ak47]

i found the paradigm + oppo + anthem combo to be far better than bose . This was a 1 on 1 test . In all respects (including clarity).

I think the confusion is clarity over excess treble ??

sadly there were entire sections missing when same music was played on bose.

in so far as i am concerned the sound of Bose was clear to the extent that mids and highs separation was ok meaning you could hear ir clearly i.e they were not muffled.(CLARITY) But these sounds were not pleasant to hear particularly at above mid volumeSHRILL). i hope this does not confuse more.

Guys I appreciate your input. Again, I am not a Bose fan and wouldn't say that its sound clarity is better than other brands. My point is that all the arguments kept aside, people buy Bose and are satisfied with it. It is very visually appealing and the sound isn't that bad. I would continue to say that the speakers aren't worth the price if I compare it with speakers offered in the same range given I don't have a thing for compact and visually appealing speakers. But, for people who do, Bose offers a very convenient solution. This was my realization. I would substantiate this by stating the example of Bose TV. Now at ~2 lakhs it is insanely over priced and one would be able to buy an excellent home theater system with a nice led or projector screen for the same price. Which is what I would do. But think about it. For someone who doesn't want any speakers visible in his living room and wants a TV viewing experience with surround sound, and is willing to pay the premium for that, Bose does offer a very convenient solution for it. The speakers in that TV do give a very realistic surround sound effect, which is not as good as any 5.1, but does the job pretty well. And as far as I know, there isn't any other equivalent to the Bose TV, although I won't say that for sure because I haven't researched TV audio. But, all this made me realize that it isn't just a marketing gimmick. People buy it. It sells. And it satisfies.

 

[Rupam]

Sound of Bose as I have heard several times, is never bad, but its also not worth the price they bear. Bose puts a lot of design and engineering into a combination of consumer-impressing sound and usable features but it fails in-front of a AV connoisseur who searches for refinement and tonal balance.
Speakers like Bose is best suited for casual listening in background and not for serious listening.
Bose speakers emphasis on clear treble but they seem to be edgy instead of silky smooth.

 

[koushik]

As I said earlier in a thread that it is thumps up at the price of a fine old wine. That doesn't mean that thumps up is bad. I gracefully grab a bottle of thumps up in a scorching summer afternoon and it is bliss at Rs. 12 but would never pay Rs. 2380 for the same bottle.

 

[maniac_2004]

In terms of sound quality, I prefer my system to my mom's because of the DAC and the amount of settings I have done to tweak it as per my liking. But if you talk about sound clarity, my system is beaten hands down by Bose.

I assume that you are talking about the detailing ? In the system that i auditioned it was a paradigm 7 no dac and an integrated. Surely there should be something that you are missing on your side ? Think that the Paradigm 9 series should beat the Bose in detailing also very easily.

 

[ak47]

I assume that you are talking about the detailing ? In the system that i auditioned it was a paradigm 7 no dac and an integrated. Surely there should be something that you are missing on your side ? Think that the Paradigm 9 series should beat the Bose in detailing also very easily.

Well as I said, I prefer my system over Bose any day. But, clarity, or specifically i would say sounds towards the higher frequencies are better in the Bose 2.1 my mom has. But, considering that my system costs half(i'm talking about the jbl htib here), I don't see that as a positive point in Bose. And as far as Paradigm is concerned, I have my dedicated home theater with Paradigm speakers(check my signature). The only reason I picked Paradigm was that I fell in love with the sound clarity and the ability of the speakers to play a very well balanced sound. So when you mention Paradigm and detailing/clarity together, it is going to beat Bose hands down any day. I absolutely agree with you.

 

[echo77]

Whenever I watch TV using my parent's Norge & bookshelves (2.0), I set treble higher because I can hear additional sounds that otherwise get muffled. They complain if I leave it at that level because it gets too shrill for their ears.

Try watching movies on your Onkyo with treble set higher than normal. The clarity will be much better, but you have the possibility of getting too shrill sounds.

The ultimate preference should be as per one's hearing. You cannot really force someone to like what you do.

 

[sandeepmohan]

Having experienced the clones made by Space Audio; Bose speakers are a complete rip off. If someone re badged a Space sub sat system as Bose, you would fall for it. Their 6 speaker system costs 22k and sounds no different from a Bose sub sat system. I can live with the sound as long as its HT. There is just no way I can live with one (Bose and Space) for stereo applications. Its impressive when you first hear it, sit a little longer and you realize an entire frequency missing.

 

[reubensm]

Recently I was in talks with a gentleman in Trivandrum regarding his Bose 601. After a bit of talking, he advised me not to buy his speakers and that they would'nt suit my listening taste and equipment. On further quering, he said he was referring to the poor reproduction of mid-range. This was surprising, I backed out anyways as I did not want to buy bose. The speakers were eventually sold.

 

[abhi_jollyguy]

@ak47

We think that you should have tried the Swan M50W once at your home before spending your money on Bose.

MODS: We are not at all giving ad or so for the brand we keep. It's just that we want customers to spend their hard earned money wisely.

Kindly check the review posted by our one customer which is not at all biased.

Express Way...: Swan M50W 2.1 v/s Audioengine A5 2.0 Review

 

[giddavr]

First of all, I would like to say that like most forum members I have hated Bose since the day I was born. And with good reason too. All the arguments about it being too pricey, being a marketing gimmick, bass that sucks to the core etc etc are in fact to an extent very true. I believe that is the reason why Bose doesn't have dealers and sells directly because if it is compared with other brands in the same room, it will be a losing battle. All this being said, I hated it when my mom decided to buy a Bose 2.1 system for her room. I was almost in tears. It was like a son going against everything his father believed in because my mom used to go with my advice on everything that is remotely related to audio. But, the demo she got in the Bose showroom won her over, and ignoring her son's desperate cries, she decided to go with it. So yes, the worst nightmare of every audiophile that ever lived came true for me. Bose had entered my house. For the past 2 years I did my best to avoid it as much as I could. But something happened recently that changed this hatred a lot.


A friend of mine wanted to buy speakers for his living room. He hadn't even decided on 5.1 or 2.1, as his only criteria was that he needs something better than the TV speakers when he's watching his flicks and something better than the average iPod dock when he wants to listen to some music. He came to me for advice and I offered him a demo of Onkyo 3400 and JBL SCS-140Bk in my house. He loved both, but wasn't quite impressed with the taam-jhaam of the avr's. Then came the dreaded question. He wanted a demo of the Bose speakers installed in my mom's room. I refused at first, but after a lot of insisting on his part, finally agreed reluctantly.

Now for the showdown:

As my mom didn't have a DVD player attached to the system, I decided to play an HD movie from the set-top box. As soon as I changed the channel, Van Helsing was on at Star Movies HD, and the sound of bats flying around filled the room, surprising me for a bit as it was in the end a 2.1 system. The dialogues were really crisp and clear, and the fight sequences were a delight to watch because Bose made up for what was lacking in Bass with its sheer clarity of sound. Needless to say, my friend was impressed, and surprisingly, so was I. All the questions like I would have got bigger and better things with the same price and how the bass is lacking didn't come to my mind. It was an enjoyable experience to say the least. After my friend left, I took a moment to reflect upon what just happened.

I realized that what Bose offers is in a way unique. True, their speakers are more priced more than what they are worth for. But for an average consumer who is willing to spend good money on good sound and doesn't have the time or passion to go through other hi-fi brands, Bose is almost perfect as it does offer a good sound with very visually appealing speakers. And I would substantiate it by saying that my mom is very satisfied with what she bought, and does not care if she could have got floor standers with enough bass to blow your mind away for the same price. And the sound is very pleasing to the ears if one doesn't get into the critical analysis mode and just decides to enjoy the movie. So, I, who has hated Bose all his life made peace with it today. I am okay if both of us co-exist in the same house. I would not avoid it from now on. That being said, I know I still won't buy it ever in my life, but at least I won't stop other people from buying it.

u seem to have been prejudiced against bose without actually listening to them. which is always a not too good thing to do.

u should know that brands dont receive such passionate support or hatred without good reason! sour grapes etc.

i have always approached everything with an open mind.

bose is no doubt a great performer. u cant really fault their performance. i have seen them in quite a few manhattan apartments where space is at a premium and in such situations there is no other brand which can deliver the same kind of performance in the same speaker size, to hell with the price. the motto of bose is great performance at unbelievable size, and they do deliver on that. but if space and placement were not the constraints then should u buy bose, NO WAY, because even without the price considerations many other speakers perform better than bose if u have the space to ideally place the speakers and the size of the speakers doesn't matter, and at a cheaper price too.

but given the constraints of space and speaker size limitations i really dont think anyone else can beat bose!

 

[naving]

As I said earlier in a thread that it is thumps up at the price of a fine old wine. That doesn't mean that thumps up is bad. I gracefully grab a bottle of thumps up in a scorching summer afternoon and it is bliss at Rs. 12 but would never pay Rs. 2380 for the same bottle.

Right said Kaushik ! My 10 on 10 on your remark.:clapping:

 

[ak47]

u seem to have been prejudiced against bose without actually listening to them. which is always a not too good thing to do.

u should know that brands dont receive such passionate support or hatred without good reason! sour grapes etc.

i have always approached everything with an open mind.

bose is no doubt a great performer. u cant really fault their performance. i have seen them in quite a few manhattan apartments where space is at a premium and in such situations there is no other brand which can deliver the same kind of performance in the same speaker size, to hell with the price. the motto of bose is great performance at unbelievable size, and they do deliver on that. but if space and placement were not the constraints then should u buy bose, NO WAY, because even without the price considerations many other speakers perform better than bose if u have the space to ideally place the speakers and the size of the speakers doesn't matter, and at a cheaper price too.

but given the constraints of space and speaker size limitations i really dont think anyone else can beat bose!

Yes. I was prejudiced against Bose. Now I am not. That was what this thread was all about.