why this much of negative publicity about BOSE

[square_wave]

I recently attended axpona where almost all big and small and many boutique manufacturers were there. Bose wasn't there at least to my knowledge. Oh, and neither was Beats audio.

They will not be there. It defeats the entire purpose of their existence.

If someone claims that Bose is value for money or high fidelity, then please pass me what you are smoking

On the other hand, if someone claims that brands like bose have mastered the art of satisfying a sizeable chunk of the public by providing them what they wantI am with you.

I wouldnt put Apple and Bose in the same basket. Apple is a pioneer, price notwithstanding.. Bose is not.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Thad, what is the definition of hifi?

The same as everybody else's () --- Hi Fidelity.

 

[Sawyer]

A link to a ten year old article.
The Art Of Bose Bashing - Writer's Corner: Technology Non-Fiction - Epinions.com
I have only read it cursorily. The more things change, the more they remain the same.
And a more recent one:
http://www.tonepublications.com/review/we-review-the-bose-901/
Time to move on.

 

[Sawyer]

PS:
The tone audio review was an eye opener to me. I for one have been affected by this negative publicity in the past, in the sense that I never considered any of their products for my main speakers. Bose can't cut it - and I believed it, my mistake.
When I see the price for the 901 pair, it is about Rs 113k in India today - and I have spent more than that on at least three speaker pairs in the past.
I am not in the market for stereo speakers any more, but if I was, I would certainly give them a very serious listen and then make a spending choice. Perhaps I still may not have bought them, it is hypothetical now, and not relevant to this thread. But I think I lost something in not seeing for myself what they can deliver.

 

[Sawyer]

Bose 901

Doing some more research on the 901's was interesting. I may be wrong, but it appears to still be the only speaker system that delivers most of its sound via drivers pointing to the wall behind. This means that speaker positioning becomes critical as does the nature of the wall behind. It seems that if these factors are right, they sound wonderful, but if that is not the case, sound quality can drop off dramatically. And they come with a box of electronic tricks that is part of the system, used for customising their sound to the nature of the room. Another still unique thing, afaik.
If one has the right space for them, they certainly are an audition candidate for a quality 2 channel set up. For quality speakers, the price also isn't unreasonable.
I wouldn't have discovered this were it not for this thread, which reinforces my thinking that there should be a Bose thread on this forum, appropriately named.

 

[prem]

Some very senior singers I know have a Bose 901 at their home. I like the Bose 901. It's quite an interesting speaker

Because they use a lot of reflected sound you don't get the imaging but it sounds very spacious. There is a lot of reverberant sound which with correct equalisation can sound life like

 

[Sawyer]

Some very senior singers I know have a Bose 901 at their home. I like the Bose 901. It's quite an interesting speaker

Because they use a lot of reflected sound you don't get the imaging but it sounds very spacious. There is a lot of reverberant sound which with correct equalisation can sound life like

I agree, they are certainly interesting. Pure speculation here, but for some the spaciousness may be of more value than imaging - imaging usually is available in a sweet spot listening area, while the former may result in better sound across the entire room.
And they sound as interesting in their own way as the Quad ESLs. My only ESP experience is from a pair of Cadence Amaya I had in my main system for 5 years, but that isn't true ESP experience. Not being able to listen to the Quads is an unticked box - too expensive for me, however desirable. And I never would have been able to place them as they need to be, so it shall remain so.
They cost about 5 times what the 901s do today, but no one calls them ridiculously overpriced. And like the 901s, what is sold today is the same model Quad has been selling for decades, updated for more bass and a lot more reliability - but not much more than that.

 

[panditji]

The same as everybody else's () --- Hi Fidelity.

Thanks for clarifying...

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Re: Bose 901

And they come with a box of electronic tricks that is part of the system, used for customising their sound to the nature of the room. Another still unique thing, afaik.

I don't know if it is comparable or not, but active monitors use come with what could be called electronic tricks to adjust them to the room.

Looks to me like this speaker deserves its own thread.

 

[mikehcm]

I have listened to good number of speakers and every speakers has its own sound signature, it is up to the end user to decide which sound will quench their ears, there are speakers which are good on specs but they sound either too bright or boomy and some are really good. Having said this I have listened to bose speakers and there is nothing to complain, could be the price, but still there are other brands which are far more expensive than Bose. There is nothing to lose to add bose into the purchase list, compare with other brands and decide.

 

[Sawyer]

Re: Bose 901

I don't know if it is comparable or not, but active monitors use come with what could be called electronic tricks to adjust them to the room.

Looks to me like this speaker deserves its own thread.

No, not comparable. Actives have built in amplification, so this just means amplification with necessary tone controls or filters for room customisation, since there will no amp upstream to do this. I don't know of any passive speaker that comes with such a box.

I have started a Bose user thread. While the 901 certainly deserves a thread of its own, I have no experience of it. And I am not sure if 901 users visit or even know of this forum. Time will tell.

 

[manoj.p]

Re: Bose 901

No, not comparable. Actives have built in amplification, so this just means amplification with necessary tone controls or filters for room customisation, since there will no amp upstream to do this. I don't know of any passive speaker that comes with such a box.

I have started a Bose user thread. While the 901 certainly deserves a thread of its own, I have no experience of it. And I am not sure if 901 users visit or even know of this forum. Time will tell.

There are lots of passive speakers with adjustable levels of HF/LF drivers. Not much, but they do have it. JBL, M&K has the speakers that have it.

Some speakers even come with adjustable baffle step correction switch.

 

[idlefriend]

I dont know much technical specs about speakers but I have listened Jamo Big speakers( I didn't not remember model name) frankly speaking I did not like the sound and bass is coming very odd but here some people are saying Jamo is good.but of course it is depending on person to person.But in my view Bose is far more better than Jamo.

 

[Sawyer]

Re: Bose 901

There are lots of passive speakers with adjustable levels of HF/LF drivers. Not much, but they do have it. JBL, M&K has the speakers that have it.

Some speakers even come with adjustable baffle step correction switch.

Interesting - can you post some links that give more details about such models?

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

I have seen an adjustable crossover box in use on member rajagopal_j's system. For many reasons (DIY, open baffle, vintage drivers etc) this is a very different kind of setup, but speaking of the crossover only, it was just amazing. He was able to change the sound from his usual balance, which suits him, to a different sound, which was just right to me, with just a touch on a couple of sliders.

I suspect, though, that it does take a bit of practice to get such results quickly and easily. The crossover box is a commercially available thing, but I don't have the detail

No, not comparable. Actives have built in amplification, so this just means amplification with necessary tone controls or filters for room customisation, since there will no amp upstream to do this.

Different method, different architecture, but common result: room customisation.

 

[Sawyer]

Different method, different architecture, but common result: room customisation.

Yes, many ways to skin the cat. But room customisation capability is essential - every room is uniquely different in how it couples to the speaker to deliver the end result, and the only answer is customisation. I think that this is actually the next unconquered frontier for home audio, not the dabbling in upstream components trying to fix solved problems that have very little audible impact.

 

[manoj.p]

Interesting - can you post some links that give more details about such models?

Here is some list -
JBL 4410, 4313, L-100, and lot more of their speakers.
M&K S-5000, Satellite speakers, S1B

 

[asliarun]

Yes, many ways to skin the cat. But room customisation capability is essential - every room is uniquely different in how it couples to the speaker to deliver the end result, and the only answer is customisation. I think that this is actually the next unconquered frontier for home audio, not the dabbling in upstream components trying to fix solved problems that have very little audible impact.

I think I heard this product in an audio show. It does exactly what you say. In some cases, I believe it also does away with the need for a lot of room treatment.

Antimode dual core: DSPeaker-Anti-Mode 2.0 Dual Core

And Bose also has a very solid reputation in commercial installations where reflected sound is probably a huge deal, and are also very good with DSP and room correction software. This kind of a speaker design would fully play to their strengths.

 

[Sawyer]

Antimode dual core: DSPeaker-Anti-Mode 2.0 Dual Core

And Bose also has a very solid reputation in commercial installations where reflected sound is probably a huge deal, and are also very good with DSP and room correction software. This kind of a speaker design would fully play to their strengths.

Very interesting, the link. I need to research. Something like this, if it works, is one addition I am open to considering even now that my system has reached what I think is its final state.
From a quick read it would appear that this more advanced than any Bose offering. For one, it isn't tied down to a particular make of system. But, more research is needed.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

There are lots of room-correction "solutions." One that I have seen used by a fellow member is the behringer box (something2496) and he is very happy with the result.

I'd love to have a room in which I could get into acoustic treatment. This is, I feel, the future. A once and for all treatment of a room which should sound good whatever equipment is used, for the foreseeable future. I don't understand why many "audiophiles" are against this, especially as they tend to like big price tags, and it is not cheap to do properly. It is not popular with the kind of audiophile that only spends on cables and electronics, but I think that it is more so with those who just want to listen to good music.

Of course, I understand that it is not a spending that can be hidden behind the rack, and that not all family members are happy to see funny extrusions and foam pieces hung all over the walls! :lol:

I think there is a limit to which acoustics can be treated by electronics. I surfaces reflect, then they reflect, and although light has its tricks like polarisation, aren't reflection-free speakers as impossible as a reflection-free torch? I also recall reading, when researching EQ, that attempting to fill up a null would, ultiamtely, blow up the amplifier: a null is still a nuil however much power you throw at it.