Opinions on Bose Equipment?

[Mikey]

I bought a Bose Wave Machine or Wave Radio or whatever they call the table top size unit with a single CD player. Finally replaced our 20 year old clock radio that never got any good reception.

The Bose is pretty pricey but does have a great sound for a smaller than a breadbox unit. Some nice features too.

They have a deal going on at the Bose outlet where until January 12 if I buy one of their Lifestyle home theater systems ($1400 cheapest) they will take the price of the Wave Radio ($500) off the system. Seems like a pretty good deal, since I already bought the radio.

When I look up reviews of Bose equipment it seems like everybody gives them either 5 stars out of 5 or 1 star...nothing in between. Some people (especially people who work in electronics stores) think they are cheap piles of shit that are nothing more than cardboard and PR hype. Other people (mostly people who actually own the equipment) think it's the best stuff they ever bought. Who to believe? Anybody out there think they know the real truth?

[ElTaco]

Actually I think there are two types of people, those who have really good ears, aka Audiophiles, who think its a piece of junk because it cuts out the really high and low ends of the auditory spectrum. Most people however, don't really know the difference, so they love it because it sounds fairly similar to them plus they never owned a high end system anyway.

To me, they sound fairly good, but I have friends who absolutely hate them because of the price vs quality. However, if you can get it for a good price, it may not be a bad deal, just don't expect the same quality as high end speakers.

[Mikey]

Funny, I've heard the same thing but I've also read just the opposite...

The small Bose HT speakers and subwoofer handle the highs and lows fine but are weak on the midrange.

I have a Bose stereo speaker system (two paired sets of small speakers and the subwoofer) that I bought about 7 or 8 years ago when we moved into our house and my wife decided that my 1985 era 12" JBL floor speakers wouldn't fit in. They sound OK but I REALLY miss the wall shaking power of the JBLs when connected to my same vintage Denon components (250 watts RMS per channel tube amplifier). The Bose speakers just don't do the rest of the system justice.

I think they've improved their speaker technology since then (at least I hope). I bought a relatively cheap Phillips HT two channel system for the family room (where the TV is) a year ago and it basically sucks. The bass is very boomy and there are no tone controls. I definitely want to replace it but am not sure about the Bose. When I look a supposedly unbiased reviews (CNET) they actually give the Bose HT system a pretty good rating. I really just want something that will sound good with DVDs.

[ElTaco]

As I said, I am about as far from an audiophile as you can get. My ears are terrible. I'm sure Bose has improved but realistically, I think their technology can only do so much. Realistically, how can a speaker system that is small with only one or two types of cones in it move the air with the same efficiency/quality as a large speaker that has 3 different size speakers? I'm sure if you take a Bose speaker set and compare it next to a JBL set that runs the same price range, there would be some differences. With that said, the size/convenience of the Bose may make up for that.

Ultimately you have to know your listening style. If you have a Bose store close by, just go in and give it a test. Perhaps take a DVD and a CD with you and have them play it on one of their show setups and see what you think. Also, most places have a return policy so if you think its good enough and you buy it, you probably have 30 days to return it if you don't like it after you take it home and set it up.

[Mister Bushice]

My Parents have one but given their hearing losses, I'd say it was more an issue of convenience than quality.

I thought the sound was ok, but the lack of stereo separation (How much can you have with speakers located within the same box inches away from each other?) was a drawback for me. I know professional recording engineers use the left/ right channel mix to separate instruments / sounds, but if it's all coming from the same small table top unit it loses something to me.

I think there is a certain amount of hype behind this product, too. They make it sound like 30 of the worlds top sound engineers dedicated their lives to producing it.

[KC Scott]

Actually I think there are two types of people, those who have really good ears, aka Audiophiles, who think its a piece of junk because it cuts out the really high and low ends of the auditory spectrum. Most people however, don't really know the difference, so they love it because it sounds fairly similar to them plus they never owned a high end system anyway.

Wurd!

Count me in the "can''t really hear the difference category as well
(must of been too many years around race cars, metal bands and guns with no ear protection)

I have Bose Accoustomass home system for around 8 yrs -(might be the same one as you, Mikey- see pic ) and still sounds great to me
Bought a couple Bose 151's for the deck last summer and they sound great - to me

Question - Do you have an equalizer?
I can shape the sound with my Sony - But I'm more into lower bass / with better midrange and treb

[Mister Bushice]

There's no doubt Bose makes good speakers, but the ones you have are physically separate units. I don't think you can really appreciate (or hear well enough) true stereo separation without the physical separation. Even in a recording studio the monitors are usually positioned apart and aimed in such a way that you can detect what is on each individual channel for mixing purposes.

[KC Scott]

If you were talking to me, The sub-woofer is behind the TV and the speakers on opposite sides of the room

[Mister Bushice]

Do you have a midrange speaker? That one really fills in the sound gaps. I bought a subwoofer and a mid range speaker when I got the Hi Def Tivo and the 56" TV, and it all sounds awesome.

I still have to add rear speakers to get true surround and I want to upgrade my main speakers, but I haven't been able to find decent affordable wireless speakers that will work in the room for the rear speakers. There's no way to run wires in that room without them trailing across doorways.

[Mikey]

Scott,

I think I have the same Acoustimass speakers you have, except they're white. They sound OK and are inconspicuous in the living room but, like I said, don't have nearly the depth and power of my old JBL monsters.

Bushie, I realize that you don't get the separation from the radio that you get from separate components. I already bought the wave radio and it's fine for what it is. The thing I was wondering about is the surround sound home theater system. If I buy it by January 12 at the Bose store they will take the price of the radio off the home theater price. Seems like a good deal, but I'm wondering if it's actually worth the price. Anybody that has an opinion of Bose either loves them or hates them. They certainly aren't cheap, even with the discount.

Like you I have problem of running wires from the front to the back of the room. Bose also makes a wireless option especially for their systems. I think it's about $250 extra. I'd have to go up into the crawlspace and wire everything up there, but I don't think it would be too hard to do.

[KC Scott]

Will - I don't have the midrange - and to be honest, we use the Acoustomass more for the bigscreen / movies than jamming anymore.
The majority of the music is now during the summer, hence the 151s on the deck overlooking the pool.
As for your wire issue, I'll assume you don't have carpet or molding/baseboard you can run the wire under?
When I did the deck, the wire was a bitch, but the wireless options were poor and expensive.

Mike - I bought my 151's off ebay - Saved over $150 vs. CC or BB. I'd check there, even with the discount for the wave, you might end up cheaper

[Mister Bushice]

We have tile and hardwood floors in the TV room, and the place the TV is at I'd have to tack wire to the top of the baseboard molding, as there is no room under it, and the ceiling in the room is 25 feet high. Very few options. Even the surround sound guy who came out to set it all up ( I got that free with the TV purchase) said he couldn't see how wired speakers would work there without having exposed wires all over the place.

I'm not one of those who is gonna creatively run 50 feet of wire to get this done. At some point I'll find a decent set of wireless speakers and I'll add them in. Right now we have a 2 year old wreaking havoc in the house so I'm not about to give him more shit to yank on. :)

Mikey,

Try pricing other surround systems, or look to build your own system. There should be a lot of deals out there this coming week. Since you just need a decent receiver, and essentially four speakers - the two main ones, a midrange and a sub woofer, it might be cheaper than the Bose system. You can toss in the rear speakers if you want, but the sound you'll get from that combination of 4 will be good enough for just about anything you'll want to listen to.

Again I think Bose runs the propaganda ad campaign very well, but there are other manufacturers out there that are better. Go check out some of the surround sound systems Best Buy has set up on a weekday when there aren't a lot of Mexicans in there blasting the boomboxes. :)

[Dinsdale]

There's no way to run wires in that room without them trailing across doorways.

Sure there is... you apparently just don't know how. Unless it's an unfinished concrete box, you can always run wires.

[Mister Bushice]

Nope, sorry. From where the main unit is located there is an open arched 9' doorway on one side, a fireplace to the other. The room has a 25 foot high ceiling. There is Hardwood floor over a concrete pad, with the floor tucked under the wall baseboard with a tiled walkway on the doorway side. The placement of the rear speakers would be at the opposite end of a 25 foot long room, and would have to cross at least two doorways.

And no, I'm not ripping out 40' of drywall, or laying down any visible wire conduit. A professional installer of Home theater systems came to my house and when I said "I don't see how I could run wires from here to there without them running along the floor edge and up and over the doors" and he says "that's right, I don't see how you can do anything but that without tearing out the drywall" I'm inclined to agree, and so it ain't gonna happen.

[Dinsdale]

with the floor tucked under the wall baseboard

First off, in the entirety of Human History, no hardwood floor has ever been "tucked under" a baseboard.

and he says "that's right, I don't see how you can do anything but that without tearing out the drywall" I'm inclined to agree, and so it ain't gonna happen.

I'm inclined to disagree.



Sounds like your mind is made up, so I suppose the point is moot (like I fucking care), but the first statement I quoted hold the key to running wires.

If the baseboards are some sort of wood finish, rather than seamless enamel (usually how base works over hardwood)... well, there'ya'go. Maybe not a "piece of cake," but an easy way to run wires.


But I suppose I'd be flustered too, if I brought out an "installer" who didn't know what was up.

[Mister Bushice]

with the floor tucked under the wall baseboard

First off, in the entirety of Human History, no hardwood floor has ever been "tucked under" a baseboard.

and he says "that's right, I don't see how you can do anything but that without tearing out the drywall" I'm inclined to agree, and so it ain't gonna happen.

I'm inclined to disagree.



Sounds like your mind is made up, so I suppose the point is moot (like I fucking care), but the first statement I quoted hold the key to running wires.

If the baseboards are some sort of wood finish, rather than seamless enamel (usually how base works over hardwood)... well, there'ya'go. Maybe not a "piece of cake," but an easy way to run wires.


But I suppose I'd be flustered too, if I brought out an "installer" who didn't know what was up.[/quote]

Actually he did a great job, and was from a company that contracted themselves out nationally to do this type of work.

The part you're missing is the spanish style arched doorways we have, which have no perimeter molding around them, and tile / wood over concrete on the floor below, allowing for no possibility of running wires except to remove /drill through drywall and tear out 230 feet of baseboard and doorway molding and run the fucking wires through two other rooms just to get back around to the other end of the room they're in.

You might be that big of an idiot, but I'm not. For the cost and labor I'd rather set up a decent wireless system that I can just plug and play. They're only rear speakers and not the mains, anyway.

[Dinsdale]

OK, maybe I need to type really slowly...

No hardwood floor has ever been "tucked under" a baseboard in human history.

If someone does a really hatchet job, it's possible to install hardwood floors under existing base, although this would really be the pinnacle of "hack-job."

As a former floor-coverings installer and a current home improvement contractor, I can tell you in absolute (look up that word if you need help) terms that carpet is "tucked" (although base can be installed after carpet), and no other floor covering is -- I wasn't asking, I was telling.


So it goes to reason that you know about as much about low-voltage wiring as you do floor coverings. Either that, or your definition of "no way" is a little different from mine.


There's plenty of ways to do just what you described -- I guess you just have to be smarter than the wall... tall task for you, eh?


In your unique situation, there would be quite a few hours of labor involved (but certainly not an unreasonable number), but it would be very low-cost, but it certainly isn't beyond the skills of anyone with any sort of clue.

[Mister Bushice]

Bah. The installer only had to remove the baseboard from one wall. The wood fit perfectly along the other two walls tucked right under the bottom edge of the baseboard I watched them do it, and it looks great. They were happy it worked out that way, too. Fuck, I guess I made history.

You see, the baseboard was already there, raised up above the concrete to approximately the same level as the carpet tacking strips, which was approximately the same thickness as the wood flooring, which matched the level of the adjacent tile walkway, which was also approximately the same thickness as the tack strips and the baseboard gap. Its not fucking rocket science.

I'm certainly glad I didn't hire you. I can see you turning a simple project into The Big Dig.


As for the wiring. Anyone making comments on shit they can't even see is another person I'd never hire. I've wired speakers in many, many places I've lived in. I measured this out, and no fucking way in hell I'm ripping out 240 feet of baseboard molding to disappear the wires, add up the cost of 250 feet of 12 gauge wire plus the labor to rip out / reinstall the molding, AND drill / make a hole thru the one dry wall section I'd need to. FUCK IT.

I'd rather spend an extra hundy on a decent set of wireless speakers than deal with that fucking mess. I have a nice house and I'm not into tearing it up doing that remodeling shit anymore when it isn't necessary.

[Dinsdale]

tucked right under the bottom edge of the baseboard

Maybe you should spend a few years installing floor coverings. Maybe then, you'd understand the definition of the word "tuck."

You're wrong, I'm right. This isn't up for negotiation.


But I suppose "slid" under the base would be appropriate. I was giving a little benefit of the doubt, since there was a not-so-good pic involved. But the new info provided verifies my initial thoughts -- "Who the fuck left the huge gap between the flooring and the base? That don't look good at all... hope it was cheap."

The installer only had to remove the baseboard from one wall

Oh, OK.


That must be why you posted a pic of TWO walls without baseboards.


When you provide the evidence of your own lies against yourself... it might be time to shut up.

I watched them do it, and it looks great.

I've seen pics -- "great" would be a monumental exaggeration. 'Round these parts, leaving a big gap between base and floor is known as a "callback."

I measured this out, and no fucking way in hell I'm ripping out 240 feet of baseboard molding

Yeah, heaven forbid the hardwood job was done PROPERLY. Sure the fuck wouldn't want to spend a couple of hours removing and reinstalling some base. Then again, I suppose if removing and reinstalling base is rocket science to you, I can see where someone would want to do a shitty job.


But for those people who actually know what they're talking about, it really ain't too hard.



That's one hell of a room. You realize 240 feet of base covers a room that's 70X50, right (since you "measured it out yourself"... the biggest BWAHAHAHAHA!!!! phrase ever uttered in the contracting world).


So, are you really trying to tell us that you have a 3500 square foot bonus/family room? Really?


Yeah, run with that one, buddy.

[Mister Bushice]

Maybe you should spend a few years installing floor coverings. Maybe then, you'd understand the definition of the word "tuck."

You're wrong, I'm right. This isn't up for negotiation.


But I suppose "slid" under the base would be appropriate. I was giving a little benefit of the doubt, since there was a not-so-good pic involved. But the new info provided verifies my initial thoughts -- "Who the fuck left the huge gap between the flooring and the base? That don't look good at all... hope it was cheap."

You're not going the grammar correction route again, are you?

Slid, tucked. Just anal retentive semantics, same concept. And you fucked up about the pics. See below

The installer only had to remove the baseboard from one wall

Oh, OK.

That must be why you posted a pic of TWO walls without baseboards.
When you provide the evidence of your own lies against yourself... it might be time to shut up.

DUMB ASS,

Did you even LOOK at the URLS of those pics ? That wasn't my house, those were googled EXAMPLES of wood flooring, one showing the floor UNDER the baseboard, the other with the baseboard removed, showing how the wood would then be UNDER the baseboard.

Christ. take this bullshit to cul de samck. People here try to HELP each other, they don't try and dump shit on others for lame sport.

I watched them do it, and it looks great.

I've seen pics -- "great" would be a monumental exaggeration. 'Round these parts, leaving a big gap between base and floor is known as a "callback."

There is no gap. None.

I measured this out, and no fucking way in hell I'm ripping out 240 feet of baseboard molding

Yeah, heaven forbid the hardwood job was done PROPERLY. Sure the fuck wouldn't want to spend a couple of hours removing and reinstalling some base.

Moving three rooms worth of furniture, having to reapply the texture to the drywall that would need to be replaced, removing, reinstalling and resealing the baseboard edges?screw it. Why do all that shit if I don't need to?

Then again, I suppose if removing and reinstalling base is rocket science to you, I can see where someone would want to do a shitty job.


But for those people who actually know what they're talking about, it really ain't too hard.

Pain in the ass shit I have no interest doing. Rather spend 3 bills on good wireless speakers and use the 4 hours NOT fucking up my knees and back doing something more recreational - like listening to music on the speakers I hooked up in 15 minutes using NO TOOLS.

That's one hell of a room. You realize 240 feet of base covers a room that's 70X50, right (since you "measured it out yourself"... the biggest BWAHAHAHAHA!!!! phrase ever uttered in the contracting world).

One room is 40 x 23. the second is 30 by 20. There is an intervening hallway, not including the three vertical doorways the wires would have to go up and down to get around thru there. Let me break it down below.

So, are you really trying to tell us that you have a 3500 square foot bonus/family room? Really?

The house is over 3,500 total. Family room is 40 by 23. Try and recall I said the wires would have to pass thru three rooms because of the spanish style doorways.

working in linear feet:

ROOM #1. Two walls, one of 40 (crossing half that) and one of 23 = 43 two doorways 7 x 3 = 34 so we're at 77
ROOM #2 & Transition hallway three doors to go up and around approximately 54, so we're at 131.
Room #3. two walls of 30, two of 20 totaling 100, so we're at 231

Around the corner to the wall seam at the back end of room #1 is about 9 feet. This area would have exposed wire for 2 feet, as there is a tile counter between lower and upper cabinets and no molding to hide it. I also did not include the 25 or so feet along the top shelf where the speakers would be, so I'd need more than 250 feet of wiring.

You can STFU right about now.

Yeah, run with that one, buddy.

You too, right back to cul de smack. I'm done here.

[Dr_Phibes]

The room has a 25 foot high ceiling.

One room is 40 x 23.

Do you live in a grain silo?

[Mister Bushice]

No the Silo would be for the fat hog who sucks black cock. AP out front should have told you.


The reason I bought the house was because of the awesome room. We have parties with a full band in there every couple of months.

Actually, only about 24 feet of it has the high ceiling. The remainder is around 9 feet high.