Bose Lifestyle 48 III versus?

Hi Peter,

Welcome to the forums!!! I'm surprised that no one jumped on this thread (maybe we're all worn out on Bose bashing? ) - there's a lot of bias against Bose in the forum, and I'm one of that mindset: much marketing and hype at the cost of sound quality. There's reason why Bose doesn't publish their frequency response specs. But if it's Boom! and Crash! you want - they'll be right up your alley.

But enough of that - go for a receiver with Athena speakers - a better route. Trust me, your ears will thank you.

Christian

Here is a good link to FR of a Bose system compared to similarly priced systems from other manufacturers. You can also use this as a guideline to shop for the best system for your budget.

http://www.geocities.com/p_iturra/Misc_HT_Speakers.html

Remember the old adage: FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS BUY BOSE

I haven't done the Yamaha + Athena combo myself, but some people say it's a little too bright since both Athena and Yamaha are known for having a good amount of treble. Pioneer + Athena worked fine for me, as did Onkyo + Athena. If you buy locally you could always try both Yamaha and Pioneer and see which fits better without getting a restocking/shipping hit.

One thing to note with the YSP, room is key. Since the YSP relies on room reflections from walls, etc, putting it in a loft type space would not be recommended. You really need to be flanked by walls on the sides for it.

Also, a Sub with either system would be highly recommended. Please note that the so called 'subwoofer' of a Bose system barely qualifies as a woofer, let alone a SUBwoofer.

For a small satellite speaker arrangement, check out Orb Audio (orbaudio.com I think)

But what about the Acoustimass subwoffer!!!

You can always use it as a side table.

Don't you mean a Cocteau table?

"Bose Lifestyle 48 III versus?"....

POOP!

...And I declare poop the winner!

Seems like you are still not convinced fully or else you will not consider Bose for center channel. Having "timbre matched" front speakers are very important, so if I were you and was considering polks for front L/R, I will go with a matching center channel speakers from same line of speakers from Polk audio. If you are into 5.1 music also, stay with speakers from same line from Polk for rear surrounds also. You can do much better than Bose, if you stayed with Polk and do it much cheaper too.

You forgot "No Highs? No Lows? Must be BOSE!"

Agreed, seriously. Stick with same brand (and preferably same series) of speakers for timbre-matched sound all around. (This does not include the sub, which can be any brand you like as long as it's not Bose, who doesn't make "subwoofers" anyway, just little quaint boxes you hook a bunch of skinny wires up to.)

http://www.intellexual.net/bose.html

Polk is fine if you like the way they sound. Onkyo also makes very good receivers, no problem there. Be aware that you might find a deal at CC (or BB) but they're not exactly considered audio experts by anybody so take their advice with a grain of salt, and keep doing your research. You can likely do better elsewhere, either on or off-line.

Posting your budget would help folks give you more helpful suggestions.

I agree. Also, one of the great things about polk is the ability to mix and match speakers and price points. Polk speakers (with the exception of the RM satellites) are all timbre matched. For example, I am running Monitor 30s for my mains and was using M10's for my rears. I just picked the polks new (and CHEAP) R150's for my sides. Even though the R150's aren't cosmetically the same as the m10 and monitor 30's, they are designed to blend in. I would have picked up another pair of m10's, but Fry.com has the R150's for $49.99. That was too good to pass up. Heck, You can build a system with 4 R150's ($100), a psw10 sub (pick one up from ubid for $119.00) and an csm center (you can find them for around 100 to 110 at CC), total cost= $319. If you shop around, you can find a Harmon Kardon AVR-140 or pioneer 815 (if you don't need hdmi switching) for around $188 (refurb with warranty from Harman Audio) or a new HK AVR-145 for low to mid $200s new and you have a system for ~$500 that will blow away anything bose has in its lineup costing over a $500 to $1000 more!!! Bose is all about branding and nothing about quality.