Yep, when i first saw that there are no controls whatsoever on the unit i was like WTF? We keep it in the kitchen for listening to the radio. It was a gift. And at the time they tried to talk me into going to the Bose store at the mall (malls are places i avoid like the plague), and listening to the that stupid system with cube satellites and a kleenex box sub to replace my audio gear. I looked at them as if they were insane...said thanks for the radio!I believe you meant to say they eliminated the buttons on the unit itself so if you lose or break the remote you're scr***d
It's an interesting topic- there's an attitude by the people who do that that they're geniuses, while the intelligent but ethical amongst us simply realize that they are not geniuses, just the guys willing to do the dishonest things we are not. Unfortunately, there's seldom a penalty for those guys so the carrot never goes away.
badman, dishonest might be a bit harsh. I cannot recall Bose ever saying they build and sell top quality equipment. Their flag is Better Sound Through Research. Better sound is purely subjective and research is just as weak a statement, so I think we have to be careful not to slander. I don't think the bulk of us here would be comfortable in manufacturing/selling a low quality product for what appears to be an inflated price point but I can't see where it's written that it's against the rules. We can pontificate all we like but they have managed to have the buyer believe they have purchased top notch stuff. As mentioned earlier, Bose owners are so proud of what they bought and are highly incensed when you point out otherwise.
"They might want to change their slogan: "There's One Born Every Minute"
"They might want to change their slogan: "There's One Born Every Minute"
I believe you meant to say they eliminated the buttons on the unit itself so if you lose or break the remote you're scr***d
Yeah, I ment to say that! Have you ever wonder why Bose is the ONLY company that NEVER put the specifications on the box of their speakers? They only put " compatible with receivers or amps" 4-8 ohms. They never put: S.P.L, frequency bandwidth, R.M.S power, impedance etc,etc.
PS: The answer is: THEY WILL BE IN SHAME TO SHOW THE POOR SPECIFICATIONS!
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Here's their official explanation (mostly BS, .. though the 901 does have some redeeming qualities)
Amar Bose - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"
Following graduation, Bose took a position at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as an Assistant Professor. During his early years as a professor, Bose bought a high-end stereo speaker system in 1956 and he was disappointed to find that speakers with impressive technical specifications failed to reproduce the realism of a live performance. This would eventually motivate his extensive speaker technology research, concentrating on key weaknesses in the high-end speaker systems available at the time. His research on acoustics led him to invent a stereo loudspeaker that would reproduce, in a domestic setting, the dominantly reflected sound field that characterizes the listening space of the audience in a concert hall. His focus on psychoacoustics later became a hallmark of his company's audio products.
"
Ah, what claims indeed...Well, here's one claim
Respected
Without equal
Spacious
Clear
Lifelike
Accurate musical timbre
Reputation
Backed by performance
Superb
Not a single word about product manufacturing or materials quality.
Jeez, a lively thread. Let me add some balance (maybe). First, let me say that I have been a satified owner or user of some Bose products, but not all. I am a happy (deluded?) owner of the original 901. So-so on the ported ("Got surround rot?" Mine did.) Of two 1990s era Wave radios -- they worked well. Value? Yes because (except for one of their noise-canceling phones, which I returned) I have ALWAYS BOUGHT USED. Second hand is a great idea; all the more so because you can sell your poor choices to other gullible persons for nearly what you got in it. Used Bose are a great deal: consider that in "constant dollars" a pair of 901 (I/II) probably cost about 1/6 of new. Wave radio (small) probably 1/3. I will agree that Bose (new) may be overpriced. I was never impressed with the tiny cube speakers. Materials quality? Taking their original product (ok not the 2201, but the 901) I have had several specimens and they were in substantially perfect working order! This includes a 40-yo EQ unit. Yes it may be "cheap" materials but they can survive. * I realize this sample is small, and it is biased! * So go burn a statistician or whatever. The original 901 is low-tech enough that you can (say) build yourself a solid walnut enclosure and use original drivers (meh) and wiring (yuk!). I'm sure it's been done. For the rest of us, there is sawdust, glue and cheap veneer
I don't have time or patience for any of this, but the ideas are cool. With all the computing power available to hobbyists today, it'd be neat-o if someone calculated the ultimate enclosure for 9 drivers (your choice, the original 8-ohm, the 1-ohm, or 3rd party driver of your choice) and then build -- or simulate -- the enclosure. The build one. Out of foam board. For extra credit, use a 3-D printer to assemble it.
I don't have time or patience for any of this, but the ideas are cool. With all the computing power available to hobbyists today, it'd be neat-o if someone calculated the ultimate enclosure for 9 drivers (your choice, the original 8-ohm, the 1-ohm, or 3rd party driver of your choice) and then build -- or simulate -- the enclosure. The build one. Out of foam board. For extra credit, use a 3-D printer to assemble it.
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So the only piece of Bose gear you ever bought new was defective and you returned it?
Begging the question?
You misunderstand. For the record, I haven't stopped beating my wife either
I took advantage of the 30-day return period to try the noise-canceling headphones (the QC15 I think). They work, but not well enough for me to pay $300 for, or whatever they cost. This is an example of older tech working better: I can crank up the 901s to cancel any other noise in my environment !!!
Bose has made many good products but perhaps overpriced. Unless you buy them used, 40 years old.
You misunderstand. For the record, I haven't stopped beating my wife either
I took advantage of the 30-day return period to try the noise-canceling headphones (the QC15 I think). They work, but not well enough for me to pay $300 for, or whatever they cost. This is an example of older tech working better: I can crank up the 901s to cancel any other noise in my environment !!!
Bose has made many good products but perhaps overpriced. Unless you buy them used, 40 years old.
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Jeez, a lively thread. Let me add some balance (maybe). First, let me say that I have been a satified owner or user of some Bose products, but not all. I am a happy (deluded?) owner of the original 901. So-so on the ported ("Got surround rot?" http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/atta...speaker-enclosures-decware-dna-dimensions.pdf
I don't have time or patience for any of this, but the ideas are cool. With all the computing power available to hobbyists today, it'd be neat-o if someone calculated the ultimate enclosure for 9 drivers (your choice, the original 8-ohm, the 1-ohm, or 3rd party driver of your choice) and then build -- or simulate -- the enclosure. The build one. Out of foam board. For extra credit, use a 3-D printer to assemble it.
An 8 driver bipole MLTL with 1 ohm Bose drivers would be an interesting project. I can sim that easy enough in AkAbak.
Can someone pls. confirm if this is true
Military pilots and crew block out the noise with Bose headsets - Military & Aerospace Electronics
"March 1, 2004
By John McHale
FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — Nearly everyone has heard about the Bose radio and compact-disc players. However, Bose engineers are also masters at filtering out unwanted noise to make for clearer communications in noisy, battlefield environments with their Combat Vehicle Crewman headset and their aviation headsets.
The Bose Aviation Headset X provides military and commercial pilots with comfort as well as quiet when flying.
Click here to enlarge image
Soldiers say they love these headsets because not only does Bose's noise-reduction technology enable them to do their jobs in mission-critical situations, but the headset also is light and comfortable to wear, says Chris Miller, senior production manager of communications products for the Bose Noise Reduction Technology Group in Framingham, Mass.
Prior to the Bose device, headsets that canceled out unwanted noise were heavy and cumbersome, and lightweight headsets let in too much noise. "The Bose headsets lessen fatigue and improve mission effectiveness," Miller says...."
or is this the real truth?
http://www.intellexual.net/bose.html (8 of 8)11.12.2008 8:57:30
"It is estimated that Bose has spent more dollars on advertising last year than ALL other high-end companies COMBINED. Does it have an effect? sadly, yes. A few years back, the United States Air Force signed Bose onto a
multi-million-dollar contract to design noise cancellation headsets for Air Force flight crews. Bose won the contract over two other companies simply because of their "more established name" (brand recognition). The concept of a noise cancellation headset is to actively monitor the noise frequencies emitted from a jet engine and the turbulent wind, and reproduce the exact signal 180 degrees out of phase, thus theoretically canceling it out completely. Many reputable manufacturers have successful done so as well. Bose produced a model that cost approximately $1000 per unit, which failed to cancel out a significant amount of noise. The company used the contract as an opportunity to unload obsolete parts from years back. Bose pawned off thousands of outdated interface connectors for which there were no longer commercially available mating jacks, and incorporated them into the headsets. The Air Force, proud as it was, didn't scrap the project, but instead spent countless millions more replacing the consoles in a number of aircraft to make them compatible with the said headsets. In the end though, the Air Force did terminate the contract when test crews found that the headsets were ineffective and non-durable. This whole mess was created over a brand name's alleged reputation and prestige. Bose is now selling a downgraded version of these headsets to commercial airlines and to the consumer public. They now work to a minor degree, but are not surprisingly still easily outperformed by their competitors. These consumer market headsets are also very, very poorly crafted. I browse many online audio forums and have heard stories about these very expensive headsets falling apart prematurely.
Few magazines are now willing to give honest reviews of Bose products due to a Consumer Reports review a few years back that gave the AM-15 embarrassingly bad ratings (score of 62 out of 100). Consumer Reports allegedly used a double-blind comparison test, which is in fact the ideal way to compare speakers. That particular review ended up in a lawsuit over "unscientific testing methods". Thankfully, Bose lost that lawsuit, but since then, Consumer Reports and various other magazines give neutral-to-rave reviews that tip-toe around the actual sound quality and focus more on ergonomics and style. More prestigious publications like Fi and What HiFi? ignore Bose products completely."
About headphones falling apart, I've personally seen Bose Triport (200$) falling apart. In fact Bose had to repair / replace defective h/p free of cost with more sturdy materials for headband(I've read it somewhere). AV forums are filled with disappointments about Bose's choice of materials.
Military pilots and crew block out the noise with Bose headsets - Military & Aerospace Electronics
"March 1, 2004
By John McHale
FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — Nearly everyone has heard about the Bose radio and compact-disc players. However, Bose engineers are also masters at filtering out unwanted noise to make for clearer communications in noisy, battlefield environments with their Combat Vehicle Crewman headset and their aviation headsets.
The Bose Aviation Headset X provides military and commercial pilots with comfort as well as quiet when flying.
Click here to enlarge image
Soldiers say they love these headsets because not only does Bose's noise-reduction technology enable them to do their jobs in mission-critical situations, but the headset also is light and comfortable to wear, says Chris Miller, senior production manager of communications products for the Bose Noise Reduction Technology Group in Framingham, Mass.
Prior to the Bose device, headsets that canceled out unwanted noise were heavy and cumbersome, and lightweight headsets let in too much noise. "The Bose headsets lessen fatigue and improve mission effectiveness," Miller says...."
or is this the real truth?
http://www.intellexual.net/bose.html (8 of 8)11.12.2008 8:57:30
"It is estimated that Bose has spent more dollars on advertising last year than ALL other high-end companies COMBINED. Does it have an effect? sadly, yes. A few years back, the United States Air Force signed Bose onto a
multi-million-dollar contract to design noise cancellation headsets for Air Force flight crews. Bose won the contract over two other companies simply because of their "more established name" (brand recognition). The concept of a noise cancellation headset is to actively monitor the noise frequencies emitted from a jet engine and the turbulent wind, and reproduce the exact signal 180 degrees out of phase, thus theoretically canceling it out completely. Many reputable manufacturers have successful done so as well. Bose produced a model that cost approximately $1000 per unit, which failed to cancel out a significant amount of noise. The company used the contract as an opportunity to unload obsolete parts from years back. Bose pawned off thousands of outdated interface connectors for which there were no longer commercially available mating jacks, and incorporated them into the headsets. The Air Force, proud as it was, didn't scrap the project, but instead spent countless millions more replacing the consoles in a number of aircraft to make them compatible with the said headsets. In the end though, the Air Force did terminate the contract when test crews found that the headsets were ineffective and non-durable. This whole mess was created over a brand name's alleged reputation and prestige. Bose is now selling a downgraded version of these headsets to commercial airlines and to the consumer public. They now work to a minor degree, but are not surprisingly still easily outperformed by their competitors. These consumer market headsets are also very, very poorly crafted. I browse many online audio forums and have heard stories about these very expensive headsets falling apart prematurely.
Few magazines are now willing to give honest reviews of Bose products due to a Consumer Reports review a few years back that gave the AM-15 embarrassingly bad ratings (score of 62 out of 100). Consumer Reports allegedly used a double-blind comparison test, which is in fact the ideal way to compare speakers. That particular review ended up in a lawsuit over "unscientific testing methods". Thankfully, Bose lost that lawsuit, but since then, Consumer Reports and various other magazines give neutral-to-rave reviews that tip-toe around the actual sound quality and focus more on ergonomics and style. More prestigious publications like Fi and What HiFi? ignore Bose products completely."
About headphones falling apart, I've personally seen Bose Triport (200$) falling apart. In fact Bose had to repair / replace defective h/p free of cost with more sturdy materials for headband(I've read it somewhere). AV forums are filled with disappointments about Bose's choice of materials.
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Do not mistake "linear" Xmax = 0 with 'no cone movement'. Xmax= 0 means that as soon as the cone starts moving more than a fraction of a millimeter, strong distortion will be created in its output due to the fast drop off in magnetic field across the VC when it moves. The cone will still move (but decreasingly with offset) but produce much more distortion than one that has a non-zero Xmax reproducing the same magnitude signal with a LF component.
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I beg to differ, even 3rd world quality cheap Chinese stuff don't fall apart or simply disintegrate (as it did in my friend's Bose Triport h/p) in a matter of few months. I've el-cheapo Chinese
built PC h/p(4$) using it for 6+yrs with sturdy steel metal headband. The ear cushions are still intact showing very little amount of disintegration.
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IMHO X(max)=0 means manufacturer has not specified those values in datasheets. They really do. I don't know what's there to hide.I had similar exp. with Kenwood when I asked them about T-S parameters for my car spk. KFC7171. Their reply was "since the KFC7171 are door spk. so we don't provide T-S values in datasheets"
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