But you're right.
"it isn't neutral sound"
Sadly, a lot of speakers aren't capable of neutrality, some come close though.
While part (most?) of the whole Bose bashing is deserved, it is undeniably that several Bose products were cornerstones in the audio history.
- Acoustimass AM-5 was the first globally successful satellite/subwoofer combo, thanks to the highest possible Wife Acceptance Factor (WAF): two invisible miniature satellites and hide-away subwoofer. Nobody (but the audiophiles) cares about the 200 Hz hole between satellites and sub.
- Wave Radio was without competition at the time - modern design, functionality and unexpected bass output from small clock radio. Besides huge WAF factor, even (not audiophile) men liked it.
- SoundLink Mini, when introduced, wipes the floor with the competition. Again.
- Noise cancelling headphones. Do I need to say more?
- Acoustimass AM-5 was the first globally successful satellite/subwoofer combo, thanks to the highest possible Wife Acceptance Factor (WAF): two invisible miniature satellites and hide-away subwoofer. Nobody (but the audiophiles) cares about the 200 Hz hole between satellites and sub.
- Wave Radio was without competition at the time - modern design, functionality and unexpected bass output from small clock radio. Besides huge WAF factor, even (not audiophile) men liked it.
- SoundLink Mini, when introduced, wipes the floor with the competition. Again.
- Noise cancelling headphones. Do I need to say more?
Last edited:
You are right.
Those wave sets are a ghetto blaster in a desktop case.
If you want a one piece stereo they fit the bill quite well without having a carry handle on the top and due to not having to have a battery compartment are compact and neat.
Obviously most of us including me would give up a bit more space for our stereo gear.
I have found space for a pair of vintage all octal mono blocks.
Those wave sets are a ghetto blaster in a desktop case.
If you want a one piece stereo they fit the bill quite well without having a carry handle on the top and due to not having to have a battery compartment are compact and neat.
Obviously most of us including me would give up a bit more space for our stereo gear.
I have found space for a pair of vintage all octal mono blocks.
I thought the later ones had a CD player and radio in them.
I certainly would not be impressed if I found one that was only mono.
Bose is a study in creating a product to fit a market, and making it pay handsomely.
Their marketing is as much their product as the widgets they produce. Given their understanding of who their customer is, however, the ads write themselves.
I think their products can be great for their intended purpose. I have used two of their products.
The first is the Bose Soundlink, for working outside or wherever I needed some fullish sounding background music. It's no good for critical listening, obviously, but as a portable I quite liked it.
The other is a Soundtouch 30, which my wife bought (she IS a Bose fan). Basically, as someone said, a ghetto blaster without a handle or batteries, it sounds fairly good when you first turn it on, but then you turn it up and you realize the bass is maxed out before you even get to mid-volume. Additionally, one of it's 'great' features is it's connectivity. You can control it through the app and stream from the net or locally, except it updates often (though the interface never seems to change) and every time it updates it forgets who it's connected to and little things like local music library etc. and it's a pain in the keester to set it all up again. And again. And again. The thing has never worked right. I can't believe we spent $400 on it.
So I guess you'd call my experience 50/50.
Their marketing is as much their product as the widgets they produce. Given their understanding of who their customer is, however, the ads write themselves.
I think their products can be great for their intended purpose. I have used two of their products.
The first is the Bose Soundlink, for working outside or wherever I needed some fullish sounding background music. It's no good for critical listening, obviously, but as a portable I quite liked it.
The other is a Soundtouch 30, which my wife bought (she IS a Bose fan). Basically, as someone said, a ghetto blaster without a handle or batteries, it sounds fairly good when you first turn it on, but then you turn it up and you realize the bass is maxed out before you even get to mid-volume. Additionally, one of it's 'great' features is it's connectivity. You can control it through the app and stream from the net or locally, except it updates often (though the interface never seems to change) and every time it updates it forgets who it's connected to and little things like local music library etc. and it's a pain in the keester to set it all up again. And again. And again. The thing has never worked right. I can't believe we spent $400 on it.
So I guess you'd call my experience 50/50.
That's the worst reason to choose blose. They're very expensive for what they are.
Among the best. Sony has definitely caught up with the wh-1000xm3.
Ime, the Bose PA products have been more impressive than their hifi line. Their setups for medium sized churches are really clear sounding and a joy to configure.
Couldn’t agree more, and I guess that one of the reasons that “audiophiles” love to hate the brand, is that those so inclined they need an easy target for their animus, and how many have a larger profile?
Personally, I think that individual assessment of the performance/ value of any particular product, one needs to begrudgingly admire their continued market success.
Personally, I think that individual assessment of the performance/ value of any particular product, one needs to begrudgingly admire their continued market success.
I swear Bose has only ever made 15 speaker drivers in their whole existence.
Recycle 2" 2.5" 4.5" etc standard Bose driver units into as many products as possible. Equalize heavily(for car systems) and use odd and often proprietary ways of making it all work. Add a 0 to the price and hey presto, a Bose product. I mean the 4.5" 'star' driver has been in everything from 101 monitors, 402s 802s and 901s, various ceiling speakers, car speakers and even subwoofers in cars etc etc. The same drivers from one gen of wave radio I'm sure are used in their PA column speakers and even the L1 arrays.
Bose is 'ok' enough to listen to(a set of 802s made great vocal PA cabs) for the most part, but once you hear what's wrong with them, you can't unhear it.
Audiophiles I would consider as being people who CAN hear what's wrong with them, hence why Audiophiles don't like them. The general public have no idea that they sound awful, just like the general public think all 4K TV's look the same(try explaining what dynamic range or colour gamut mean to a 'normie')
Once to prove a point, I bought a set of Series iv AM5's(bought VERY cheaply) and set them up off a Denon integrated. My Bose-loving friend thought they sounded great until I swapped them for a very cheaply purchased set of (apparently very popular in the UK) Sony SS86e bookshelves I found for $20. He was floored by the difference in even those extremely modest little speakers.
Sold the Bose to a foreigner who thought they were the best money could buy for a very tidy profit.
Recycle 2" 2.5" 4.5" etc standard Bose driver units into as many products as possible. Equalize heavily(for car systems) and use odd and often proprietary ways of making it all work. Add a 0 to the price and hey presto, a Bose product. I mean the 4.5" 'star' driver has been in everything from 101 monitors, 402s 802s and 901s, various ceiling speakers, car speakers and even subwoofers in cars etc etc. The same drivers from one gen of wave radio I'm sure are used in their PA column speakers and even the L1 arrays.
Bose is 'ok' enough to listen to(a set of 802s made great vocal PA cabs) for the most part, but once you hear what's wrong with them, you can't unhear it.
Audiophiles I would consider as being people who CAN hear what's wrong with them, hence why Audiophiles don't like them. The general public have no idea that they sound awful, just like the general public think all 4K TV's look the same(try explaining what dynamic range or colour gamut mean to a 'normie')
Once to prove a point, I bought a set of Series iv AM5's(bought VERY cheaply) and set them up off a Denon integrated. My Bose-loving friend thought they sounded great until I swapped them for a very cheaply purchased set of (apparently very popular in the UK) Sony SS86e bookshelves I found for $20. He was floored by the difference in even those extremely modest little speakers.
Sold the Bose to a foreigner who thought they were the best money could buy for a very tidy profit.
It sounds like you've got a grasp on the reality of things Bose.
And indeed, the frequency extremes that Bose enhances are their bread and butter.
Catering to the masses is the best way to win them over.
I remember my wife and me standing in the local hifi-shop and listening amazed to the Bose Wave Radio.
Like many others we both were impressed by the bass response of this tiny plastic box and so bought 2 of them.
Over the years it came out that the sound was more and more annoying for us.
The inherent bass and treble boost might be impressing the first time but the resulting lack of mid-range cuts intelligibity,
specially when you prefer to listen at low volume levels. And there is no manual equalization at all to adapt for personal needs -
so we began to hate more and more that indistinguishable rumbling sound and sold both meanwhile.
Bose has been quite successful on the main stream - but this is certainly not the one size that fits all.
Like many others we both were impressed by the bass response of this tiny plastic box and so bought 2 of them.
Over the years it came out that the sound was more and more annoying for us.
The inherent bass and treble boost might be impressing the first time but the resulting lack of mid-range cuts intelligibity,
specially when you prefer to listen at low volume levels. And there is no manual equalization at all to adapt for personal needs -
so we began to hate more and more that indistinguishable rumbling sound and sold both meanwhile.
Bose has been quite successful on the main stream - but this is certainly not the one size that fits all.
Last edited:
Thanks, you've reinforced my earlier posts/points about the "bose sound", and how it's "designed to impress" in order to sell better.
In particular, the lack of personalization you mentioned is another flaw in the soup.
Not everybody wants the same "fixed" sound.
I've heard numerous bose systems through the decades.
And while some have sounded "impressive" at first, they usually fatigued my ears.
Obviously, we all have different "preferences" with our sound, and so I always seemed to gravitate to a more "neutral" and "easy on the ears" type of sound.
My choices were/are the "East Coast" sound of Cambridge, Boston, Dynaco, AR, KLH, and what's in my living room - Advents.
The amp's tone controls are my friends as well.
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.