BOSE Acoustimass/Lifestyle systems - why you should steer clear!! - Page 34 - Blu-ray Forum

ChadFL · 01-29-2012, 01:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ricshoe

I've always known Consumer Reports was NOT always the place to go for good advice on true quality electronics and AV gear, but this latest "recommendation" just solidified that fact! It appears the CR technicians have been drinking the BOSE Lifestyle kool-aid. Simply unbelievable....

The Onkyo system ranked third is 10X the quality of the BOSE at 1/6th the price!

Attachment 40187

That's pretty disgusting that Consumer Reports buys into the BOSE snake oil.

KcMsterpce · 02-22-2013, 03:01 AM

I wasn't expecting to type so much, but here's my Bose story:

I don't know if everything Bose is crap, but 7 years ago I bought the Acoustimas-5 series for $250. It was something like 65% off, so I went for it, thinking I was getting a great deal.
Right away, I hated the so-called center speaker. I got a Polk Audio CS10, (which was the best at that price range from the store to my ears until the Klipsh center speaker at $250). I brought it home and I was "more satisfied".
I also hated the L/R speakers, so about a year later I bought the Bose V301s because I figured staying with the same brand was a better choice (but the CS10 was doing well for me).

I then used the remaining satellites for my 7.1 setup.

As soon as I plugged in theV301s, I played KING KONG on bluray and was still underwhelmed. It always sounded a little brittle and anemic. Thank God for that center speaker, because I think it was the only thing really keeping me satisfied with my system.

Oh, I also hate the subwoofer, and I had the dials all the way down, felt the bass was too "random" and very loose. It was substantial, but seemed to have a willy-nilly decision-making process in what was deemed "important" LFE versus just plain "loud".

Either way, I figured it was a good intro set of speakers for my first HT at the time. After losing two jobs and moving six times in five years, I have been at the same place for almost three years now and saved up for a replacement HT. I don't want huge speakers because a) I move a lot and don't like lots of stuff and would worry about them getting busted, and b) my place has many close neighbors and they'd get really angry at the noise.

I have been speaker shopping for a while, going to stores and hoping for something better than my Bose. Since 2008.
While shopping, I heard a LOT of great stuff, and was surprised even by a simple Yamaha HTiB audio even compared to my Bose. Price vs. performance was outrageous - in favor of Yamaha. Then, I moved up to the mid-range bookshelfs and I always just thought that maybe I had a bad setup at home and didn't bring my Bose to justice because I didn't know what I was doing.
After a couple days of mental note-taking (and checking out Bose display audio again, unaware of their marketing scheme - AND going by peoples' jealousy of my Bose system) I worked on crossover freqs, speaker placement, volume levels and equalization with every speaker over and over again. Looking for an improvement, thinking the acoustics of my place was bad for home audio or something.

I ended up just turning the center volume higher than all the other speakers because that made the best audio.
I switched from a legacy receiver to the Sony STR-DA2400ES. Lossless audio was dramatically better than lossy, and I've enjoyed thousands of hours of movies with my sound system, especially impressed by titles like the TRANSFORMERS movies (just the audio; not the movie), RAMBO, BAND OF BROTHERS and several others. Most recently THE AVENGERS was one of my all-time favorites.

I didn't know Bose was so hated until about a year ago. Even without the "Buy Other Sound Equipment" motto, I was always dissatisfied with my half-priced Bose sound system. I thought maybe it was me. There was no reason to look into peoples' opinion of Bose because I already had them; I wasn't looking to get some.

I finally replaced my old HT this month with a completely new system. Yeah, it was certainly not the "acoustics of my place" - any of the six I lived at. I can't wait to get the Bose speakers out of my place. A friend wants them. I am selling them for very cheap, because he doesn't realize it's not even worth $300 for the satellite speakers, 4 speaker stands, the V301s (which aren't even magnetically shielded. I was floored by the stupidity of this concept when I bought them!) and my old Sony receiver. I just want them OUT of my place.

Bose and I have broken up after a rocky, dissatisfying 7-year relationship. Now it's just sitting in the corner, that huge box full of unfulfilled desires and hurtful resentment at the false promise of something good. I wish I did it earlier, but once again I was uneducated on how Bose sells itself and what "audiophiles" felt about them.
I always thought it was me, and I was the only one out of EVERYONE I knew who wasn't impressed. So, I kept them. I feel sheepish.

cobwebb · 07-19-2013, 07:47 PM

What happened to the original Bose read link?

dobyblue · 07-24-2013, 03:34 PM

Michael Fremer can't help himself, and rightly so - http://www.analogplanet.com/content/...r-bose-dead-83

Quote:

Originally Posted by cobwebb

What happened to the original Bose read link?

Dead, I've updated the first post with a link to the Way Back Archive which still shows the article.

Bluyoda · 11-20-2014, 08:53 AM

I am so glad I am not the only one who thinks Bose sucks big time.
So many people say they used to have a great system (Bose), or would buy a great surround system (Bose), and I keep telling them that what I have heard of that brand so far was absolute rubbish. They sound pathetic, and all you pay for is their name, which I seriously don't understand, because their products stink.
I am an audio enthusiast, not a Bose trasher.
I can't believe people get lulled into believing Bose speakers sound good.
The can't be listening to the sound, but look at the name, while testing their speakers.

Blu-rob77 · 11-21-2014, 12:50 AM

The only thing I own Bose is a huge sound dock . I'm not sure the model but I've only seen it at Costco. Got for the wife it does sound really good . But for HT no no no.

Psybits · 01-28-2016, 05:16 PM

I have always thought Bose to be overrated, however this article has shown me how truly subpar the sound quality is.
I just bought my 1st sub and I can hear bass, but doesn't feel or sound like its coming from the sub. It wasn't until I read this article that I found out that's how a proper sub is supposed to work.
Its Bose type marketing that keeps uninformed people clueless and convinces them that how their product works is the "acceptable" way.

Bluyoda · 01-28-2016, 09:34 PM

I had been trashing Bose speakers for a while, because of what I had heard of them sucked, so I recently went to a Bose shop for a HT demo.

I brought my own BD along, and put it in. Yep. Bose sucks, and it's INCREDIBLY overpriced.

The system were 3-4 grand, and there was a lot of unnecessary processing going on. Bass boost, etc..
I had a nice talk with the seller, who was cool, and he agreed it was nothing for audiophiles, just for regular Joes, who take convenience over quality.

I honestly can't imagine anyone with ears could ever get a Bose system.

jopajoy · 05-23-2016, 04:58 PM

Bose is the epitome of the american free-enterprise system: produce trash, get Americans to pay a high-price for it, and maximize the profits. How is anyone surprised with the results?

We had a saying at Best Buy back almost 20 years ago...."if it is all highs, and no lows....it must be BOSE!"

Almost every other speaker company is better built, outperforms on specs, and costs less than BOSE. That has been the case since DAY-ONE!

CAVEAT EMPTOR! NON EXPECTANS....NON DISAPPOINTABUNTUR!

MD-Blu · 07-15-2018, 03:37 PM

I have a Bose soundbar as my sound system, should I look into getting a different sound system brand or not? Some 4K movies I do have to turn the volume up.

Krelldog1977 · 07-17-2018, 03:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MD-Blu

I have a Bose soundbar as my sound system, should I look into getting a different sound system brand or not? Some 4K movies I do have to turn the volume up.

It depends on your expectations, WAF, and your budget. Having said that, I can't recommend any Bose products, especially a Bose sound bar. I've heard the best sound bars available, some professionally installed, others not. None impressed....( $500 - $1500 range ). Even adding a subwoofer to the bar leaves a huge gap in the mid-bass ranges which can further muddy up the LFE and overall fidelity.

Compared to a good quality 5.1 setup, or even 2.1, there is no comparison in performance. Even the most expensive ( flagship ) sound bars exhibit a somewhat "anemic" performance with absolutely no musicality, and total lack of dynamics. BUT, I must admit...it's a significant improvement from the speakers built into your TV.

Possible scenario: Buy a used AVR with plenty of power in the $500 range, leaving you with $1000 to spend on a pair of speakers. Hook it all up via RCA in stereo mode utilizing the stereo outputs on your player. Provided you made a wise choice in equipment, the resulting sound would trounce a sound bar. Listening to music would be drastically improved, and movies would offer improved bass impact with less distortion. You can always add a subwoofer in the future and it would blend in far better than a bar could ever dream.

Everyone has their own experiences, good luck on your audio journey and may it lead you to happiness

KD

Canada · 12-11-2018, 08:44 PM

I was on Bose website to look at what they had I looked at their Bose Lifestyle System it retails for $ 5,000, they don't even give you any wattage specs!

I bought my Bowers and Wilkins setup which consists of 603's, 685's and an HMT 61 for a little over $ 4,000.

Canada · 12-14-2018, 09:25 AM

You thought Bose were overpriced, holy crap!

05-23-2016, 04:58 PM	#669
jopajoy New Member Member since:Dec 2015 Location:East of Eden 4K collection:5 Blu-ray collection:1029	Bose??? Bose is the epitome of the american free-enterprise system: produce trash, get Americans to pay a high-price for it, and maximize the profits. How is anyone surprised with the results? We had a saying at Best Buy back almost 20 years ago...."if it is all highs, and no lows....it must be BOSE!" Almost every other speaker company is better built, outperforms on specs, and costs less than BOSE. That has been the case since DAY-ONE! CAVEAT EMPTOR! NON EXPECTANS....NON DISAPPOINTABUNTUR!

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02-22-2013, 03:01 AM	#662
KcMsterpce Power Member Member since:May 2011 Location:Belgium 4K collection:76 Blu-ray collection:575	I wasn't expecting to type so much, but here's my Bose story: I don't know if everything Bose is crap, but 7 years ago I bought the Acoustimas-5 series for $250. It was something like 65% off, so I went for it, thinking I was getting a great deal. Right away, I hated the so-called center speaker. I got a Polk Audio CS10, (which was the best at that price range from the store to my ears until the Klipsh center speaker at $250). I brought it home and I was "more satisfied". I also hated the L/R speakers, so about a year later I bought the Bose V301s because I figured staying with the same brand was a better choice (but the CS10 was doing well for me). I then used the remaining satellites for my 7.1 setup. As soon as I plugged in theV301s, I played KING KONG on bluray and was still underwhelmed. It always sounded a little brittle and anemic. Thank God for that center speaker, because I think it was the only thing really keeping me satisfied with my system. Oh, I also hate the subwoofer, and I had the dials all the way down, felt the bass was too "random" and very loose. It was substantial, but seemed to have a willy-nilly decision-making process in what was deemed "important" LFE versus just plain "loud". Either way, I figured it was a good intro set of speakers for my first HT at the time. After losing two jobs and moving six times in five years, I have been at the same place for almost three years now and saved up for a replacement HT. I don't want huge speakers because a) I move a lot and don't like lots of stuff and would worry about them getting busted, and b) my place has many close neighbors and they'd get really angry at the noise. I have been speaker shopping for a while, going to stores and hoping for something better than my Bose. Since 2008. While shopping, I heard a LOT of great stuff, and was surprised even by a simple Yamaha HTiB audio even compared to my Bose. Price vs. performance was outrageous - in favor of Yamaha. Then, I moved up to the mid-range bookshelfs and I always just thought that maybe I had a bad setup at home and didn't bring my Bose to justice because I didn't know what I was doing. After a couple days of mental note-taking (and checking out Bose display audio again, unaware of their marketing scheme - AND going by peoples' jealousy of my Bose system) I worked on crossover freqs, speaker placement, volume levels and equalization with every speaker over and over again. Looking for an improvement, thinking the acoustics of my place was bad for home audio or something. I ended up just turning the center volume higher than all the other speakers because that made the best audio. I switched from a legacy receiver to the Sony STR-DA2400ES. Lossless audio was dramatically better than lossy, and I've enjoyed thousands of hours of movies with my sound system, especially impressed by titles like the TRANSFORMERS movies (just the audio; not the movie), RAMBO, BAND OF BROTHERS and several others. Most recently THE AVENGERS was one of my all-time favorites. I didn't know Bose was so hated until about a year ago. Even without the "Buy Other Sound Equipment" motto, I was always dissatisfied with my half-priced Bose sound system. I thought maybe it was me. There was no reason to look into peoples' opinion of Bose because I already had them; I wasn't looking to get some. I finally replaced my old HT this month with a completely new system. Yeah, it was certainly not the "acoustics of my place" - any of the six I lived at. I can't wait to get the Bose speakers out of my place. A friend wants them. I am selling them for very cheap, because he doesn't realize it's not even worth $300 for the satellite speakers, 4 speaker stands, the V301s (which aren't even magnetically shielded. I was floored by the stupidity of this concept when I bought them!) and my old Sony receiver. I just want them OUT of my place. Bose and I have broken up after a rocky, dissatisfying 7-year relationship. Now it's just sitting in the corner, that huge box full of unfulfilled desires and hurtful resentment at the false promise of something good. I wish I did it earlier, but once again I was uneducated on how Bose sells itself and what "audiophiles" felt about them. I always thought it was me, and I was the only one out of EVERYONE I knew who wasn't impressed. So, I kept them. I feel sheepish.

07-19-2013, 07:47 PM	#663
cobwebb Active Member Member since:Jan 2008	What happened to the original Bose read link?

11-20-2014, 08:53 AM	#665
Bluyoda Blu-ray Ninja Top contributor Member since:Dec 2008 Location:Dagobah Home Theater Gallery:103 4K collection:139 Blu-ray collection:1345 Blu-ray reviews: 257 Trading Score:4	I am so glad I am not the only one who thinks Bose sucks big time. So many people say they used to have a great system (Bose), or would buy a great surround system (Bose), and I keep telling them that what I have heard of that brand so far was absolute rubbish. They sound pathetic, and all you pay for is their name, which I seriously don't understand, because their products stink. I am an audio enthusiast, not a Bose trasher. I can't believe people get lulled into believing Bose speakers sound good. The can't be listening to the sound, but look at the name, while testing their speakers.

11-21-2014, 12:50 AM	#666
Blu-rob77 Blu-ray Guru Member since:Feb 2009 Location:hollister ca Blu-ray collection:148 Blu-ray reviews:1	The only thing I own Bose is a huge sound dock . I'm not sure the model but I've only seen it at Costco. Got for the wife it does sound really good . But for HT no no no.

01-28-2016, 05:16 PM	#667
Psybits Blu-ray Guru Top contributor Member since:Jul 2009 4K collection:12 Blu-ray collection:310 Trading Score:2	I have always thought Bose to be overrated, however this article has shown me how truly subpar the sound quality is. I just bought my 1st sub and I can hear bass, but doesn't feel or sound like its coming from the sub. It wasn't until I read this article that I found out that's how a proper sub is supposed to work. Its Bose type marketing that keeps uninformed people clueless and convinces them that how their product works is the "acceptable" way.

01-28-2016, 09:34 PM	#668
Bluyoda Blu-ray Ninja Top contributor Member since:Dec 2008 Location:Dagobah Home Theater Gallery:103 4K collection:139 Blu-ray collection:1345 Blu-ray reviews: 257 Trading Score:4	I had been trashing Bose speakers for a while, because of what I had heard of them sucked, so I recently went to a Bose shop for a HT demo. I brought my own BD along, and put it in. Yep. Bose sucks, and it's INCREDIBLY overpriced. The system were 3-4 grand, and there was a lot of unnecessary processing going on. Bass boost, etc.. I had a nice talk with the seller, who was cool, and he agreed it was nothing for audiophiles, just for regular Joes, who take convenience over quality. I honestly can't imagine anyone with ears could ever get a Bose system.

07-15-2018, 03:37 PM	#670
MD-Blu Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Oct 2008 Location:KY 4K collection:147 Blu-ray collection:203 DVD collection:15 Trading Score:57	I have a Bose soundbar as my sound system, should I look into getting a different sound system brand or not? Some 4K movies I do have to turn the volume up.

12-11-2018, 08:44 PM	#672
Canada Blu-ray Prince Top contributor Member since:Mar 2007 Location:Victoria, BC Home Theater Gallery:17 4K collection:218 Blu-ray collection:1089 DVD collection:35 Blu-ray reviews:41	I was on Bose website to look at what they had I looked at their Bose Lifestyle System it retails for $ 5,000, they don't even give you any wattage specs! I bought my Bowers and Wilkins setup which consists of 603's, 685's and an HMT 61 for a little over $ 4,000.

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