Bose system quality?

You will struggle to find any favorable opinions of Bose products here

Which particular system? Some are considered poor due to quality of materials, low speaker sensitivity, and gaping holes in frequency response. Others are decent, but overpriced compared to other alternatives.

You're in for a ride, enjoy!

Bose is kinda like Monster Cable

Both companies make good products at absurd prices that rely more on marketing prowness than technical merit.

Their wave radio for $500 is a good example. Yeah it sounds good for it's form factor, in fact you'll probably not find anything better in that form factor ---- but for $500 --- no way. They don't even put on common sense extras like a subwoofer LFE output on the WAV radio. For $100 perhaps the wave radio would be a good deal, but for $500 it's laughable. For $500 assuming you don't want that small form factor you could put together a modest 5.1 soundsystem and receiver that will clearly sound and preform better in every regard.

Bose systems have no issues. They are the finest speakers ever made at any price. You can't get better than Bose... All audiophiles agree on this.

If we are talking about Bose Satellite systems, like the Acoustimas, 3,2,1 and or Lifestyle....if you enjoy gaps in the low, mid and high ranges of the freq response, then Bose are great! When Bose comes out with a real subwoofer and puts tweeters in their satellites, we can talk about quality.

Bose systems are decent starter setups, and are generally reliable. That said, they are easy to outgrow and lean to the expensive side.

The good news is, the calibration software seems to adapt well to other speakers, so, it is do-able.

Also, as an installer, I do like their slimline centre speaker for certain installs

Bose speaker systems are horribly, horribly designed. The little cube speakers each have a single 2.5" driver, and the "bass module" has a few 5" drivers. There's a reason virtually all good loudspeaker systems in the world use main speakers with at least a tweeter and a woofer plus a subwoofer with at least a 10" driver.

They point them all over the place to "fill the room with sound" or whatever, but you end up with a complete mess in terms of accuracy and clarity. It sounds good at first listen in a small room with the speakers close to your head and some echoey new age music playing, but if you put them in your living room and try to watch a movie you will be struggling to understand dialog, wondering why there's so much boomy midbass and no real bass thump, and why the system seems like it's struggling so much with big sounds like explosions.

For the price of any Bose system, you can construct a system that will absolutely blow it out of the water in every respect.

They look nice - there I said something nice about Bose. Seriously, I have computer speakers with more natural response curves.

The thing with Bose is the following :

I think they are really nice systems if you like a nice sounding experience with a great degree of spatial sound .

Bose system speakers are suited for people that want good sound without compromises with difficult setup and care about styling. You just buy your Bose 5.1ch system , put it in the living room and thats it , you are going to hear something pleasant.

But they have a LIMIT. Like said before , they are great sounding speakers inside the CONSUMER AUDIO niche.

They can't stack up with audiophiles brands and speakers.
An audiophile would not get ( speaking just in general) an all in one Bose system. An audiophile would make his own system with custom speakers , an audiophile CD transport or player , a good amplifier , pre-amplifier , etc.

And the thing concerning the EXPENSIVE price is true when you compare some Bose solutions with Audiophile Gear.

There are still some products like the Bose SoundDock Series , which i thing is terrific. I don't thing i've heard any other speaker that much small and at that price for an iPod that provides that exceptional sound experience (but not audiophile).

If you like Bose , keep buying Bose. If you are aiming to higher Audiophile sound , stick with other brands , solutions.

They're only "pleasant" with certain types of music that don't require accuracy.

They struggle horribly for HT. Much worse clarity than even typical TV speakers.

At that price you have lots and lots of quality options. Ascend, Axiom, Infinity, Polk, Paradigm, Emotiva, Klipsch, B&W, and several others will have competitive systems in that price category. You really need to listen to things and see what you like. You could start with a couple of ID companies like Ascend and Axiom that offer good return/audition policies.

Hmmm if your gonna spend that much on audio might as well go for some nice bookshelf speakers or even floor standers. No point in spending that much for satellite speakers (my opinion not a fact!). Check the speaker section to see what they can recommend. Id say try Axiom out, they are an online only retailer and you get good value from them.

I have a bose indoor sound system and it works really well

For audiophile sound on the budget Boston Acoustics are really sweet speakers , Especially all they "reference" series , try to give them a nice listening test.
They are very lively , the shine on definition , great spatiality. A little aggressive (which i like) Especially all they "reference" series.

It depends on which kind of "sound" you find pleasant

If you can expend more money one way to go would be B&W.

The Bose systems sound as good as a lot of other small, satellite systems...cost more, but sound just as good. But physics is physics and drivers that are 3 inch or smaller CANNOT move much air, ie make sound and small drivers cannot produce sound across the freq spectrum. Again, that is just physics and not debatable...

If the Bose system price point was $300-450 USD then I would say it is not bad. What they sell them for is crazy. My best friend loves and hates coming to my place for movies. He has a Bose system and he hates that i spent about the same amount on speakers as he did on the Bose system and the experience is completely different. If it is a slow paced drama his speakers work great but if there is a hint of action we to my place. Funny thing even my girlfriend says his speakers hurts her ears after a 2 hour movie.

I've had a number of really nice audiophile systems over the years and currently use the less than loved on this forum, Bose V35 5.1. The reason is simple.

I got sick of only being able to enjoy a hand full of recordings.

For me the problem is that while high end systems make amazing recordings sound amazing, they make less than amazing recordings sound irritating.

On the other hand, I can play virtually anything through the Bose and enjoy it.

As for movies and bass output. As long as you know where the bass holes are in your room and don't try to use the Bose correction system to fill them ( they can take 25db or more to fill ), the output is pretty healthy. As for clarity of speech etc. Same thing. If you measure and correct the room for bass holes, the end result will be the system working so hard to fill them the clarity goes to poop.

Your "nice audiophile systems" must have been absolute garbage.

Personally I think you either sound like a shill or a Bose owner trying to justify his purchase.

I dont know about you but i listen to alot of songs in youtube and mysystem makes it sound great! I have this feeling you haven't heard a good subwoofer before like SVS or Hsu

I could buy a Bose product that sounds like a 600,000 dollar speaker and Id still toss it out my window.

I don't dislike Bose because of their quality. They sound fine. I personally have enjoyed them, at times. My first setup had a pair and they were better than anything I heard at the time. Since then I have come into high end audio. (1-10k. My current fronts retail for 5k. Although, in audio, price doesn't always, mean quality.)

My problem with Bose is this:

1. They are more money then they are worth-by far.

2. They advertise about new technology and how they are the most trusted name in audio. People who don't know better think they made a great choice. (Even though the speaker they just bout was far more expensive then it should have been.)

3. They pay best buy and Frys Electronics to favor them over other companies.

I walked into a best buy and demoed some Klipsch speakers that retailed for $400 each. A best buy employee walked up to me, and asked if I needed help. I said no and that I was browsing to pass the time. I asked him what setup he has. He told me he loves Bose and uses a setup entirely of their speakers. I asked which he favored, the Klipsch or Bose. He told me he liked Bose better and so I asked why. He literally replied with this "Bose has both the highs and lows. Klipsch only has lows."

Anytime I ask an employee in the audio department of a store, (that carries Bose) like best buy and Frys, which speakers they own. It always turns out to be Bose. How curious.

If Bose would lower prices and stop lying. Bose and I could be friends.

A friend just bought a Bose system even though I tried to educate him on other brands and what's available at a lower price and better quality. Come to find out his wife liked the speakers because she thought they were "cute."

I've done surround in my home both ways: Putting together components and just using Bose. I had a Yamaha RX-V2200 surround processor/amplifier which provided 100 watts to all channels, including the rears, and had a very nice DTS decoder. I had big speakers in front and a Velodyne powered subwoofer. I had a huge rats-nest of expensive wires behind the components and found that attempts to organize them were short-lived; the rats-nest always returned. All this went bye-bye when I added a new wall unit to go with a new 3D TV, and as part of the deal, the wife didn't want to see any wires or speakers anywhere! We went with the Bose Cinemate GS II 2.1 system. You can't hardly see it and while it doesn't quite provide real surround sound like my old 5.1 system it certainly has a terrific, cinematic sound quality. So my wife and I are both satisfied. The fact is, Bose is the one and only choice in this kind of form factor. If you buy other systems you'll spend less but you'll have wires and ugly looking stuff around that your wife won't be happy about and likely won't get better sound anyway. Before Bose I tried Onkyo and Samsung for 2.1 sound and they both went back to the store. They didn't match the Bose for looks or sound. I did spend 2 or even 3 times as much, but wound up very pleased. I now have need for a second system, and I may go for the Bose Lifestyle V35 this time, so that I can get the DTS decoding back again, and I'll add the SL2 wireless module so that I won't need to run wires to the rears. But I may just get another Cinemate system. It's a lot cheaper than the V35 and really provides close to a movie theater experience.
I have long felt that the Bose-haters bring little but irrationality into these discussions. Guys, I've been chasing good sound for 25-30 years and can tell good sound from mediocre or bad. Well, Bose sound is plenty good, whether it is 5.1 or 2.1. Check eBay and you'll see the demand for, and even the resale value of these Lifestyle systems. I heard a demo of their Wave TV system, where all the speakers are in the TV, including the subwoofer and thought it was the best surround sound I ever heard anywhere, at any price. Pretty amazing, and no wonder it took 10 years of development. So don't let them talk you away from Bose if you have the money for it; No other company's product line can currently match Bose for the combination of very good sound, the oh-so-important form factor and the ease of connectivity.

Any of these speakers combined with the Rythmik sub will be in another league compared to Bose.

If it is wires, well, Bose didn't invent wireless systems. If it is form factor, well Bose and many other companies make small satellite speakers. If you don't mind the reduction in sound quality that a 2.5 inch driver gives you (Bose or any company) and you don't mind paying for Bose, then it is an excellent choice.

I think this is the first problem. Speakers were auditioned from manufacturers that are known for their electronics, not speakers, and the speakers are usually added as an afterthought to get you to buy their HTIB. If you are looking for good low-profile speaker that are in your price range, try the orb-audio or the Mirage nano-sat. I've heard the Orb audio and they were pretty good for a small speaker and the Mirage speakers tend to get good reviews. Neither type are speakers that I would choose for myself, but thought I'd offer a couple of good alternatives to bose. (Wouldn't choose them as I like a full tower for my mains)

http://www.orbaudio.com/

http://www.miragespeakers.com/na-en/...heater-system/