BOSE Acoustimass/Lifestyle systems - why you should steer clear!!

[Barnum]

Originally Posted by Entertainment72

No need for ignorant comments.. whats large to you may not be large to me, its all subjective. I didn't say I absolutely needed satellite speakers per say or large.. I just don't want massive speakers.. and you don't need massive speakers for good sound.

I can guarantee if I knew of all your audio gear or other toys per say I could rip it apart as well. Also there is a company who makes worse speakers than BOSE, it's SONY.. talk about UTTER GARBAGE.

Acceptable:

Too Large:

The ones that you state are to large you should listen to them. I checked them out and found the sound to be beyond excellent. Sorry but size does matter when it comes to speakers.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by Barnum

The ones that you state are to large you should listen to them. I checked them out and found the sound to be beyond excellent. Sorry but size does matter when it comes to speakers.

depends.... I'm not entirely familiar with the science behind the electro-statics, but for "normal" speakers with cone etc, larger tweeter doesn't mean better tweeter, but subwoofers, YEAH... bigger is generally better. They make Sunfires etc. that claim the same response etc. in a much smaller size, but dollar-for-dollar, you can't change simple physics..... you need a large driver to move air, and create soundwaves.

[MacDaddyOJack]

Originally Posted by Barnum

The ones that you state are to large you should listen to them. I checked them out and found the sound to be beyond excellent. Sorry but size does matter when it comes to speakers.

I personally don't care for electrostatics. I don't think they sound bad, I just don't care for them. And those Martin Logan's that are pictured above are borderline ridiculous, those things are pretty big. To each his own though.... the size of my subwoofer is definitely ridiculous, but it sounds great so I don't mind it. If you really like the sound of electrostatics then the size of the Martin Logans may be tolerable for your home.

[Entertainment72]

Originally Posted by Barnum

The ones that you state are to large you should listen to them.

I have sure the sound is great.. but I'm not looking for great, I'm looking for good. Great costs too much for me at this time. I said good sound doesn't neccessarily mean massive or large speakers.

[edgebsl]

I second the HSU recommendation. As well as a whole list of companies making compact systems. I've been wanting something small for my bedroom.

Also check out Def Tech,Infinity,Klipsch,JBL,Mirage, some are about what you paid. Some are a bit more. Even the Logitech THX system I have hooked up to my PC will embarrass the flagship acoustimass system. And I paid less than $300 for it.(Although integrating a pc system into a normal HT setup would be tricky.

I disagree with the commenst about "Don't overpower your speakers!"
Absolutely overpower your speakers! Just keep in mind they have limits. Ever seen Emeril take the knobs off the oven and say "Use these! They dont have to be on ten" The same applies here. There is no such thing as too much power, just getting too happy with it.

If you underpower your system, you will clip the peaks, causing dangerous distortion that will overheat your speakers voice coil's and damage them.
Send your speakers plenty of watts, but use some common sense turning them up.

I do believe that some things are subjective, like how some people prefer warmer sounding speakers and some prefer brighter etc.

Some things that are not subjective about BOSE though, is that they are limited in output and bass extension, even in the price ranges. That there is a hole in the mid bass in almost all of the systems and and all of these conditions are worsened by putting them in anything but a small space.
There are many technical limitations that leave them lacking in most of the benchmarks that audio fans seem to agree on all around that make for a good sounding speaker/system.

Like I said, the one thing I'm glad of...is that Bose's success has pushed the other manufactures to shrink down and make good compact systems to compete. Giving those with space limitations more options.

[edgebsl]

Check out these from Paradigm:
http://www.laaudiofile.com/cinema110ct.html

And I definitely would check out these from KEF:
http://www.accessories4less.com/make...-Silver/1.html

I would also Strongly recommend the Klipsch CInema 6, 8 or 10
Which run a little bit more than $800 but will definitely wipe the floor with the $1200 BOSE
http://www.acousticsounddesign.com/c...pid=1405&sc=27

Even some Acoustech's would be pretty impressive for $800 but of course they would take up more space. But you'd gain so much dynamic range its not even funny ..http://www.acousticsounddesign.com/c...pid=1197&sc=27

http://electronics.pricegrabber.com/...rs/m/48840258/

So many alternatives to BOSE that are better.
I think a great idea would be a stickied section for compact 5.1 speaker systems

[edgebsl]

A link to the Def Tech system:
http://electronics.pricegrabber.com/...t=product_tab/

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by MacDaddyOJack

I personally don't care for electrostatics. I don't think they sound bad, I just don't care for them. And those Martin Logan's that are pictured above are borderline ridiculous, those things are pretty big.

Full electrostats are much larger than that. Those Martin Logans are tall, they're not necessarily huge.

In order to have a full electrostat panel you need the surface to cover the frequency range. Take a look at the Magnepan's and you'll see what I'm talking about.

The ML Summits, they're nice.



The Magnepan's you need a big room for:

[Beta Man]

I need some bass traps like those (the ones behind the ML's)

[Entertainment72]

So these but Ill get two more for 7.1


and this

anyways back to Bose.. JR.com is having a huge spring Bose sale

[edgebsl]

Oh yeah 72!

I think the jump to the klipsch will be a lot more radical that any of the other sub sat combos. They are really efficient and play much louder than the BOSE. Klipsch's are a hair bright by nature so if you're used to jacking up the bass and treble..make sure you start out with your eq flat and go from there.

I think you'll be pretty impresed.

I think that's the system I want for my bedroom.

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by edgebsl

I think the jump to the klipsch will be a lot more radical that any of the other sub sat combos. They are really efficient and play much louder than the BOSE.

Volume has little to do with clarity.

Have you read the people reviewing the Hsu sub/sat combo? Lots of recognizable names and publications there.

A true 80Hz frequency response from a sub/sat system centre channel is damned hard to do and that's what Hsu seem to have done for $549.

Sound and Vision's Daniel Kumin states that in lab tests the bandwidth uniformity of the Hsu offering is second to none (referring to other sub/sat systems)

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/ass...otlightlab.pdf

You get response to 25Hz (+/- 2dB) with the STF-2 included for $549

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by dobyblue

Volume has little to do with clarity.

Have you read the people reviewing the Hsu sub/sat combo? Lots of recognizable names and publications there.

A true 80Hz frequency response from a sub/sat system centre channel is damned hard to do and that's what Hsu seem to have done for $549.

Sound and Vision's Daniel Kumin states that in lab tests the bandwidth uniformity of the Hsu offering is second to none (referring to other sub/sat systems)



http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/ass...otlightlab.pdf

You get response to 25Hz (+/- 2dB) with the STF-2 included for $549

If I were in the market for a Sub-$800 5.1 Satellite system, that'd be the one I'd go with........

I just got a 5.0 for the bedroom, and if space constraints are a concern, there are some decent options out there.... but it obviously has nothing on my main system with floor-standers and the whole works

[edgebsl]

Originally Posted by dobyblue

Volume has little to do with clarity.

Have you read the people reviewing the Hsu sub/sat combo? Lots of recognizable names and publications there.

A true 80Hz frequency response from a sub/sat system centre channel is damned hard to do and that's what Hsu seem to have done for $549.

Sound and Vision's Daniel Kumin states that in lab tests the bandwidth uniformity of the Hsu offering is second to none (referring to other sub/sat systems)

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/ass...otlightlab.pdf

You get response to 25Hz (+/- 2dB) with the STF-2 included for $549

I think you're spot on with that Dolby.
But the reason I mentioned the volume is that when you are talking tiny systems and home theater, distortion is a big deal. And with the efficiency and power and handling of the Klipsch, you're going to see a huge boost in clarity at HIGH volumes. I would defend Klipcsh that they do make speakers that represent clarity. Low distortion and wide and relatively flat response. The only drawback is that they tend to favor the treble, although I think sometimes that is exaggerated.

HSU makes great stuff and doesnt overcharge for it.
I would bet the HSU system would be a bit more nuetral sounding whereas as the klipsch would be somewhat more "Colored" sounding and able to produce much more spl.

Speaking of horns and HSU. Have you seen the reviews of their horn loaded speaker? Now I am curious to hear that!

[richteer]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

I need some bass traps like those (the ones behind the ML's)

They're Tube Traps, made by ASC (Audio Science Corp., or something similar).

Summits look great; they're currently very high on my next speaker list. I heard the Vistas a few months ago with my friend Jeff; very impressive considering the less-than-optimal listening conditions, so the Summits should be amazing. I'm (pleasantly) surprised they're only ~$10K.

[WickyWoo]

You're talking to someone who has been a musician his whole life and has actually played on stages with JBL vertec arrays, Claire Brothers systems.
Pro soundmen chuckle at the name BOSE. Don't even ask about my experience with this: http://www.bose.com/controller?event...ians/index.jsp
It is a joke and can't hold its own against an old fahioned bi amped wedge.

As someone who has worked several arena concerts with major AAA quality acts,and often work shows with one of the best sound companies on the east coast, I can say with authority that in the 8-10 years I've been doing this stuff I have never seen a single Bose product, and that I would be laughed at if I even asked if they had some

They're a joke in the sound industry

[Driver_King]

Originally Posted by Entertainment72

So these but Ill get two more for 7.1


and this

anyways back to Bose.. JR.com is having a huge spring Bose sale

Could you add a link to this system? That looks appetizing! I may always upgrade. By the way, I think Bose has pretty decent highs. On the other hand though, I can't stand the "subs" because they are very exaggerated to the point of disbelief. The mids are like any other speaker IMO. The Bose systems are probably best for vocals or live entertainment.

[dobyblue]

They have boosted highs, then they rapidly fall off after 13kHz. Bose has no silibance at all for highs as far as my ears can tell.

A good speaker should have an even frequency response up to 20kHz.

[Driver_King]

Originally Posted by dobyblue

They have boosted highs, then they rapidly fall off after 13kHz. Bose has no silibance at all for highs as far as my ears can tell.

A good speaker should have an even frequency response up to 20kHz.

Don't forget they don't advertise the specifications. Just the research. I suppose that research really means they look for the best cheap, low quality speakers they can find and market as Bose Innovations.

[Azyiu]

Originally Posted by Entertainment72

So these but Ill get two more for 7.1


and this

anyways back to Bose.. JR.com is having a huge spring Bose sale

Good idea 72, I was about to say my flat isn't all that big; and I really need something smaller. ok, you might have mentioned it, but I missed it or something, which receiver do you have for these speakers?