Those guys at Bose are losing it. They crammed a transmission line and horn loaded compression drivers into a television:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7HHonXZrLk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7HHonXZrLk
>> Here's << a bit better view on the components. You can also see there are several resonance chambers for absorption in the TML.
Bose has always used quirky and innovative designs. That is how Dr. Bose built his company in the first place. Most notable are his direct-reflecting speakers like the 901 and later versions of the 301.
The problem with Bose is that some of their ideas are brought to market half baked and very cheaply implemented. Plus speakers like the 301 are too quirky for average consumers. Even set up properly they are at best ho-hum. And the Acoustimass system is absolutely horrible. I've heard dozens of Acoustimass setups and they ALL sounded horrible in one way or another except for one, which was professionally set up with a DSP right in the guy's living room. It still pretty much sucks, but at least it doesn't sound like an echo from another room.
This setup looks promising but I expect it to be half baked garbage like almost all of Bose's offerings since Dr. Bose died. What kind of market is is aimed at? No true audiophile will think twice about this product. It's people that have more money than brains that will purchase this product.
There is prestige associated in owning with Bose products. People think Bose is the good stuff and they will brag about owning their products. Unless they're paying me for advice, I usually hold my tongue.
The problem with Bose is that some of their ideas are brought to market half baked and very cheaply implemented. Plus speakers like the 301 are too quirky for average consumers. Even set up properly they are at best ho-hum. And the Acoustimass system is absolutely horrible. I've heard dozens of Acoustimass setups and they ALL sounded horrible in one way or another except for one, which was professionally set up with a DSP right in the guy's living room. It still pretty much sucks, but at least it doesn't sound like an echo from another room.
This setup looks promising but I expect it to be half baked garbage like almost all of Bose's offerings since Dr. Bose died. What kind of market is is aimed at? No true audiophile will think twice about this product. It's people that have more money than brains that will purchase this product.
There is prestige associated in owning with Bose products. People think Bose is the good stuff and they will brag about owning their products. Unless they're paying me for advice, I usually hold my tongue.
Sane? Most excellent? Well, no. For a transmissionline, the length determines the lower frequency cut off. The line in the TV can physically be no longer than 1m at best. That translates to a cut-off frequency of about 80 Hz. Yeah, the claim 'no subwoofer needed' might be a tad overrated. Guess why they didn't state the frequency range.
Bose got tons of patents and exotic designs registered. Doing something different doesn't automatically mean it's better. And having a patent does not mean it works well. Or works at all. Bose does one thing perfectly though: Advertising.
Well, that has always been the case for bose. Most of their stuff convinces inexperienced listeners first with mostly bloated, boomy bass and (on the first impression) impressive effects. Because if you compare different speakers quickly, the one which is louder, got more treble and bass is perceived as 'better'. That effect wears off quickly though and after listening to it for a while it becomes incredibly annoying.
You have to admit, these are astonishingly tiny. And that's what impresses the most. Voilà, there you have a customer paying for it. And when it slowly dawns them it doesn't sound that good, they're pressured into thinking they just didn't set up the DSP right and they will eventually learn how to do that - because such a well-etablished, noble company with such outstanding technical innovations can't be wrong, right?
I don't. If they ask me or if they claim something technically wrong, I'm plain honest. If they are miffed and challenge me what could possibly be better instead, I usually rattle down half a dozend other speakers and they are almost always baffled and start to at least think about it.
Oh, and @Patrick Bateman: Just because there's a compression driver in it, doesn't mean it's a horn.
Oh, and @Patrick Bateman: Just because there's a compression driver in it, doesn't mean it's a horn.
The patent calls it a "conduit"
https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/pdfs/23aede5e4e817fd67099/US20170006377A1.pdf
"A directional acoustic device, comprising:
an acoustic source or an acoustic receiver; and
a conduit to which the acoustic source or acoustic receiver is acoustically coupled and within which acoustic energy travels in a propagation direction from the acoustic source or to the acoustic receiver, wherein the conduit has a radiating portion that has a radiating surface with leak openings that define controlled leaks through which acoustic energy radiated from the source into the conduit can leak to the outside environment or through which acoustic energy in the outside environment can leak into the conduit;
wherein the radiating surface comprises a thin sheet with a plurality of openings through the sheet, and a cover material with a greater acoustic resistance than an acoustic resistance of an opening, where the cover material covers at least parts of at least some of the openings, to define a plurality of controlled acoustic leaks into or out of the conduit."
It seems to largely be a KTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27teQsB4bSU
That's exactly what they are- an advertising company.
Absolutely.
If they make a casual comment, I let it go. If they repeat marketing BS as if it's technically correct, I correct them. If they ask my opinion, I tell them.
And here is my opinion of Bose speakers. They're like a very poorly conceived home built speakers built by someone with maybe half a clue. They're hit or miss, and you're lucky if you can get them to provide useable service at all. Every single Bose setup I've heard in people's homes, save one, sounded worse than horrible. You can't even understand the dialog on the TV. It sounds like the speakers are in another room down the hall. What's up with that?
And I've done some measurements too. Bose speakers have the worst dynamic compression of ANY speakers, EVER. It's engineered into the design! Take a look at the crossovers.
Absolutely the worst idea imaginable. I took some woofs out of some Bose speakers and threw together a pair of speakers with all salvage parts. The woofs worked way better in my simple cabinet. Where are their engineers? The freebie speakers can blow a whole wall of 301s right out of the room. Pathetic!
FWIW, while I don't think much of the Bose home stuff, their portable speakers are pretty damn good IMO. They get a lot of noise out of a very small box, and it even sounds quite good.
I also quite like my MusicMonitors. Single 2.5" full-range driver, and they put out an annoyingly big sound. They measure pretty well, too.
All that said, I'm not a Bose fanboy. Their home-theatre stuff is terrible. The iPod docks are okay, but nothing stand-out. They're good at making big sounds come out of small boxes, and should focus more on that IMO.
The TV system showed there is, er, interesting. It kinda feels like they've got a box of drivers, doused them in superglue and thrown them at the back of a TV to see where they stuck. Why is there a tweeter at the bottom?
Chris
I also quite like my MusicMonitors. Single 2.5" full-range driver, and they put out an annoyingly big sound. They measure pretty well, too.
All that said, I'm not a Bose fanboy. Their home-theatre stuff is terrible. The iPod docks are okay, but nothing stand-out. They're good at making big sounds come out of small boxes, and should focus more on that IMO.
The TV system showed there is, er, interesting. It kinda feels like they've got a box of drivers, doused them in superglue and thrown them at the back of a TV to see where they stuck. Why is there a tweeter at the bottom?
Chris
They are small, and having them in your living room is a status symbol of sorts, because it means you're smart and discerning.
I told my buddy to sell all his Bose crap (it does have pretty good resale value considering what it really is) and give me the money to build him some real stuff. I said I could easily make better satellite speakers (they would be bigger but still small) and a subwoofer that does more than boom and bark with the money. He wants to do it, but The One Who Must Be Obeyed will not allow it. So he brings his CDs to my shop and listens. And my speakers aren't the ultimate either - just well sorted 8" two ways. But they sound clear and play loud, and the bass is real tight but still punches you right in the chest. Not bad for $200 worth of components and some salvage parts.
Neither a "hater" or by any stretch a fanboy either, but as said above, Bose is certainly able to market-ineer surprisingly "big sounding" performance from convenient to use tiny little plastic lifestyle toys.
My son had one of the Soundlinks playing on a fireplace mantle on last Sunday's casual Father's day dinner - awfully handy to stream from a smart phone, and one could make out almost all the lyrics. At the risk of wandering OT a bit, it was funny to have him streaming Beatles for us old farts - 50yrs ago this month Sgt Peppers, and for that matter the Monterey Pop Festival / summer of luv. Yup, some of us who didn't eat too many mushrooms can still remember at least the atmosphere, if not the specifics.
As for the TV system, honestly, who actually listens to the speakers in a TV any larger than 36" these days?
My son had one of the Soundlinks playing on a fireplace mantle on last Sunday's casual Father's day dinner - awfully handy to stream from a smart phone, and one could make out almost all the lyrics. At the risk of wandering OT a bit, it was funny to have him streaming Beatles for us old farts - 50yrs ago this month Sgt Peppers, and for that matter the Monterey Pop Festival / summer of luv
. Yup, some of us who didn't eat too many mushrooms can still remember at least the atmosphere, if not the specifics. As for the TV system, honestly, who actually listens to the speakers in a TV any larger than 36" these days?
It wouldn't surprise me if Bose made a practical wireless speaker. This is a hot market right now and there seems to be a lot of focus on it. I see wireless speakers marketed from around $25 and up. I can't vouch for the performance of any of these speakers except to say that I have heard some and they're OK. Not hi fi, but OK.
I was at the local big box computer store a couple of years ago. This store sells some handy electronic stuff for the DIYer; they kind of compete with Radio Shack in that respect. Anyway, I had put some electronic stuff in my cart and went to the service counter to ask for some memory cards. The clerk asked what I was building and I told him audio stuff (not with the memory cards of course). He was very interested and told me that they had the BEST speaker EVER made EVER! for sale right in their store. He asked if I wanted to see it. Duh! Then he showed me a small wireless speaker about the size of a loaf of bread. He proudly played some music through it. And it really sucked! I asked him what makes it the best EVER and he said it just is... and claimed that it was impossible for anyone to manufacture a better speaker, period. I told him his claim was ridiculous and that the speaker sounded like doo doo but he stood firm.
I don't know what the boy was smoking, but I think his ridiculous and robotic presentation of the product is a reflection of just how clueless consumers are about audio stuff. You can tell them anything and they'll never know the difference.
I was at the local big box computer store a couple of years ago. This store sells some handy electronic stuff for the DIYer; they kind of compete with Radio Shack in that respect. Anyway, I had put some electronic stuff in my cart and went to the service counter to ask for some memory cards. The clerk asked what I was building and I told him audio stuff (not with the memory cards of course). He was very interested and told me that they had the BEST speaker EVER made EVER! for sale right in their store. He asked if I wanted to see it. Duh! Then he showed me a small wireless speaker about the size of a loaf of bread. He proudly played some music through it. And it really sucked! I asked him what makes it the best EVER and he said it just is... and claimed that it was impossible for anyone to manufacture a better speaker, period. I told him his claim was ridiculous and that the speaker sounded like doo doo but he stood firm.
I don't know what the boy was smoking, but I think his ridiculous and robotic presentation of the product is a reflection of just how clueless consumers are about audio stuff. You can tell them anything and they'll never know the difference.
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