|   Small speakers like Bose being better... | bogrod
Apr 2, 2002 7:18 PM | | Just wondering what your opinion is of the claim by companies like Bose that their little tiny speakers sound just as good, and have the same audio impact, of traditional floorstanding and bookshelf speakers. |
| B.O.S.E = buy other speakers, exclamation! | Chuckd55
Apr 2, 2002 8:38 PM | | |
| B.O.S.E = buy other speakers, exclamation! | Billyjo
Apr 2, 2002 9:41 PM | | Those charming little cubes sound great for the size they are. I had the first audition 5 years ago, not too bad (again for their size). But one can buy speakers that are twice as good for the same price or less. They're like B&O, their systems look rather than sound like $3000. They're 'lifestyle systems' not Hi Fi. |
| I thought it was B.O.S.E = Better Off w/Something Else (nt) | MaxC
Apr 3, 2002 10:34 AM | | |
| Buy Other Speakers Eventually, or "learning curve" | spacedeckman
Apr 8, 2002 6:15 PM | | . |
| re: Small speakers like Bose being better... | CHRIS8
Apr 3, 2002 12:43 AM | | "Just wondering what your opinion is of the claim by companies like Bose that their little tiny speakers sound just as good, and have the same audio impact, of traditional floorstanding and bookshelf speakers."
My opinion on those claims? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Those cube/sat systems don't even have the impact of pair of crappy Polk towers.
Save yourself some money(and future embarrasment); don't purchase them unless your getting a 90% discount.
-Chris |
| Well from what I've heard... | Prodigy
Apr 3, 2002 2:26 AM | | They just don't cut it.
Fundamentally sound is about moving the air and I guess it's because physically you cannot move the volumes of air with this litte speakers. Ok some of them go pretty loud but they just don't seem full enough, hard hitting or - infact they just sound crap to me.
Ok so they always come with a sub but from what I've heard there is a noticeable frequency gap AND I prefer my bass to come from the speakers themselves. I know it's omnidirectional but personally I think I can tell. |
| re: Small speakers like Bose being better... | FreeFall
Apr 3, 2002 4:27 AM | | well, 2 weeks ago i bought my very first home theater system. My friend encouraged me to buy BOSE acoustimass 15 for speakers, but in the mall, i saw this wharfedale moviestar 40+ HT speakers(front and surround are wharfedale modus satellite and sub is Powercube-8). It was on sale (300$) while the BOSE acoustimass was more than double its price. So i choose Wharfedale as it is much much cheaper and since this is my first set of speakers, i don't want to gamble buying an expensive one.
Then i didn't realize i may the right choice, as the wharfedale modus satellites are way much more better than my friend's BOSE satellites. Not to mention the price. |
| Here is the problem | MaxC
Apr 3, 2002 6:12 AM | | Here is the problem with all satellite type speakers. The driver is too big to give the detail and accuracy of a tweeter for higher range frequencies, and too small to have any kind of bass for lower/midrange frequencies. This means that their poor quality sub (if you can even call it that) has to pick up frequencies from about 200~150Hz and below.
Most people can detect the direction of sounds above 80Hz so having a sub crossover that high makes it too easy to pinpoint and is just plain bad. Plus good subs should be able to get down to 25Hz and below with some authority.
Another thing is that they can fill a room because they are stacked and aimed in all sorts of direction, but if you try to play some music in stereo, you will have no kind of soundstage and kiss imaging good bye.
This is why the term, "No highs, no lows, must be Bose" was coined. Hope this helps. |
| re: Small speakers like Bose being better... | Bryan
Apr 3, 2002 8:09 AM | | Small speakers can sound good. However, when you start comparing the Bose AM series to, let's say, a set of nOrh 3.0s ($375) and Sony SA-WM40 ($150) the differences become readily apparent. The soundstage and imaging will be vastly improved along with the sound quality. You would then have a system that is good with music and even better with HT at a fairly cheap price. When you start getting into the pricier Lifestyle systems the difference become tremendous. A $3,000 Lifestyle system will be out done by most any other system out there. The only thing is it will not be as small (which is what Bose emphasizes). In every other area, the Lifestyle system will be beaten handily, especially in the price to performance ratio.
Similar products would be the Gallo Acoustics Micro, Def Tech Pro Cinema 100.6, Wharfedale Modus, nOrh 3.0, etc. |
| There's a reason you never see Bose paired with other systems... | Rhino
Apr 3, 2002 8:15 AM | | ....and it's because if you did a side-by-side, with anything, no one in their right mind would ever buy the Bose system. They're small, unobtrusive, sytems that SOUND LIKE CRAP!!!! But hey, if that's what you like... ;-) |
| try Energy... | thepogue
Apr 3, 2002 8:22 AM | | good little system.. |
| re: Small speakers like Bose being better... | Woochifer
Apr 3, 2002 5:34 PM | | Conceptually, the idea of small satellites coupled with a subwoofer works. In theory, low bass is nondirectional and therefore does not need to be part of the main speaker and can be placed elsewhere in the room, but in order for this to work, the satellite speakers have to reproduce a reasonably full range down to where the bass becomes nondirectional; and in reality, most of the satellite systems out there do not do this in order to make the cube units more design and space friendly. This leaves most of the systems with a either a sizable frequency gap, or a bass unit that has to do double duty as a lower midrange driver. The Bose Acoustimass systems unfortunately do both! So in practice, most of these systems already make a lot of compromises and the Bose Acoustimass systems are the most compromised models in this already compromised group!
Most other manufacturers at least use two-way speakers for their satellite units, which helps increase the accuracy with the highs and mids, but Bose relies on the cube unit to go all the way into the upper highs down well into the lower midrange. Very few drivers of any quality can do justice to anywhere near that wide a range, and the cheap quality of the drivers on those Bose cubes doesn't even come close.
The problem with the Bose Acoustimass systems is that they cost way more than they should for the performance that they deliver. Plus, the so-called bass those modules produce has to actually intrude into the lower midrange, so they're not true subwoofers and the sound that they produce is NOT low enough to be nondirectional, which pretty much negates the theoretical advantages of a sub/sat arrangement.
Sub/sat arrangements are a nice way to get a lot of bang for the buck, but they have their compromises compared to other systems built around fuller range speakers and true subwoofers. |
| That sounded like my comment :) | MaxC
Apr 4, 2002 5:43 AM | | |
| The Truth is universal! | Woochifer
Apr 4, 2002 2:30 PM | | |
| The Truth is universal! | Toasted Almond
Apr 7, 2002 8:46 AM | | "The Truth" are my Carver Platinum Amazing Mk.IV's in my 2 channel room. "Son of The Truth" are the vintage AR-9's in my modest home theater system.
Bose is some type of weird fashion statement. It's no longer about music when Bose is involved. When I see or am confronted by a Bose user/owner, I assume the person is a real "cutting edge" type that stays abreast of all the latest trends, and subscribes to trendy magazines. For over thirty yrs, the company has provided the LEAST amount of performance, for the MOST amount of money. This does not stop the company from selling more speakers than anybody else in the industry. What does that tell you? It reminds me of a statement by the late Frank Zappa. He claimed that "stupidity, not hydrogen", was the most plentiful element in the universe. There are times when he was sooo right.
Toasted Almond |
| The Truth is universal! | bogrod
Apr 7, 2002 8:41 PM | | Thank you all for your responses. What you have shared is generally what I suspected. I will inform my buddy to stay away from Bose. |
| Depends | spacedeckman
Apr 8, 2002 6:19 PM | | are we talking "like Bose" or "Bose". The Bose don't come with a subwoofer (its a "bass module" with 2-5 1/4" drivers) while the "like Bose" systems typically come with 8" subwoofers that can provide the IMPACT of a big floorstander.
Where the little speakers miss out is in the "presence" factor, and low midrange energy. Bookshelf and floorstanding speakers do much better there. It's part of the "trying to cover the holes" thing you have to do with a sub/sat package. |
| |
