Has Anyone Got a Bose Amplifier circuit diagram?

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Rebuilding BOSE

John,

I've listened to a few pairs of BOSE upgrading from the 301s to 901s. BOSE speakers can be slightly on the bright side and hence choice of OP amps is very important. As I've mentioned, the EQ is STRICTLY for BOSE 901s only. Using it in any other system would mess up the sound. If you don't own the 901s, don't bother with the EQ.
The BOSE speakers works on reflected sound and hence it would not be comparing "apple to apple" with traditional direct sounding speakers as its a completely different sound. Likewise, I'm now using the Eminent Technology LFT8 which has 5 stars rating in most reviews that you can find and yet I have friends who say that imaging is poor, bass is not coherent with mids and highs etc. If you want to explore BOSE, go ahead and listen to a properly set up system. Its not as many described it to be. After all, I have audiophiles who tell me that LS3/5s sound out of this world and well, I reserve my comments!

"Beauty of sound is in the ears of the beholder!"

;)
 
Re: BOSE Eq

diyman said:
I've seen many systems playing the 901s WITHOUT the EQ.

My 2 cts

:smash: :smash:

This is a hoot, I've seen plenty of people turn them around too often in 'professional' sound reinforcement applications.

This reminds me of a funny story.

The 901's were released about a year before I was at MIT so as a PR piece they donated two pair of them for our on campus premier of '2001' in 1970 or so. The AV guys rented a couple of Crown DC 150's (?), and about 20 seconds into 'Also Sprach' the whole thing smoked. The optical film tracks have lots of subsonic energy and the equalizer boosted it until the cones hit the stops. It turns out they tried to use the 901's turned around to fill a real theater at the level of a couple of Altec horns can.
 
Yeah, thats the point. Don't brand a ten tonner truck as no good if you use it to carry a battle tank. The BOSE was designed with a radically different concept. Either you love it or you hate it and Dr Amar's BOSE's hate relationship with the audio press doesn't exactly help. I don't think its fair to assume those people who uses BOSE as bumpkins in the world of audio just because they liked the sound.
BTW, Phase Accurate has a point. There are many circuits that are good and usable with most systems instead of this proprietary stuff.

Carlos, I think I just opened the Pandora's box and see flames all over the horizon.

I'm, outta here. Signing off........

:devilr: :devilr:
 
I think that I have been largely misunderstood.

When I mentioned 'tiny plastic-frame poorly-treated-paper-cone speakers', '12V chip-amps', 'TL074 op-amps', 'SMD' and 'dozens of electrolytic capacitors' I only had cost considerations on mind, there were no exotic and/or audiophile criteria behind my thoughts.

This means that equipment built with these components is OK for me as long as it is sold at its right price (not much more than $100 :D ).

However, what I will be always wondering is how a piece of equipment, built around these components (that cost almost nothing) and having no schematics available and almost no service, could be priced at 2,000 or 3,000 euro (multiply by 1.22 to get dollars). It's not fair. It's a steal.
 
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Uh, I really don't get the fascination with B*** amplifier design here guys. I can't provide any schematics, however the older lifestyle systems like the 10/12/20/25/30 used class G output stages with SGS 7294 monolithic power amplifier IC's. Two sets of supply rails were used, one being half the other, switching from one set of rails to the other occured at roughly 1/4th of maximum power using bipolar transistors. This was done to minimize the static power dissipation as the heatsink and power transformer had to be small. The class G bass amplifier is largely discrete with an op-amp for control. I am sure this is not news to anyone who has had one of these apart...

The older 1801 and other amplifiers are very standard quasi-complementary designs with bipolar supplies.

I can't speak to more current designs.

There is a lot of engineering content in these products despite the comments found here. The goals in most instances have more to do with integrating unobtrusive systems into typical living spaces.

Most of the people there are trying to make a decent living, most products are still at least partially built in the USA and have margins commensurate with paying people a decent living wage by US standards. They don't make high end stuff and they don't generally bill it as such..

From 20yrs experience I can say the average consumer doesn't give a cr*p about sound quality, and it is not ignorance, but apathy, and a desire in many instances to get something for close to nothing.

Cheap Hi-Fi made with slave labor is cheap....

As a percentage of current income high end stuff costs about the same as Scott/Fisher/McIntosh and JBL did in the heyday of audio.
Generic mass consumer audio in historic terms has never cost less.

IMHO there are excellent designs available from many sources that are worthy of consideration. Take a look at some of Douglas Self's designs.

Personally I like tube gear with Edgar Horns, JBL D130's and 075's, Lowthers, and spent quite a long time with Magnepan Quasi-Ribbons (pp tube amp driven).



K
 
Hello Everyone,
when I posted the Original Question asking for a Bose diagram, I thought it would be interesting to see what the circuit looked like.
I didn't want it to build a clone of a Bose, i just enjoy looking at different designs.
By all the comments that have been posted, even though there hasn't been a circuit diagram posted, I am still getting a Picture of what is most likely inside and the quality.
It sounds like this Amplifier is just like any other you can buy.
Except that in truth it does the job of an Amplifier you could build or buy cheaper and for most of the people who buy it to them it's quality, up market, trendy. They don't realize that they have paid for the name and have most likely paid to much for it.

The idea of have 2 speakers pointing in 2 directions on the same mounting most likely is what gave the design its difference. I will most likely experiment with the same idea and see if there is a difference or improvement.
 
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Eva said:
This means that equipment built with these components is OK for me as long as it is sold at its right price (not much more than $100 :D ).


we live in a free market place (most of us anyway), where one is free to charge whatever the market is able to bear, with zero regards to its costs.

If you pick up a $1 million diamond (thus, its cost to you is free), does that mean you are obligated to sell it to the next guy for a dollar?

Bose did the ultimate for a capitalist: maximizing the profit.
 
tlf9999 - You are basing your assumption on the basis that everything capitalist is good. That is a false premise

Where was this diamond picked up? Likely in Africa. Who picked the diamond up - likely an African miner. Who profited from it's sale the most - likely some British/American company.

This is not to say all American / British companies are like this - many of them are philanthropic - but there are a few that have a very shallow understanding of the successful application of the capitalist philosophy.

You also speak of a free market - There is no such thing. Even in the United States there is regulation of pricing - it is simply the extent to which the market is regulated that is different.

Besides all of the above waffle - If your analogy is to apply to Dr. Bose I would replace the word "diamond" with "dog's business" - and that certainly ain’t worth $1 mil.

:devilr: Lucky the Prometheus is equiped with advanced Asgard Shields :devilr:
 
UHHHHHHHHHHH! If I see another person who doesn't understand psychoacoustics or loudspeakers try to bash Bose I'm going to blow. {Mainly in reference to anti-Bose sites.}

You're a fool if you pay money for their stuff if you don't like it. But, don't feel foolish if you have paid for their stuff and do like it. Heck, if you find something else that you like more than the Bose, then buy that. It's basic consumer practice, nothing difficult.

However, for someone to say that Bose hasn't got a clue of what they're doing, then they should take a step back and understand what Bose has done. They are engineers/consultants, limited by the guidelines of the client. If a product doesn't use a particular material or design pinciple then there's an obvious reason for it and it's most likely not to the preference of the engineer(s) at Bose.

Generally, there is a lot to be learned about loudspeakers and the reproduction of music in the 'average' living room and there is intellectual property at Bose co. that is supported by many professors indirectly and directly.

Personally, I enjoy listening to my friend's 901s that are setup properly and wired accordingly in an "ideal" room for the 901s. The sound is great and replaces the need for a 5.1 system as there are obvious location cues that point to the sides and rear of your seating position. Bose is a good business, Bose is a good research facility and Bose is a viable source of quality sound to the masses.
 
I do understand psychoacoustics, I do understand loudspeakers and I do understand Bose, that's the main reason why I don't like it at all. Note that their products are specifically targeted at all those innocent audio newbies that know nothing about the previously mentioned topics, and thus are very easy to fool into thinking that they are purchasing "the right sound" by means of cleverly written pamphlets.

I've had to deal with these Bose owners from time to time, they usually are so proud of their equipment that they will try to make you jealous :eek: I've also had hard times trying to explain them that those Bose pamphlets mention acoustics and pshychoacoustics in a rather biased way and doesn't tell the full story.
 
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The Bose target customer is not really the audio newbie, take a look at what most of the products cost even here in Boston, there really are no deals.

The target Bose customer is someone who usually has plenty of money (or a willingness to go into hock) and has little or no interest in audio equipment in most cases - at least in the instance of those who actually buy and use the powered speaker//entertainment systems. Unpowered speaker purchasers are a different crowd and a much smaller percentage of their sales today than in the past.

One of the big selling points has always been the smallness, simplicity of use and the fact that most of the newer systems are unobtrusive in appearance. (AKA "Virtually Invisible") I won't say they sound good - they don't and I am constantly reminded of this every time I turn on my TV, but it is simple and has been reliable for the 8 years I have owned it. I use the Bose HT system for video only and vintage reflex/horn JBLs and tubes for audio.

As I have indicated before they employ a lot of talented people in this area who are entitled to make a decent living, and the price they charge is a fair reflection of what it costs to actually make a consumer product in any Western nation, read my previous post to this thread if there is any confusion on where I stand on this issue.

If you are so concerned about getting ripped off, just buy something over at Walmart (my current pet peeve) and remember that a $79 color tv can't be built here or anywhere outside of the far east for a decent living wage. (maybe not even there) Do you ever wonder where all those good manufacturing and engineering jobs are going? Free trade ain't quite what it's cracked up to be...
 
:drink: :drink:A round of beers for you sir. :drink: :drink:

I don't like their cube systems much at all. Bose seems to be serving to profit margins without a care for what THEY truly believe. And, I know Bose detests 5.1 speaker setups.....too many stories.

Anyway, you see my point now kevinkr. Ahhhh, Bose...such controversy over nothing.
 
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While I appreciate what you are saying, I think you are missing an important point which is that most Bose employees believe strongly in what they are doing, and this I do know.. ;) A lot of effort goes into the design of these products, that they are designed for a market and an aesthetic that we may not care for is not important. Bose engineers who don't believe the mantra will eventually leave the company - believe me I know this first hand.
 
The sound is great and replaces the need for a 5.1 system as there are obvious location cues that point to the sides and rear of your seating position.

I've heard the same thing with a regular set of 3-ways,and my first tube amp.
I was looking around the room to see "who was there".
It actually frightened me a couple times,I thought I heard someone behind me,and I knew nobody else was home,but nobody was there!

The 3D effect of a (good) plain old stereo setup can be quite convincing! :smash:
 
kevinkr - if their products are aimed at people who have "little or no interest in audio equipment in most cases" then why do they spend so much money on "a lot of talented people " who put "A lot of effort goes into the design of these products".

Is it engineers that design the aesthetics of the units?

Over and above this - your view of what Bose is about is at odds with the vew of Dr. Bose himself who believes that they deliver quality High Fidelity audio systems.

Read this article (one of many) to see what I mean.
 
They are right, it's just aesthetics engineering. Also, I believe Dr. Bose has been out of bussiness for almost two decades now.

Companies change a lot with time, let's consider Hewlett Packard for example: Its creators, Mr. Hewlett and Mr. Packard, retired and passed away in the late 1990's. What would they think if they were still alive to know the kind of lowest-quality lowest-reliability non-repairable use-once-and-throw-away stuff that HP is manufacturing now? HP has even dropped the medical and laboratory equipment business (it was sold to another company, I think), thanks to which they grew so much between 1940's and 1980's. Now they only manufacture crappy low-end consumer electronics.
 
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Dr. Bose retired just a couple of years ago, and as far as I am aware still spends a lot of time on the mountain. Sadly Sherwin G. is long gone, the victim of some internal conflict I know nothing about.

Yes, Bose and most of its employees believe implicity that they build a high quality product, in fact I never disputed that. (Umm, I think I went so far as to say that in my last post.) The simple fact is that regardless of what marketing may say the average engineer there knows the target customer is not an audiophile or even someone particularly concerned about quality audio as the primary factor. Other factors like size, and friendly ergonomics are extremely important in the design process and receive as much attention as the electronic/acoustical design.

Bose is a marketing driven company, in many respects they have single handedly popularized the whole HTB (home theater in a box) concept having arrived in the market well before just about anyone else. They are exceptionally good at discovering consumer needs and answering them. Today's market wants small size and simplicity of use as well as a big name to stand behind the product.

You only have to listen to an old tube amp or even an early 1970's Japanese solid state receiver with good speakers (yes even the modest 301 will illustrate this well) to understand just how much the sound quality of typical consumer electronics has deteriorated in the last couple of decades. Against this backdrop it is not hard to understand why Bose has done well - I am certain that in generic consumer audio they are well above most of the crop, that the stuff is uncompetitively expensive putting it frankly into the realm of cost where better choices are available for those interested in making those choices is a conundrum. Strong marketing obviously plays a role here.

I tread somewhat cautiously for obvious reasons, but while I don't much care for the products they make I have a whole lot of respect for the people and process that brings it to market. I wish there were a few more American companies outside of consumer audio that could do as well. I would feel a whole lot better about the future of our country.

Incidentally if you haven't figured it out by now I am speaking from personal experience here. I left to found my own company, which was a ******** disaster :D No I ain't no Dr. Bose.. He succeeded, probably beyond his wildest expectations, and created interesting and worthwhile work for a lot of other people in the process. I didn't..

Kevin
 
I cannot dennie that i apreciate that idea of customize the sonics to the ambience

Those plastic things with those cheap Chips inside.... transparent boxes adequated to install in some automobiles models...well, i think the idea is wonderful, and i feel good to remember the first day i observed those customized things.

Of course, i hate the price, too much clever business to my taste, 100 dolares parts sold by 20 times the real cost..... the profit is not decent....as turn the buyer an instantaneous bozo when spent that amount of money for the idea, the design.

Of course idea and design, clever ideas alike this one, have it's own cost, and this is one of the best ideas i could ever heard in my life...also to produce o nice sound with those cheap drivers...the technologie needed to transform those parts in nice sound.

I agree that we have to pay for the research made, for the brigth idea, the customized design, the profit also...but the price is extremelly high...non sense to me...really only to people that has too much money to spend to have fun, or to show that they are rich, and that they can have those expensive things.

They are pretty, they are nice.....the Marketing is wonderfull, and this makes enormous difference the brand is deeply printed inside my brain...they made a good advertising work, with beautifull pictures.

Each car have it's own acoustics...the research work was great...wonderfull that customized work.

I cannot dennie that i respect the guy...not only because his product, but also the courage to ask this price, he may be a very interesting mind...to know that half world call him...... and he go away, probable undisturbed.

I am crazy to see the speaker cutted in halves.... i am crazy to listen to those customized systems to cars he made in the past...and i do not buy all his line because i cannot...if i had money...not doubts i would have the pleasure to be another Bozo.

I am deeply curious to listen, how he could produce that sound.

Every data you can send me, schematic, links, informs, will be great..i am deeply curious about everything about this man, and his products.

nanabrother@yahoo.com

regards,

Carlos
 
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